ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
- Toolkit/framework/roadmap
10 Best Practices of Accessible Museums Websites
Intended Audience
“Because decisions across the museum affect accessibility and inclusion, this advice should be consulted by those in various areas of practice. The people who may benefit the most include webmasters, designers, developers, content creators, third-party agencies, and those who manage any of the above.”
- S. Bahram, American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
“This article explores ten high-impact areas you should consider to enhance your website’s accessibility and bring it into conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the set of rules and practices that aims to define web accessibility. In this context, the word “accessibility” means that users of assistive technologies (such as screen readers, zoom/screen magnifiers, voice dictation, and more) can use your website, because it has been built in a way that provides an equitable experience for all visitors, including those with disabilities.
Implementing the following advice drastically improves the accessibility of a website, but it is important to note that these are not the only steps necessary for conformance. There are best practices around content, design, and coding not covered by this article or WCAG that are equally essential for creating an equitable and enjoyable website experience for all. The following suggestions are not exhaustive, but support museums in making strides towards creating inclusive online offerings…”
Avaiable in
- English
SDGs LINKAGES
The resource is most closely linked to SDG targets relating to inclusion and participation, which help provide entry to the full range of services provided by collections-based institutions, including 1.4 (access to basic services), 4.5 (removing barriers to education), 4.A (inclusive and effective learning environments), 5.B (enhancing use of information and communications technology for the empowerment of women), 10.2 (universal social, political and economic inclusion), 11.7 (safe and inclusive green and public spaces), 16.10 (protect the right to information and fundamental freedoms) and 16.B (promote and enforce laws and policies for sustainable development).
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers and proportions of people from particular groups using collections in comparison with demographics in broader society.
- Numbers of people accessing collections.
- Number of targeted programmes that aim to enhance access to collections by disadvantaged groups.
- Sustainable tourism that enhances local communities’ access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property (including cultural and natural heritage), as well as to technology and markets.
- Involvement of people from disadvantaged groups in decision-making activities and processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to eliminate gender disparities in education.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of persons with disabilities.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of Indigenous peoples’ groups.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of children in vulnerable situations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
- Proportion of education facilities that provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
- Number and type of initiatives to improve effectiveness of learning environments.
- Support given to other education facilities to make them more inclusive and effective.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of programmes that support ICT skills, notably for girls and women.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
- Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of social or other status.
- Numbers and proportions of people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
- Numbers and proportions of people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
- Numbers and proportions of people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
- Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with marginalized groups, individuals and communities.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups, notably women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.
- Increases in numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups.
- Measures taken to remove barriers to access green and public spaces.
- Extent of green space provided by collections institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to enhance public access to information relating to collections.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, national and international agreements and legislation.
- Plans and procedures in place for public access to information relating to the operation and management of collections-based institutions.
- Complaint mechanism in place for public to use where public access to information and fundamental freedoms not supported or fulfilled.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of population [audience/users/non-users] reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law.
- Number and proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, in the full sense of recognizing all three of social, economic and environmental considerations.