By Kevin Bacon and Dr. Lara Perry
The United Kingdom is richly provisioned with museums. According to its national Museums Association, there are 1800 accredited museums and probably around 2500 museums altogether in the four geographically small, but densely populated countries that make up the U.K. Ranging from single rooms of local history managed by small voluntary associations to large national organizations with multiple sites such as the Victoria and Albert Museum or Tate, museums are a significant part of the cultural, educational, social and intellectual life of villages, towns, and cities across the United Kingdom. As public services, museums of all sizes and aims are regulated by the U.K. Equality Act of 2010, which synthesized equalities legislation relating to a wide range of what are termed “protected characteristics” under one umbrella legislation. The Equality Act broadly adopts the social model of disability and enshrines the legal obligation to make “reasonable adjustments to remove barriers for disabled people” so that they may enjoy the services of museums and other public on the comparable terms as they are offered to the able-bodied. The requirements of the U.K.’s Equality Act are less rigorous than the expectations outlined by Universal Design or its European Equivalent, Design for All, but 10 years on from its passage into law the impact on museums and their diverse audiences is being increasingly felt.
Museums in the U.K. are in most cases supported primarily or partly by money distributed via the taxation system, and since the 1980s, the public funding agencies who are responsible for allocating resources have prioritized access, engagement, and participation in cultural organizations in their awarding processes. Favouring attendance figures over collections care and development has in some cases been a significant priority shift for U.K. museums, but has also fostered a culture of museum working that has expanded the attention given to visitors in many different directions. Most museums of significant size have an education department or provision which develops programming that relates to formal and informal education for children and adults. Many of these departments are of 20 or more years standing; more recently young adults (18-25) are the subject of many special provisions such as advantageous membership rates and development councils; and “late” events that combine museum visits with informal socializing are increasingly offered in national and regionally focussed institutions. Museums are making huge efforts to provide programmes and activities that attract and engage socially diverse audiences, including focussing on minoritized groups like Afro-Caribbean, Asian, and LGBTQIA+ histories and culture. This shift in focus has been strongly encouraged by funding agencies: Arts Council England, for example, requires the museums it funds as part of its National Portfolio Organisation programme to demonstrate how they contribute to its Creative Case for Diversity programme. In large part these measures are succeeding: in February 2020 Lara paid a Saturday visit to Birmingham, England’s second-largest city which has a racially diverse population and found the city museum, its exceptional library and its contemporary art centre teeming with visitors enjoying the facilities and engaging with the collections and programmes. Museums are a vibrant feature of contemporary civic life in the United Kingdom.
Providing access and facilities for visitors with disabilities is part of this growth in what Peter Samis and Mimi Michaelson (2017) termed the “visitor centered-museum.” Some of the specific challenges in evolving this museum provision in the UK relate to issues of physical accessibility in sites that are historic buildings and may be far removed from accessible transport. The U.K. has a well-preserved architectural history that is an essential element of its heritage provision for residents and for tourists. The public (government) body Historic England is responsible for safeguarding the nation’s built environment and runs a programme of “listing” buildings that prevent those of special architectural interest from being significantly altered; all buildings built before 1700 and most built before 1850 are “listed” which means that very strict regulations are placed on their alteration, from structural and material integrity to matters which may seem minor such as paint colour. Whether formally “listed” or not, many U.K. organizations value historic buildings, and the historic fabric of a building is perceived to be part of the cultural experience of heritage and museums. A large number of the country’s museums were built in the nineteenth century, many before electricity became widely available – the “lift” or elevator which is so integral to most accessible buildings had not yet been imagined; nor had the society which would demand that institutions of scholarship and learning be made accessible to those with physical disabilities. Historic England’s guidance on these matters suggests that “If there are any conflicts between the interests of access and conservation, it may be possible to reconcile these through creative and sensitive design,” and offers numerous examples of sensitively and sensibly designed features that enhance the accessibility of historic buildings by using well-planned signage, harmonized materials, and staff training to improve physical access. But the Equalities Act also allows that a reasonable adjustment may be one that allows a visitor to avoid an aspect of a building or site for which access is a challenge; in the U.K. context, universal design will not be retrofitted.
