Towards Adequately Accessible Museums: People with Visual Impairment and Museum Accessibility in Egypt

Persons with visual impairment represent a significant part of people with disabilities and 
museums' potential public. Growing attention has been paid to them globally as well as in 
Egypt in the last decades. The new museum's definition places much emphasis on 
accessibility, inclusiveness, and promoting diversity. Egypt's strategy, Vision of Egypt 
2030, and legislation on different levels also show clear interest in asserting their rights 
and the state's commitment to social inclusion through supporting accessibility in various 
aspects of life, including the cultural life and museum experience. As important public 
cultural institutions, museums have sought to make themselves and their services 
accessible to visitors with visual impairment in accordance with the state's goals and global 
orientation. Consequently, in view of current legislation and the new museum's definition, 
to what extent are museums in Egypt accessible to people with visual impairment? This is 
the research question that this paper sought to answer. The study depended upon intensive 
observation of museum settings and their facilities and programs, in addition to semistructured interviews with senior officials of the Museums Sector's General Administration 
of Museum Education for People with Special Needs and staff members of museums' 
Departments of Museum Education for People with Special Needs. The findings reveal that 
although museum accessibility is clearly and repeatedly recognized, the enforcement, 
however, is the crux of the matter. Many museums have some accessibility-related features, 
but there is a clear absence of integrated vision and uniformity, and some museums still 
have nearly nothing. To achieve adequate accessibility, it is then vital to identify clear 
standards of targeted accessibility and accordingly develop a well-studied strategic plan to 
qualify all museums for realizing these standards. Besides, a systematic comprehensive 
training plan for all staff involved, and specified sufficient funding allocated to museums' 
application of adequate accessibility are indispensable. This is believed to enhance the 
opportunities of people with visual impairment's inclusion into society.