COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors?
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a severe impact on museums and the cultural sector. New social distancing rules, one-way navigation systems, and hand sanitising regulations are affecting the embodied practice of visitors inside the museum. These changes potentially pose a threat to the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ubiquity Press
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jcms-journal.com/articles/200 |
| _version_ | 1818726897557700608 |
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| author | Rafie R. Cecilia |
| author_facet | Rafie R. Cecilia |
| author_sort | Rafie R. Cecilia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a severe impact on museums and the cultural sector. New social distancing rules, one-way navigation systems, and hand sanitising regulations are affecting the embodied practice of visitors inside the museum. These changes potentially pose a threat to the experience of disabled people, in particular blind and partially sighted visitors, as they create new barriers to access the environment and the collection. On the other hand, the development of accessible digital content and access to online collections offered a positive experience during the lockdown periods, as disabled people could socialise and participate in cultural activities from home. Museums are now called upon to identify the long-term positive and negative effects of the pandemic on the physical and digital museum experience of disabled visitors. Museum professionals need to work around the clock to ensure that new embodied and digital practices become long-term opportunities to enhance accessibility and inclusion, rather than another insurmountable barrier for disabled people. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T22:05:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6102c90808574d59a64d394add0aa7c6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1364-0429 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T22:05:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-6102c90808574d59a64d394add0aa7c62022-12-21T21:30:51ZengUbiquity PressJournal of Conservation and Museum Studies1364-04292021-03-0119110.5334/jcms.200105COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors?Rafie R. Cecilia0UCL,The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a severe impact on museums and the cultural sector. New social distancing rules, one-way navigation systems, and hand sanitising regulations are affecting the embodied practice of visitors inside the museum. These changes potentially pose a threat to the experience of disabled people, in particular blind and partially sighted visitors, as they create new barriers to access the environment and the collection. On the other hand, the development of accessible digital content and access to online collections offered a positive experience during the lockdown periods, as disabled people could socialise and participate in cultural activities from home. Museums are now called upon to identify the long-term positive and negative effects of the pandemic on the physical and digital museum experience of disabled visitors. Museum professionals need to work around the clock to ensure that new embodied and digital practices become long-term opportunities to enhance accessibility and inclusion, rather than another insurmountable barrier for disabled people.https://www.jcms-journal.com/articles/200disabilityaccessibilityinclusionsocial distancingpandemicdigital innovation |
| spellingShingle | Rafie R. Cecilia COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors? Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies disability accessibility inclusion social distancing pandemic digital innovation |
| title | COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors? |
| title_full | COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors? |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors? |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors? |
| title_short | COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors? |
| title_sort | covid 19 pandemic threat or opportunity for blind and partially sighted museum visitors |
| topic | disability accessibility inclusion social distancing pandemic digital innovation |
| url | https://www.jcms-journal.com/articles/200 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rafiercecilia covid19pandemicthreatoropportunityforblindandpartiallysightedmuseumvisitors |