Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion

AAM’s Strategic Framework: A Progress Report

By Joseph O'Neill

Whether you’re new to the museum field or have been around for decades, you’ve probably noticed that the watchword of this moment is “change.” Our museums, which have conservation in their DNA, are increasingly focused on becoming dynamic, …
Historic Sotterley is Finding Common Ground

By Nancy Easterling

After a reinterpretation process, Historic Sotterley now tells the stories of all the people who lived o…
Building Community and Connection: Guidelines for Museum Educators Teaching Memory Care Programs

By Beatriz Galuban

In the words of renowned museum educator and empathy expert Elif Gokcigdem, “Museums are safe, informal learning spaces, uniquely equipped to help audiences explore and imagine our human heritage and collective experiences.” Museum …
Trusting the Process: The Collaborative Journey to Reframing a Problematic Object

By Amy Gilman

“Put it in storage.” “Replace it with something else.” “Put up a new label.” “Do nothing.” These were some of the solutions offered up when the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison began exploring how to confront …
Different by Design: A New, Inclusive Framework for Accessible Museum Exhibitions

By Sarah Schleuning

In January 2020, I authored a post for the Alliance Blog about speechless: different by design, an exhibition that I curated for the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The exhibition was an experiment—one …
CARE-apy: On the Road to Welcome: Starting your accessibility journey

By Cecelia Walls

The concepts of accessibility and inclusion are not new. There is not, however, a straightforward blueprint for doing this work in a clear-cut and approachable way, meaning many museum workers are often left wondering “how do I get …
Improving Access to Employment for People with Disabilities

By Dana Spencer Winfield

The museum sector is working to increase the diversity of our workforce through a variety of ways: for example, how we craft position requirements, word job announcements, and conduct interviews. That is helping museums make some progress …
A Collection of Resources by and for BIPOC Museum Professionals

By Youssef Shokry

A search for “diversity and inclusion” on the job portal Indeed produces over two thousand pages of results across public, private, and nonprofit organizations. The titles and responsibilities that come up—such as Chief Diversity Officer …
Expanding Public Value

By Deborah Howes

As you build bridges with communities, consider using dig…
Museum Accessibility: An Art and a Science

By Laureen Trainer, Heather Pressman, Danielle Schulz, Caroline Braden, Charlotte Martin, Lynda Kennedy, and Alyssa Carr

Over the past decade, conversations about accessibility have increased within the museum field, and many organizations including AAM have identified it as a priority. There is not, however, a straightforward and approachable blueprint for …