PIGI MOUSTAKIDOU

22/03/2016

educator, museologist

Thesis title: Museum education and deaf people: from theory to practice

The role of a museum in modern society, highlights its social and educational dimensions, trying to construct essential relations and interactive contacts to all the citizens. In order to establish the framework of this social goal, museums developed policy communications and also educational programs, which form the functioning tools of Museum Education. These actions are looking forward, among the others, to create communication connections (bridges) in between the common social groups, the archaeological sites and the museums, with main goal the access to the world cultural heritage to the public, the interpretation of the documents through appropriate actions and amusement itself. In this framework attempt, a justifiable question emerges; the accessibility for the disable people, so to the museum, and as to its educational procedures. Towards this direction the interest is concentrated particularly to the special group of hard of hearing/deaf, which seems to be one of the teams which most museums have not taken particular care for their needs. The specific characteristic of this team, in conjunction with the Deaf Community, which is ruled by its own language and culture, dictates the existential necessity of specific programs, with planning that considers and respects their characteristics. The museum actions must be adapted to these particularities, in order to ensure the equality access of the deaf, to the museum activities.