Module 6. Let’s get practical – some practical applications

Introduction

Museums have a very important social function. But it also has many other functions – cultural, artistic, scientific, informative etc. So it should be accessible to everyone. But, there is a group of people who can’t make full use of the services offered in the museum or enter it at all. People with various disabilities often face accessibility difficulties in public spaces . Some museums are trying to keep up with the latest technology.  They try to adapt spaces for all visitors, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

What?

Some examples of accessible museums for the disabled people:

Vasa museum in Stockholm

We want the Vasa Museum to be accessible to everyone and we are working to improve our accessibility.

Plan your visit:

• Companions to visitors with disabilities have free admission.
• Help dogs are welcome.
• Disabled parking is available outside the museum entrance. There are two parking spaces.

During your visit:

• Lifts are available to all floors.
• Toilets are in the entrance hall, by the Information Desk on the ground floor, on the third floor and in the restaurant.
• You can borrow two wheelchairs at the Information Desk.
• A hearing loop is available in the large auditorium when there are film screenings.
• Our restaurant is available for wheelchairs and has accessible toilets.

Reference: https://www.vasamuseet.se/en/visit/accessibility

Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum is open to everyone. So we do all we can to make the museum accessible for visitors with disabilities.

Visitors with a walking aid or wheelchair

The entire museum is accessible for wheelchairs or mobility scooters. You can borrow a wheelchair, rollator, pushchair, walking cane or foldable museum stool at the information desk.

Also, there is a floorplan showing the lifts, seating areas throughout the museum and disabled toilets.

Visitors who are blind or partially sighted

Guide dogs on a lead are of course allowed into the museum.

This museum offers a special guided tour for visitors with a visual impairment so you can touch the objects in the museum.

Visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing

We try to make sure that all information, such as the multimedia tours in the Rijksmuseum app, are available with visual text. You can download the app in advance from any location, so you can familiarize yourself with it before your visit. If you have a neckloop such as ComPilot, you can listen to the tours by connecting your hearing aid to your telephone using Bluetooth. The Auditorium has a hearing loop. Please contact a staff member in the auditorium if you need help.

Visitors with sensory sensitivity

The Rijksmuseum can get very busy and crowded, especially the Gallery of Honour. You can keep your visit interesting and calm by choosing a quieter part of the museum. These are in green colour on the floorplan. Or plan your visit outside high season and before 10 in the morning or 3.30 in the afternoon. If you do feel overloaded, then go to the quiet room.

Another option is to plan your visit on one of the Saturday evenings. Then the museum is open specially for visitors with sensory sensitivities. And if you prefer to stay home, you can visit the Gallery of Honour online and take your time to see the entire collection.

Visitors with dementia

Every second Tuesday in the month we organize a free themed tour for visitors with dementia and their loved ones. The participants share stories, memories, associations and ideas and breathe life into the objects in the museum. Each tour has a different theme. For comfort and convenience, all participants gets a light folding stool to take on the tour.

Activities for visitors with mental handicap

For our visitors with mental handicap we offer a special tour with a fun creative task.

Companion

If you cannot move through the museum by yourself, you can bring a companion. He can enter for free. But, your companion needs a (free) entrance ticket and start time. The start time you should reserve in advance.

Reference: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/visit/accessibility

How?

What museums need to consider to make them more accessible according to different disabilities:

Visual disabilities

Can you navigate in the museum using a Guide Dog or a cane? Are signposts and labels available in Braille?

Physical disabilities

Do individuals using crutches or walking frames have enough space to navigate exhibitions?

Auditory disabilities

Are loop induction systems in place at help desks so that individuals with hearing aids can understand staff?

Cognitive disabilities

Are video and audio elements of exhibitions of a standard that will not exacerbate conditions such as epilepsy or vestibular disorder?

Speech disabilities

Are museum staff appropriately trained to assist individuals who may have difficulty communicating verbally?

Reference: https://blog.ferrovial.com/en/2020/10/making-museums-accessible-a-space-for-everyone/

Call to action

Exercise 1

Often museum visitors can plan their visit to the museum in advance. It depends on whether a particular museum has a website where people can find some information about its accessibility.  Find 3 pages that have information on their website about accessibility in your country and 3 pages that doesn’t.

Exercise 2

In order to ensure a pleasant visit for every client, regardless of whether he is disabled or not, specialists working in museums must know certain rules of communication. Mark which of the phrases listed below are appropriate for personal communication with people with disabilities:

A person with a disability
A cripple, handicapped, special needs

He is autistic
He has autism

She is brain damaged
She has a brain injury

He has a psychiatric disability
He is crazy

Deaf person
A person who is deaf