OPEN ACCESS
Accessibility at the root of cultural welfare: the case of MUSE
Abstract
Accessibility is an increasingly central topic in museums and cultural inst-itutions. Access to heritage and culture can be argued to be a fundamental right of all people, regardless of identity or opportunity. The ICOM's new definition of «museum» recognises and emphasizes accessibility and inclusion as intrinsic values of these kind of institutions in the service of whole society. In the last decade, MUSE – the Science Museum of Trento – has paid special attention to the widest audience participation, with the awareness that more vulnerable people require special needs and tools to facilitate their visiting experience. This article reports on recent projects developed by Muse to meet the needs of neurodivergent people, to guarantee them a quality museum experience.
Keywords
- museum
- cultural welfare
- neurodivergence
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
- Snoezelen approach