New facilities to make government museum disabled-friendly

The project is being undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore, said Kavitha Ramu, Director of Museums. “While ramps are mandatory in all government buildings, we are also working towards making the galleries accessible to all. For instance, the staircases will be enabled, with a stair chair lift for easy accessibility. In the galleries, we are in the process of installing a floor-to-floor elevator facility, designed to accommodate a wheelchair, to access each floor enabling differently-abled visitors reach their floors without obstruction,” she said.

In the Anthropology Gallery, guiding tiles have been laid to help visually challenged visitors navigate easily through the facility. “Gradually, we are planning to make the entire museum accessible – right from a separate parking area to modified restrooms, which can be accessed by wheelchair users. Wherever there are stairs, a ramp will be provided,” added the director of museums.

The work, according to the official, will take time since the museum buildings come under the heritage category. “We have to carry out these changes after getting the requisite permissions,” Kavitha noted.

Vaishnavi Jayakumar, Member of Disability Rights Alliance (DRA), said that an accessible museum would be great for everyone. “I did notice that the museum already has guiding tiles, which are immensely helpful to a visually impaired person to turn left or right in the hall. But as far as the exhibits are concerned, they are clueless. An audio description or a sign language interpreter (for hearing impaired visitors) could be a great way for people to understand more about the exhibits,” she suggested.

The disability rights activist said that accessibility is possible.

“For instance, all the events during last years’ Madras Day celebrations were accessible – through portable ramps, sign language interpreters and other facilities. Though it was a one-off thing, there are creative ways to make public spaces accessible,” added Vaishnavi.