Inclusive Visions explores the embodied experience, situated interactions and identities of young blind and partially sighted visitors in the museum space. It investigates how they make meaning and form identities by physically encountering objects, resources and the environment with their companions and other visitors. The visit experience of blind and partially sighted participants is detailed at three London museums: the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Wallace Collection and the Museum of London. Using qualitative audio, fieldnotes, and video-based research methods, it provides a deep insight into how meaning-making and identity are formed in perceptual experiences through bodily states and shared situated action. How different characteristics of the embodied practice of blind and partially sighted visitors emerge, and how meaning-making and identity formation are enabled, is put in a holistic context.

AUTHOR
Raffaella Cecilia is a Research Fellow at UCL and the Global Disability Innovation Hub. She is an advocate for equality, social justice, and sustainable change. Her work is in service to the idea that cultural heritage must be accessible to everyone in society.

REVIEWS
‘This is a fantastic exploration of disability innovation within museum studies, with practical applications for making museums more accessible. The excellent research allows the voice of museum visitors with sight loss to be fully heard whilst providing insights for future research and discussion.’ Professor Cathy Holloway, UCL Interaction Centre

‘An immersive, authentic, and holistic approach to exploring inclusive museum practice for persons with vision impairment. Contextualised with case studies, this book is a marvellous introduction (and reminder) of how museum spaces can be accessible, and enabling the reader to understand cultural capital from a different perspective.’ Dr Jessica Hayton, UCL Institute of Education

‘By placing the embodied experiences of visitors at the heart of their analysis, Dr Cecilia makes an enormously valuable contribution to the field. The rich insights that emerge hold potential to both inform and give impetus to wider efforts to open up culture for all.’ Professor Richard Sandell, University of Leicester