Abstract
Creating an inclusive museum experience for the visually impaired can be challenging. The architectural and distinguished collections must be well-narrated for those with visual impairment. This paper reports on a collaboration between the History Education Study Program at Sebelas Maret University, the Indonesian National Press Museum, and Difalitera (a community of disabled people founded by Indah Darmastuti, a novelist and volunteer) in developing an audio guide to help those with visual impairment experience the museum’s historical exhibits. The Indonesian National Press Museum is a landmark of Surakarta City, located in a cultural heritage building. It was constructed in 1918 by the first native architect, Mas Abukassan Atmodirono, and has a beautiful façade inspired by the stupa of Borobudur Temple. The museum displays collections of Indonesian press history and houses a newspaper collection that is preserved and digitized. The ongoing project aims to narrate the museum’s landscape and collections by creating a personalized historical audio description for visual impairment. The findings and discussion cover a narrative strategy that considers the unique needs of visually impaired individuals, the developmental process of the audio description, and the responses of visually impaired museum visitors to the developed audio description. The study also discusses the theoretical and practical impact of improving the inclusiveness and accessibility of museums.
Presenters
Nur Fatah AbidinAssistant Professor, History Education, Sebelas Maret University, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Intersectionality: Museums, Inclusion, and SDGs
KEYWORDS
Inclusive, Museum, Visual Impairment, Historical, Audio Description
