Abstract
Science museums are powerful places not only for science communication, informal science teaching, and leisure but also for promoting science and technology in an equitable, diverse, and inclusive mode. The paper presents an overview of accessibility in Latin American science museums and centers, based on a questionnaire comprised of open and closed questions in Portuguese and Spanish. The answers received from directors and other personnel responsible for 109 institutions in twelve countries were analyzed using an accessibility indicator tool. The findings suggest that these institutions generally offer some physical accessibility resources and fewer communicational and attitudinal accessibility resources. Data also show that there is an absence of institutional practices that might underpin any endeavor to take into consideration the inclusion of people with disabilities. More funding must be made available for practices and research in this area. We also recommend that persons with disabilities play a greater role as protagonists and professionals and likewise as a research public in the realm of science communication and at the region's science museums and centers.
Highlights
Science museums are powerful places for science communication, informal science teaching, and leisure and for promoting science and technology in an equitable, diverse, and inclusive way
The study was an initiative of the research group Accessible Science Museums and Centers (Museus e Centros de Ciências Acessíveis, or MCCAC), which focuses on the development of theoretical and empirical studies on accessibility and social inclusion at science museums and centers and in science communication activities, in partnership with the UNESCO-sponsored network RedPOP (Rede de Popularização da Ciência e da Tecnologia na América Latina e no Caribe)
Using accessibility indicators adapted from Inacio (2017), the present study analyzed all data gathered from 109 questionnaires completed by representatives of science museums and centers in Latin America
Summary
Science museums are powerful places for science communication, informal science teaching, and leisure and for promoting science and technology in an equitable, diverse, and inclusive way. To guarantee accessibility and inclusion at museums and institutions devoted to science communication, we know it is not enough to adapt physical premises for the entrance of people with disabilities or mobility impairments. An essential part of their experience is shaped by engagement, participation, empathy, and emotional, affective, and intellectual factors, as pointed out by Cohen and Duarte Full accessibility means considering more than just the physical aspect of accessibility and distinguishes itself by taking into account emotional, affective, and intellectual aspects, indispensable to enabling a place to engage its visitors and foster skills that
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