Innovative ways Museums and Galleries across the world are addressing Accessibility and Universal Design.
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This article highlights some examples of how national and international Museums and Galleries are incorporating accessibility and Universal Design.
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York - MoMA have a number of inclusive programs including interactive gallery discussions for visitors with dementia and their families, sign-language interpreted gallery talks, and touch, listen and discuss tours for visitors who are blind or partially sighted. MoMA also have a number of online resources including a downloadable sensory map which highlights visitors areas within the museum that are likely to be quieter and less crowded, areas with seating, and natural lighting. For further information on MoMA please click here.
- The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, London - The V&A Museum provide a guiding service, large print label books, tactile books and regular talks for visually impaired visitors. They also provide a number of assistive technologies such text to speech scanners. There are also a range of activity backpacks available for children relating to several different collections including a sensory backpack which is designed for children with visual impairments. For further information on the V&A Museum please click here.
- The Museum of London - The Museum of London run a number of inclusive tours including gallery tours for visitors with visual impairments and audio described tours, sign language tours and guided exhibition tours with live subtitles on portable tablets. They also cater for families with children on the autistic spectrum by providing morning explorers events, which are scheduled before the gallery opens to the public. For further information on the Museum of London please click here.
- The National Gallery of Ireland - The Gallery provide tours for people who are blind or partially sighted, and Irish sign language tours for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Mobility aids, large print maps, and audio guides are all available to visitors. The newly refurbished Milltown Wing also provides a changing places bathroom. The Gallery is also committed to providing a fully accessible experience for all visitors and have recently appointed an access team who are in the process of developing and implementing an access plan to achieve this goal. For further information on the National Gallery of Ireland please click here.
Alternatively, if you need further information on making museums and galleries accessible, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 4151285 or email [email protected]
