Museums, Universal Design and People with Vision Disability: An Ecological Approach

Abstract

The present study aims to bridge the gap between people with vision disability and sites of cultural heritage such as museums via the principles of Universal Design. More specifically, this study constitutes a case study which attempted to addresses accessibility issues regarding the access of visitors with vision disability in a museum. Based on the results, it was conjectured that three levels of accessibility seem to be crucial regarding the aforementioned access: a. physical access, b. cultural access to the museum exhibits, and c. access to the museum services. Finally, the results from this study support that further research has to be done especially on qualitative basis to document critical components of accessible museums towards visitors with vision disability in order to remove barriers and empower social integration.