The delegates of the recent conference, In Touch with Art: International Perspectives on Equal Access to Museums for Visually Impaired People, agreed a unique conference resolution.
It calls on governments the world over to implement the cultural rights of disabled people to which they commit to on paper.
Held on 13-14 October at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the conference was organised by St Dunstan’s, a charity that supports blind ex-service men and women, in association with the European Blind Union.
So why did delegates pass the In Touch with Art resolution? It was because, departments for culture around the world don’t do enough to put into practice the cultural rights of disabled people.
The delegates believe that intellectual access to collections for disabled people is not a luxury, but a creative task, which will widen the expressive range of service, exhibitions and spatial design in museums.
The delegates, who were museum professionals and visually impaired people, spent a lot of time identifying improvements that should be made. There is a significant need to support sector-skills development in areas such as audio description, tactile images, tactile models, new technologies and inclusive exhibition design. Even guidance on the basics, such as easy-to-find and reliable access information, is lacking.
Departments for culture worldwide have no strategy to respond to this enormous human and cultural potential, despite the international policies to which they have signed up. They continue to pour money into new museums that pay scant attention to intellectual access for disabled people.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability recognises the right of disabled people to take part in culture “on an equal basis”. The Council of Europe called for action as far back as 1992: “Government institutions, leisure and cultural organisations should develop comprehensive access policies and action programmes designed to bring about significant and lasting improvements for all people with disabilities.”
Why is this strategic vision and action still missing? Disability legislation calls for a proactive approach.
The UK government’s new eAccessibility Action Plan has much to be commended, but action is needed to address museum-specific eAccessibility challenges, such as those identified by In Touch with Art.
This is not a time for disengagement, it is the time for enlightened strategy. The global financial crisis is no reason for avoiding responsibility and denying human rights.
Marcus Weisen is the director of the Jodi Mattes Trust for accessible digital culture, www.jodiawards.org.uk. He is St Dunstan’s In Touch with Art content director, www.st-dunstans.org.uk/itwa
