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Call for Good Practices | Museums for Everyone: Innovative Practices in Accessibility and Inclusion
In 2024, with the support of the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), the "Accessible Museums for Persons with Disabilities" project has launched in China. As a key activity under the project, UNESCO and Chinese Museums Association (CMA) are seeking innovative practices of universal accessibility among Chinese museums. We invite museums of all types to share existing policies and measures for enhancing accessibility for all visitors, including but not limited to persons with disabilities, elderly individuals, children, pregnant women, those with temporary mobility limitations, individuals with invisible disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, and anyone with special needs. This call will provide a platform for Chinese museums to demonstrate their innovative approaches to accessible services while promoting the good practices on a global level to continuously advance accessibility.
Selected practices will be featured in UNESCO’s Museums for Everyone: Innovative Practices in Accessibility and Inclusion publication and to be showcased at professional and public events.
Background:
As non-profit social service institutions providing public cultural services, museums are in a great position to provide services for every member of society. However, there is an urgent need for continuing actions to ensure that all museums provide adequate access to all groups of audience with different forms of disabilities. This call aims to identify and promote innovative practices among accessible museums, fostering inclusive development across the sector.
Objectives:
Identify and recognize museums excelling in universal accessibility
Collect and share innovative approaches and successful experiences of universally accessible museums
Raise public awareness on the importance of universal accessibility among museums
Encourage more museums to take action to enhance comprehensive accessibility
Scope:
Physical Accessibility: e.g., wheelchair-friendly service counters, accessible entrances and exits, accessible parking spaces, elevators, accessible restrooms, rest areas, quiet zones, nursing rooms, etc.
Information Accessibility: e.g., multi-format descriptions (braille, large print, easy-to-read versions), captioning services (for video exhibits), real-time text conversion services, sensory maps, multilingual services (such as Chinese, English, sign language), hearing assistance systems, etc.
Attitudinal Accessibility: e.g., staff training on accessibility awareness, inclusive service mindset, special needs response capabilities, regular evaluation and feedback mechanisms for accessibility services (including visitor surveys and staff feedback), etc.
Exhibit Accessibility: e.g., touchable exhibits, multi-sensory experiences, height-appropriate display methods, virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experiences, interactive displays, 3D printed replicas of museum artifacts, etc.
Digital Accessibility: e.g., accessible websites, virtual exhibitions, mobile applications, age-friendly designs, etc.
Personalized Support and Adaptations: social stories, sensory backpacks, service, assistance and emotional support animal-friendly policies, special visiting hours (e.g., quiet hours, visiting times designed for specific groups), accessible transportation information and assistance, etc.
Accessible Education and Activities: special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) programs and resources (e.g., programs for individuals with learning and developmental disabilities or autism, programs for elderly with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers), online accessible educational resources, art therapy, support for accessible artistic creation, etc.
Community Accessibility Support: providing cultural services to the accessible community, collaborating with organizations, associations, and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities to carry out accessibility projects, offering accessible cultural education to the disability community, organizing accessible cultural events for the community.
Accessibility Policy: e.g., developing and implementing comprehensive museum accessibility strategies, establishing accessibility service standards and guidelines, setting up dedicated accessibility funds, forming accessibility advisory committees, creating accessibility action plans, establishing mechanisms for continuous improvement and monitoring of accessibility measures, etc.
Submission Requirements:
Please provide a description of your case study with at least 2 pages, including:
A brief introduction of the background of the museum and its target audience
Specific accessibility issue(s) the case addresses
Detailed description of innovative measure(s) employed and the implementation process
Results, impacts, and sustainability of the measure(s)
3-5 high-resolution photos or short videos
Feedbacks and evaluations from beneficiary groups
Selection Criteria:
Innovation: degree of innovation and foresight in methods and technologies employed
Effectiveness: actual impact and depth of improvement in universal accessibility
Impact: Breadth of beneficiary groups and degree of benefit
Sustainability: capacity for long-term implementation, optimization, and development
Replicability: value of experiences for other museums and potential for wider application
Inclusivity: diversity of special needs groups considered
Selection Process:
UNESCO and CMA will invite experts and scholars from museums, accessibility sectors, and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities to review and evaluate the case studies.
Important Dates:
Submission deadline: 15 November 2024
Announcement of selected cases: 16 December 2024
Submission Method: Please submit your proposal by scanning the QR code below or click this link: to fill out the online form.
For further questions or concerns, please contact:
UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, Culture Sector, Ms. Yujuan Li, y.li@unesco.org
Chinese Museums Association, Ms. Xiyan Yang, zgbwgxh@vip.sina.com
