Museum Ocularcentricity and Visual Impairment: Critical Points and Perspectives

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Centre for Minorities Research Podcast

University of St Andrews CMR Podcast

26 episodes

1 week ago

This podcast is an extension of The University of St Andrews Centre for Minorities Research (CMR) a student-led initiative that reflects CMR’s core values of promoting dialogue between disciplines on all aspects of minority research. The podcast series provides a space for students to creatively explore their interests alongside experts from a range of fields and disciplines to co-produce collaborative knowledge for the contemporary age. For more information visit us at https://cmr.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk

Social Sciences

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Social Sciences

Science

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Museum Ocularcentricity and Visual Impairment: Critical Points and Perspectives

Centre for Minorities Research Podcast

19 minutes 38 seconds

7 months ago

Museum Ocularcentricity and Visual Impairment: Critical Points and Perspectives

How can museums, traditionally visual spaces, become more accessible to visually impaired audiences? In this episode, Renato Trotta, a PhD candidate in Museum and Gallery Studies, explores the tensions between ocularcentric institutions and the need for non-visual engagement. He shares insights from his interdisciplinary research, drawing from museology, social sciences, critical disability theory, and psychology.

Through thought-provoking discussions and references to his fieldwork, Renato highlights key challenges and possibilities for greater inclusivity in museums. The episode also features reflections on the work of Aldo Grassini, blind museum director of the Tactile Museum of Ancona and a long-time accessibility advocate.

References

Klatzky, R.L., Lederman, S.J. & Metzger, V.A. (1985). Identifying objects by touch: An “expert system”. Perception & Psychophysics 37, 299–302 https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03211351

Secchi, L. (2004). L’educazione estetica per l’integrazione. Carocci.

Reichinger, A., Fuhrmann, A., Maierhofer, S., and Purgathofer, W. (2016). “Gesture-Based Interactive Audio Guide on Tactile Reliefs.” Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, October. https://doi.org/10.1145/2982142.2982176.

Suggested readings

Candlin, F. (2010). Art, Museums and Touch. Manchester University Press.

Eardley, A., Jones, V., and Zakaria, N. (2025). Unpicking Ableism and Disablism in Museums. Routledge EBooks, January, 11–26. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003382713-3.

Fortuna, J., Harrison, C., Eekhoff, A., Marthaler, C., Seromik, M., Ogren, S., and Vandermolen, J. (2023). Identifying Barriers to Accessibility for Museum Visitors Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired. Visitor Studies, February, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10645578.2023.2168421.

Hetherington, K. (2000). Museums and the Visually Impaired: The Spatial Politics of Access. The Sociological Review 48 (3): 444–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-954x.00225.

Sandell, R. (2012). Museums, Equality and Social Justice. Routledge.