Museum Accessibility: Combining Audience Research and Staff Training

Abstract

This article discusses an audience-informed professional development model that combines audience research focus groups and staff training that includes interaction and direct feedback from visitors, in this case, visitors with low vision. There are two critical components to this model: one is that museums' programming decisions are informed by the focus groups of visitors and future visitors; the second critical component is that local visitors and art lovers who are blind and have low vision played active roles in the museum trainings. Art Beyond Sight, the Museum of Science, Boston, and seven art museums piloted this unique model of professional development. Here we discuss their experiences in the planning of focus groups and staff trainings, and some of the museum staff and docents' early feedback.