The Museum Accessibility Spectrum

Re-imagining Access and Inclusion

Alison F. Eardley, Vanessa E. Jones

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English

Routledge
16 January 2025

Museums & museology; Disability: social aspects; Sociology

Series: Museum Meanings

The Museum Accessibility Spectrum engages with discussions around access to museums and argues that what is impairing the progress of museums towards inclusion is the current ableist model of access.

Drawing on contributors from international museum researchers, practitioners, artists, and activists, this volume challenges the notion of the core ‘able’ museum visitor and instead proposes all individuals are positioned on a multidimensional Accessibility Spectrum, which incorporates intersecting physical, sensory, neurodivergent, and social and cultural dimensions. It explores the ways in which access provisions designed to enhance the experience of a minority can enhance the museum experience for all visitors. A constructively critical approach is taken to practice-based chapters, using case studies and approaches from around the globe, split into three main sections. Within the Disability Gain section, the authors consider the benefits of inclusive design, perspectives, and practice for all visitors to the museum sector. The Social and Cultural Inclusion section examines ways in which museums have broadened representation and participation to better serve audiences who have been excluded, or 'underrepresented' by the museums. Finally, the Agents of Social Change section considers how, with this work, museums are challenging systemic biases and exclusions. The international, cross-disciplinary contributions in this volume are driven by research-informed practice and will transform existing thinking to change future practice within the museum sector by challenging this ableist bias.

This book will be of interest and importance not only to museum practitioners and researchers, but also to readers with an interest in cultural studies, critical disability studies, translation studies, and inclusive and universal design.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Edited by: Alison F. Eardley, Vanessa E. Jones
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 740g
ISBN: 9781032466668
ISBN 10: 1032466669
Series: Museum Meanings
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 16 January 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Alison F. Eardley is an interdisciplinary researcher, trained in cognitive psychology (and employed in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster, London, UK). Building on her previous work on imagery, imagination, and spatial processing in congenitally totally blind people and the sighted, her work is now focused on access, inclusion, interpretation, and evaluation within the museum sector. Vanessa E. Jones is the Access Programs Manager at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, where she has championed accessibility initiatives since 2015. With degrees in art history and museum education, she develops and implements programs that enhance the museum experience for all visitors, particularly those with disabilities. Her expertise in access and inclusion has shaped institutional practices across the museum.

Reviews for The Museum Accessibility Spectrum: Re-imagining Access and Inclusion

'This book calls for a radical re-thinking of access programs at museums and other cultural sites. The editors argue that when access is understood merely as something the institution bestows on marginalized groups, without the active participation and collaboration of those communities, it risks preserving protocols of privilege and power. Here, a diverse collection of international authors, educators, artists, and activists describe specific projects and techniques that could be implemented in different contexts. This paradigm-shifting achievement is essential reading for anyone in the museum sector as well as anyone inspired by the potential for museums to enact meaningful social change'. ~ Georgina Kleege, author of More Than Meets the Eye: What Blindness Brings to Art 'Ensuring inclusion in education, sciences, and culture – including museums – is crucial and reaffirms our commitment to upholding human rights for everyone, as emphasized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While progress has been made in many museums in terms of ""Inclusion,"" ""Accessibility,"" and ""Diversity,"" many others around the world are still in the process of fully embracing their social responsibilities and expanding their role beyond basic accessibility. This book offers valuable insights for practitioners, scholars, and policymakers on transforming museum practices to enhance accessibility and foster inclusion. Its release is particularly timely, coming after the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022), which highlighted culture’s vital role in sustainable development and social cohesion, and as we approach the decade anniversary of UNESCO’s 2015 Recommendation concerning the Protection and Promotion of Museums and Collections, their Diversity and their Role in Society'. ~ Dr Khaled El-Enany, Professor of Egyptology and Former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt