Accessibility

Out of Sight: How Museums Can Harness the Blind Perspective to Enrich Visitor Experiences

By Violet Rose Arma

Do blind people enjoy visiting museums? Yes and no. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch and Don Winiecki captured this complicated reality in 2020, when they conducted a survey of blind adults discussing their feelings about museums. Here were a few of the …
Disrupting Museum Behavior: An Exploration of the Art Institute of Chicago’s “Cripping the Galleries”

By Emma Cieslik

On a hot Sunday afternoon, Sydney Erlikh, seated in a wheelchair, leaned against Maypril Krukowski, a woman with glasses seated on a bench. Sounds of church bells, shuffling footsteps, and walking filled the gallery of landscape paintings …
3 Trauma-Informed Practices for Museums to Follow

By Jackie Armstrong

Earlier this year, I presented at MuseumNext’s Museums, Health, and Wellbeing Summit about what we risk by not integrating trauma-informed practices and values into our work. In my talk, I chose to use reflective prompts and storytelling …
4 Ideas to Create Linguistic Accessibility at Museums

By Irma Cedeno Verdon

Though the word “accessibility” has often been equated with giving access to those with disabilities, it can also mean something broader. Accessibility means looking at everything we create through the lens of inclusivity and diversity and …
Building Community and Connection: Guidelines for Museum Educators Teaching Memory Care Programs

By Beatriz Galuban

In the words of renowned museum educator and empathy expert Elif Gokcigdem, “Museums are safe, informal learning spaces, uniquely equipped to help audiences explore and imagine our human heritage and collective experiences.” Museum …
Different by Design: A New, Inclusive Framework for Accessible Museum Exhibitions

By Sarah Schleuning

In January 2020, I authored a post for the Alliance Blog about speechless: different by design, an exhibition that I curated for the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The exhibition was an experiment—one …
CARE-apy: On the Road to Welcome: Starting your accessibility journey

By Cecelia Walls

The concepts of accessibility and inclusion are not new. There is not, however, a straightforward blueprint for doing this work in a clear-cut and approachable way, meaning many museum workers are often left wondering “how do I get …
Museum Accessibility: An Art and a Science

By Laureen Trainer, Heather Pressman, Danielle Schulz, Caroline Braden, Charlotte Martin, Lynda Kennedy, and Alyssa Carr

Over the past decade, conversations about accessibility have increased within the museum field, and many organizations including AAM have identified it as a priority. There is not, however, a straightforward and approachable blueprint for …
Transforming Museums with Immersive Sound

By Maglyn Bertrand

Sound is a potent force. When harnessed with intention and care, its impact can be substantial. As a trained ethnomusicologist with experience working in museums like the Louis Armstrong House Museum, I have long been fascinated with the …
The Best Museum Bathrooms, According to Museum People

By Joseph O'Neill

When you think of all the memorable, thoughtfully designed spaces in museums, the bathrooms may not be the first thing that come to mind. They aren’t usually considered the feather in an architect’s cap, and they can often feel more like a …