School of Creative
Industries
Durrah Qistina
Durrah sought to pursue her interest in the arts by enrolling in the BA (Hons) Arts Management programme at LASALLE College of the Arts. During the course of her studies, she understood the significance of visual arts in communicating, engaging and outreaching to underserved communities. Inspired by the quote 'arts for everyone', she strongly believes that she can utilise her managerial skills to advocate for art to widen the space of inclusivity and be a catalyst for social change.
For her undergraduate thesis, she examines the accessibility approaches in museums for people with disabilities (PWDs) with the hope of exploring various ways museums can be made more accessible for visitors of all abilities.
Thesis abstract
Examining accessibility approaches in museums for people with disabilities: a case study on National Gallery Singapore
As part of the growing effort to address the issue of inaccessibility, museums around the world are beginning to show awareness to re-evaluate practices and strive for more inclusivity. In their commitment to create a comfortable experience for all visitors, National Gallery Singapore produced an Access Guide to offer visitors with disabilities useful information on accessible features at the space. This research seeks to examine the accessibility approaches at the Gallery through an analysis of the Access Guide and various programme initiatives. This paper builds on a growing body of literature that is centred around the societal role of museums and academic research on disability studies. By drawing comparisons to strategies in museums all over the world, this paper aims to identify formats and effective strategies adopted, as well as areas for improvement in Singapore museums. The findings of this research recommends museums and cultural institutions in Singapore to develop long-term guidelines and implement access provisions institutionally. Through this study, it seeks to cultivate an understanding of accessibility and highlight key guidelines that museums in Singapore can adopt in order to ensure access for all.