National Art Research Center, National Museum of Art, Independent Administrative Institution
National Art Research Center’s initiative to make museums accessible to everyone, “Learn from museum cases! Learn! Handbook of reasonable accommodation” will be published on the official website on Thursday, March 28, 2024
Produced based on cases investigated by DEAI Research Lab
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The National Art Research Center (abbreviation: NCAR, Center Director: Mami Kataoka) provides explanations of specific examples for staff working at museums in Japan and museum users, including people with disabilities. We have produced a booklet called “Know and Learn from Museums! Handbook of Reasonable Accommodations.” This content will be published on the NCAR official website from March 28th, and will also be distributed in response to requests from art-related people in Japan.
Site URL: https://ncar.artmuseums.go.jp/reports/accessibility/research NCAR Learning Group launched the “DEAI Research Lab” in August last year as part of its accessibility project. “DEAI” is a combination of the initials of the four letters: “D” Diversity, “E” Equity, “A” Accessibility, and “I” Inclusive. It is an abbreviation. Our research lab welcomes experts from outside to research the concept of DEAI, which is a global trend, and considers specific methods and
requirements for making museum cultural resources available to a diverse range of people. The purpose is to make suggestions that will contribute to museum management. This year, we are conducting activities to deepen understanding of “reasonable accommodation in museums” based on specific cases of art museums and museums across the country, and are publishing a “DEAI Survey Report*” that summarizes them on our official website. Masu. This handbook summarizes and publishes the contents of research conducted through the activities of the DEAI Research Lab, with the aim of promoting a deeper
understanding of reasonable accommodation and leading to behavioral changes in the field. In the future, in addition to conducting training and lectures using this handbook, we plan to further expand the scope of our research and visualize examples from museums across the country. *“DEAI Research Report” URL
https://ncar.artmuseums.go.jp/reports/accessibility/research
[Image: https://prtimes.jp/i/117982/11/resize/d117982-11-ac7fd278ff2ca07c2dd3-0.png&s3=117982-11-00f2926beabdd6f969ff0cb9444abbca-2133×1359.png ]
Handbook overview
Contents: Concepts, key points, diagrams, etc. that form the basis for “reasonable accommodation” Three processes to achieve “reasonable consideration” Reasonable consideration based on the museum case study, “reasonable consideration” not being realized Case study References/Website specifications: B5 variant/40 pages/perfect binding Target: Employees working at museums in Japan (including employees engaged in reception, monitoring, and security work),
Stakeholders, museum users including people with disabilities, etc. Background of handbook production
Since the 2000s, related laws have been put in place in Japan with the aim of realizing an “inclusive society.” In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the concept of “reasonable accommodation” was clearly stated for the first time, and in June 2013, Japan enacted the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, the law has been amended to make it completely mandatory for businesses to provide “reasonable
accommodation”, not only for public facilities but also for private businesses, and will come into effect from April 1, 2024. In addition, the 2018 revision of the Basic Act on Culture and the Arts emphasized the basic philosophy of “creating an environment where people can enjoy culture and the arts equally regardless of their age,
disability, or economic situation.” Furthermore, in 2022, the new definition of museums by ICOM (International Council of Museums) will include the words “accessible and inclusive,” and awareness of diversity will increase. there is. The Museum Law was also revised in response to this international trend. In this way, the role of museums and culture and the arts has become clear both globally and in Japanese society, and the concept of “DEAI,” including the idea of ”reasonable accommodation,” is no longer considered a global standard. ). However, the understanding of “reasonable accommodation” has not yet fully spread among art museums and museums in Japan, and the reality is that it is difficult to say that it is sufficient as a guarantee for people with disabilities. In order to address these issues, NCAR has launched the “DEAI Research Lab.” The lab members spent about half a year collecting cases of “reasonable accommodation” that actually occurred in museums, and based on those cases, they summarized the contents of repeated examinations and discussions about “reasonable accommodations in museums.” I am.
2023 DEAI Research Lab members
Investigators: Tomi Takao (former special researcher and multicultural coexistence coordinator at Tama Rokuto Science Museum/representative of Marble Workshop LLC), Sachiko Kamei (former educator at Tokushima Prefectural Museum of Modern Art), Yumiko Shibasaki, Rika Takahashi (NPO Able Art Japan) ) Project progress: Chikako Suzuki (Researcher, National Art Research Center) Shunsuke Ito (Visiting Researcher, National Art Research Center) Uta Nakano (Research Assistant, National Art Research Center)
About NCAR Learning Group’s accessibility improvement activities The Learning Group is working to improve the accessibility of the National Museum of Art, and in addition to this initiative, in March of last year, as part of our efforts to make the museum more user-friendly for everyone, we launched a museum guide for people with developmental disabilities and their families. I created “Social Story: Going to an Art Museum for the First Time.” We are also progressing with the development of infrastructure for information security. For example, videos introducing the National Museum of Art’s initiatives on the “Learning Channel Video Collection” on the NCAR official website always have audio subtitles, and some videos are subtitled so that visually impaired people can understand the content of the video. We are planning to release a “barrier-free text version”. In addition, we also provide support for sign language interpreters and text interpreters in educational dissemination projects.
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000011.000117982.html