More Than Just Ramps: Disability and Accessibility in Museums
Date and time
Location
Online event
A discussion of current issues of museum accessibility in the US and the UK between alumna Ashley Crawford and SOAS's Dr Maria Kostoglou.
About this event
Image description: Ashley at SFMOMA, wearing a blue dress and smiling, sitting in a manual wheelchair to the left of a large Edvard Munch painting depicting people dancing
Museum exhibitions serve as a bridge between specialized knowledge and the public. When curated well, they can deliver niche information to a diverse range of audiences. While museums are meant to cater to all attendees equally, far too often, they fall short in making their exhibitions accessible to disabled visitors.
In this webinar, Ashley and Maria will discuss current issues of museum accessibility in the US and the UK, examining common flaws in curatorial design and writing, explaining museum applications of disability rights legislation, as well as considering how to make museums more accessible through solutions such as universal design, a technique that seamlessly integrates wheelchair-accessible construction into the overall architectural structure of museums.
Image description: Headshot of Ashley smiling outdoors, wearing formal academic dress at a university event.
Ms Ashley Crawford is originally from San Francisco, California and is currently completing her MA in History of Art at SOAS. As an ambulatory wheelchair user, she has long navigated museums using mobility devices and witnessed first hand many much-needed areas for improvement. Previously, she has earned degrees in art history and musicology from SOAS, Christ Church (Oxford), and Scripps College.
Headshot of Maria looking at the camera with a smile. Maria is wearing a red shirt and navy blue jacket.
Dr Maria Kostoglou holds MPhil and PhD degrees in Archaeology (University of Glasgow) with expertise in ancient metalwork and she has been a consultant for museums and field work projects on issues related to the preservation, interpretation and display of metal artefacts. At SOAS, Maria lectures in Curating and Museology, co-directs the MA in Museums, Heritage and Material Culture Studies and teaches relevant undergraduate and postgraduate modules (often with the use of SOAS collections).
