The Ayala Way Vol. 4 No. 100
A More Accessible Museum Experience
Ayala Museum continues to make the museum experience accessible and inclusive with the Braille Project for its popular Diorama Experience of Philippine History.
Collaborating with nongovernment organization Resources for the Blind, Ayala Museum has introduced handheld booklets in braille describing the 60 dioramas at the Second Floor Gallery. These allow visually challenged guests to learn about the highlights of Philippine history presented by these exhibits, which are generally oriented towards sight engagement. The braille booklets are accompanied by English versions for their companions as they go through the dioramas together.
This is the first time that Ayala Museum has provided braille descriptions to the dioramas since it opened in 1974. The project is part of its continuing engagement with visually challenged guests, in support of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
During the International Museum Day celebration in May, Ayala Museum launched the Collections Corner: Touch the Object program. Visitors were allowed to interact closely with artifacts and ethnographic materials, such as lotoan (betel nut container), food molds, the T’boli k’gal (blouse), Gaddang tapet (men’s cape), and tabungaw or kattukong (gourd hat). Educational materials with braille translations were also provided. More than 2,000 guests enjoyed the experience and the program is now a permanent offering for visitors of Ayala Museum.
With these initiatives, Ayala Museum hopes to provide a more welcoming experience to persons with disabilities so that they can take part in the cultural life of the nation.
About the author
Knowledge Management (1)
AC Knowledge Management is responsible for enterprise content management, archives management, and the development of knowledge products and services in Ayala. KM produces books on corporate history and business developments and publishes the groupwide internal communications channel, The Ayala Way.