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
Later it evolved to people with disabilities in general. Today the meaning is broader and includes all people to get the same opportunities for all.
To make a museum accessible means to meet the needs of their visitors. For example, to allow a deaf person to communicate through sign language. Also, to prepare a visit in easy language for children with Down syndrome. To make a museum accessible is very important. It contributes to the inclusion and integration of all types of people.
In the same way, and as this Educational Package explores, it is important for the professionals of culture to know the basic concepts of accessibility and know the resources that they can offer to the visitors.
References
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(source: The Entrepreneurial and Maker Community - Perfect 3D Printing Filament (morgen-filament.de)
Sillas Meteor, de MAD Architects. | Credits: Ken Ngan / Dior
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Reference: Trakai Island Castle Taken from: We love Lithuania.https://welovelithuania.com/traku-pilyje-pastatytas-maketas-regos-negalia-turintiems-leisiantis-pamatyti-pili/
Now, the visually impaired can experience the beauty of art at Madrid’s Prado Museum - Luxurylaunches
Nursing Clio Please Touch: 3D Technologies for Accessibility in Museums
https://www.globaltimes.cn/galleries/3758.html
Polish Up Your 3D Printing Entrepreneurial Spirit with Some Helpful Tips - 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing