Accessibility to people with autism spectrum disorder in museums
International Journal of Development Research
Accessibility to people with autism spectrum disorder in museums
Received 24th August, 2021 Received in revised form 07th September, 2021 Accepted 15th October, 2021 Published online 30th November, 2021
Copyright © 2021, Louise Bogéa Ribeiro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that affects the brain development of individuals and consequently has an adverse effect on their social interactions and the manner in which they communicate. Characterized by stimulus hyper selectivity or hypo selectivity, autistic patients often develop stress and pressure resulting from over stimulation as they cannot concentrate on multiple stimuli. This explains why they may not have a pleasant experience when visiting museums. It is therefore very necessary that museums find ways in which they can ensure accessibility and inclusion of every person, without leaving out those with special needs. The first step towards achieving this end is recognizing the unique characteristics of each individual with ASD, then developing the necessary assistive technologies and strategies that incorporate them into the new environment. This research discusses the various tools, guidelines and assistive technologies that may come in handy in ensuring there is inclusion of autistic people in museums and visual art environments.