Museums and Accessibility

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Museums and Accessibility “Were we to ask our colleagues, ‘would you deny a person access to your museum’s collections or programs solely on the basis of his individual differences?’ they would surely say ‘No, never’ Yet for years this is exactly what we have un-knowingly done to people with disabilities. We have set up, albeit inadvertently, physical and attitudinal barriers that have kept disabled people from enjoying the educational experiences our museums have to offer. Our multi-level buildings, low lighting, mauve-on-beige colored labels, and non-participatory tours are inaccessible to disabled people and implicitly refuse them entry into our buildings and programs. This exclusion of disabled visitors has been due to neglect, not malevolence. The problem, at first, was not knowing there was a problem. Once we recognized it, we did not understand how to correct it. Now, however, we realize that changes must be made and that tools …are available to help guide those changes. It is time for us to educate ourselves about disabilities and about how they affect people’s lives. Replacing misconceptions with facts, will enable us in the future, to -welcome a wider and more diverse audience- a goal that offers far-reaching benefits to us as well.” -Robert McC Adams, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1951 Accessibility in a museum encompasses many different things. It can mean compliance with ADA standards, removing physical barriers for ease of access for wheelchairs, or special accommodations for those with different needs. The best facilities recognize that meeting what is required by law is not enough and work to integrate accessibility into the regular museum experience. Visitors with disabilities are allowed to enjoy what the museum has to offer, in a way that includes them in as much of the traditional museum visit as possible. What are
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