My MRP aims to explore how galleries or art museums can provide all visitors, visually impaired or not, with an enriching experience and try to incorporate art accessibility into the daily lives of the visually impaired. Additionally, I attempt to explore ways to interpret the context of artwork with different senses, allowing blind and visually impaired people to explore artworks with sighted people to enhance their shared gallery experience.
There are many additional stakeholders who could be affected by making art accessible to the blind and Visually impaired people: friends and family of visually impaired people who may be able to enjoy a more shared experience of the gallery; the vision impaired community who could benefit from increased awareness of the need for inclusion and participation in all aspects of life;
the wider disability community, many of whom may also be able to benefit from some of the accessible formats and increased awareness; other artists whose exposure to accessible art could expand their thinking about art and how to convey ideas; sighted visitors who will be exposed to new ideas about access and inclusion, and also will enhance their museum experience by Multi-sensory experience; and the elderly community will be benefited by addressing visually impaired people’s art accessibility, as most sighted people would also lose a certain degree of vision gradually as they age; and the government of city, which funds the gallery and wishes to attract more visitors to the city; the museum and gallery, will boost their reputation and increase the number of visits through meeting more accessibility needs will improve visitor outlook and impressions of the museum.
Visually impaired people who wish to have an empathic ambient with sighted people. Visually impaired visitors who want to explore artwork independent.
Most museums and galleries offer multi-sensory and tactile tours for blind and visually impaired visitors to help them make a meaningful connection with the museum and add more dimensions to the experience. However, these dedicated exhibition areas limit the interaction and understanding between visually impaired and sighted people.
As we rethink issues of disability and access in galleries and museums, we should recognize that not all exhibition designs need to be limited to the disabled. The disabled community can no longer be segregated into special collections or special adjunct programming. In an ideal scenario, a dedicated designed exhibition area could benefit all visitors and enhance the understanding of the visually impaired community by the sighted.
On the other hand, museums and galleries are trying to be more accessible to people with visual impairments with a variety of facilities and services. Some research aims to increase their access to arts by exploring various methods. The visually impaired individuals, as visitors, participants in the study, and the group being researched, do not have the opportunity to participate in the design and research process. If we intend to engage disability in a more productive way, we might need to rethink the identity and position of the visually impaired community during the design and research.
Co-design with visually impaired people is missing from previous research. Visually impaired communities with training as designers or being invited to co-design would not only bring insights to implement their different needs but would also enhance the intrinsic sensations of being neglected by the public.
Renegotiating roles and power dynamics between researchers, designers, and participants. We should create an attitudinal shift in the way we think about disability, equality, and inclusion. To encourage researchers, gallery staff, and the public to challenge their own assumptions about disability and inclusion and broaden their idea of what it means to be an accessible museum or gallery.
The visually impaired should be seen as colleagues and creators rather than objects of research and are encouraged to participate in research and design to more carefully listen to their voices.
Adopting service design to promote interaction and understanding between visually impaired people and the public. Instead of designing assistive tools to compensate for physical defects, it is better to create an empathic ambient for the public, for people in different conditions to have a chance to meet, cooperate, communicate, and develop a mutual understanding.
The intangible design is also important compared to improving the material exhibits. For example, museums can establish a set of user-centred research guidelines, public incentives, and criteria for evaluation, feedback, and improvement to serve both the B&VI community and the general public and to align the interests of various stakeholders. Empathy between B&VI and the public can develop and allow them to experience the artwork together.
How do we co-work with the visually impaired people to promote interaction between B&VI and sighted people and create an empathic ambient for them?
Enhancing Multi-sensory experiences to provide the B&VI and sighted visitors with physical and mental enjoyment. Lectures and activities, such as multi-sensory exhibitions and touch tours, are open to all and are not specifically designed for visually impaired visitors. A multisensory approach helps visually impaired visitors experience art differently by touching, smelling, tasting or listening to create an emotional connection with the artworks and bring an immersive gallery experience to other mainstream sighted and able populations.
Smell Taste
