Muzeum chce Cię poznać – czego muzeum może nauczyć się od osób niepełnosprawnych
The museum wants to get to know you – what we can learn from people with disabilities in the museum

Author(s): Paulina Długosz
Subject(s): Visual Arts, Sociology of Culture, Sociology of Art
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: disability; inclusive education; universal design; education through art; museum
Summary/Abstract: EU directives or the need to build a wide audience are the main reasons why museums take action to make their exhibitions available to people with disabilities. However the experience of the Museum of City of Łódź related to the dissemination of fine arts, shows that cooperation with people with disabilities is not only a need to adapt to top-down requirements, but also creates a number of educational opportunities for employees and museum guests without disabilities. Projects presented in the paper – implemented by the Museum of the City of Łódź in 2013–2016 – are an example of efforts to adapt the museum’s space to the needs of people with visual and hearing impairments, as well as other types of disabilities. Their analysis – made both from the perspective of a museologist and an educator – presents the opportunities and difficulties associated with cooperation with disabled people and the potential of using the museum space in special pedagogy. Critical evaluation of the tasks carried out may be a commentary on the problem of hidden segregation and inadequate integration of disabled people and thus underline the advisability of applying the principles of universal design and inclusive education.

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