Accessibility of course extends far beyond the question of physical access, and more holistic approaches to accessibility are currently being developed in the sector. A recent project conducted in partnership between the Wellcome Collection — a free museum and library in London that concerns itself with thinking about health – and the University of Leicester Research Centre for Museums and Galleries drew on around twenty years of research on the representation of difference and disability in museums. The project culminated in a series of exhibition projects at the Wellcome Collection including a permanent display, “Being Human,” but also a code of practice for “An ethical approach to interpreting disability and difference.” This primarily concerns the representation of persons with disabilities and differences in museums that foster “empathy, respect, understanding, and dignity.” Undertaking to represent people with disabilities in more sensitive and ethical ways is part of a wider strategy that addresses inclusivity of diverse audiences, partly through adaptations for sensory impairments like guided visits, access tours including audio tours, and enhanced visual access, including design that responds to the needs of neurodiverse users. One tactic some museums have adopted to meet the challenge of improving access is to set up and support access to advisory groups. These groups usually made up of non-museum professionals with a variety of disabilities, often start out as user testing groups. But if support for the group is maintained, the relationship between an advisory group and a museum can evolve so that they influence programming, collecting, and even, arguably, becoming a component of the museum’s governance structure. Civic museums, which are well placed to develop longer-term relationships with local communities, are particularly successful in running these advisory groups: long-standing examples include the Royal Pavilion & Museums in Brighton & Hove, the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, and the Horniman Museum in London, which has been running its advisory group since 2007 and is a particularly well-documented example.
Such initiatives are the result of ongoing work that is being undertaken in response to the Equalities Act and the social model of disability that underpins it. A more recent development in the U.K. museums sector and accessibility is the drive to recognize the ways that museums can promote “well-being,” which is a measure of general health that includes social and emotional inclusion. While not a matter of accessibility in the usual sense, it is certainly a matter of inclusivity and often focuses on the capacity of museums to support users with, specifically, social impairments relating to memory loss and with other conditions such as anxiety that are normally diagnosed in relation to mental health. This work is being led by the Culture, Health and Well-Being Alliance which was formed in 2018 from a merger of a large number of organizations representing a range of museums, cultural organizations, and public health agencies. The aim of the alliance is to support the arts and museums for “expressive, restorative, educational and therapeutic processes” that support the delivery of the U.K.’s National Health Service. As the challenges of maintaining good mental health for individuals of all ages come to the fore this decade, the important role of museums’ contribution to maintaining socially healthy communities, including ones which are inclusive of wide ranges of difference and diversity, will continue to be important and dynamic considerations for museum practitioners.
Are these needs best met by existing museum practices or the use of new technologies? The increased use of digital technology by museums has presented new opportunities and challenges for access. Like other museums across the world, U.K. museums often use mobile technology to deliver accessible content to visitors, such as the Roald Dahl Museum’s award-winning Signly App, which provides British Sign Language commentary on key exhibits. Some museums have also used digital technology to facilitate an entirely new offer to those with disabilities, such as the National Museums Liverpool’s House of Memories app which is designed to support those caring for people with dementia. The UK government has played a key role in promoting digital accessibility: in 2018 it published new guidelines that all public sector museums are required to follow and are recommended by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for those applying for funding. The Jodi Awards, set up by the Museums Computer Group in 2002, has highlighted best practices for digital accessibility in museums for almost two decades.
The Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020, whose transformative effects are in place as we complete this text, has created both an opportunity, and a burden, on museums to work with audiences via digital platforms when most museum activities have been suspended in an effort to foster physical well-being in the midst of a public health crisis. The digital offer of museums –often perceived as a pathway to, or substitute for, engagement with the primary collections work of the museum – has suddenly been foregrounded. Major professional organizations such as the International Council of Museums and the American Association of Museums have created guidance for museums on the modes and objectives of digital engagement, and some really creative practice and startling successes have emerged from what might have been a period of total inactivity. It is wholly in keeping with our concerns and investigations that we take advantage of this digital moment in museums to engage in the online delivery of the Redefine/ABLE project. It is testimony to the resilience and ambition of museums that they continue to work with their communities in this context, and we are learning a great deal by working with the University of Maryland, College Park, and The Peale to help develop and explore the impact of digital work on museum accessibility
Kevin Bacon is Digital Manager at The Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton & Hove; in Brighton, U.K. Dr. Lara Perry is Deputy Head, School of Humanities at the University of Brighton; U.K.
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