COVID-19 Pandemic: Threat or Opportunity for Blind and Partially Sighted Museum Visitors?

Abstract

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a severe impact on museums and the cultural sector. New social distancing rules, one-way navigation systems, and hand sanitising regulations are affecting the embodied practice of visitors inside the museum. These changes potentially pose a threat to the experience of disabled people, in particular blind and partially sighted visitors, as they create new barriers to access the environment and the collection. On the other hand, the development of accessible digital content and access to online collections offered a positive experience during the lockdown periods, as disabled people could socialise and participate in cultural activities from home.Museums are now called upon to identify the long-term positive and negative effects of the pandemic on the physical and digital museum experience of disabled visitors. Museum professionals need to work around the clock to ensure that new embodied and digital practices become long-term opportunities to enhance accessibility and inclusion, rather than another insurmountable barrier for disabled people.

The Nexus between Cultural Heritage Management and the Mental Health of Urban Communities

“…The cross-sectorial disruptor represented by COVID-19 has highlighted the fragility of the consumptive aspects of cultural heritage, in particular cultural tourism [98], museum visits [79], auditory heritage [99,100], festivals [101,102] and community events [102] as well as seasonal markets [103]. While several cultural tourism localities and cultural institutions swiftly pivoted to various forms of virtual delivery [104][105][106][107] touting it as the new dawn, this pivot marginalized some segments of society [108]. Indeed, many intangible aspects of heritage, in particular those that rely on multisensorial experiences could not be replicated fully and could only be substituted in rudimentary form [103].…”

Beyond “do not touch”: the experience of a three-dimensional printed artifacts museum as an alternative to traditional museums for visitors who are blind and partially sighted

“…A remarkable amount of research on this topic is found in the literature. Some of these studies [ 7 – 15 ] focus on the experiences of people who are BPS during their museum visits.…”

“…To ensure sensory access, 3D replicas of exhibits were identified as of the utmost importance. In a recent study, during the first lockdown in the UK, Cecilia [ 15 ], using semi-structured interviews, examined concerns and expectations of visitors who are BPS regarding museum visits after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Highlighting the limited tactile access before the pandemic, museum visitors who are BPS expressed their concerns about losing even this access after the pandemic.…”

Do SARS-CoV-2 safety measures affect visitors experience of traditional gastronomy, destination image and loyalty to a World Heritage City?

“…As for future lines of research, we recommend the inclusion of other variables related to protection against the coronavirus and in activities such as visits to tangible heritage (e.g., Tsironis et al, 2021 )., archaeological sites (e.g., Geser, 2021 ; Magnani et al, 2021 ), or museums (e.g., Bernardi, 2021 ; Cecilia, 2021 ). Moreover, a more in-depth study is needed of the relationship between destination, heritage and loyalty in this context.…”