Art Access: Accommodating Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in the Art Museum

A study related to accommodations, or lack thereof, for adults with intellectual disabilities in art museums. Information from existing resources was collected and the research drew on the author’s personal and professional experiences working both in museums and with populations of adults with intellectual disabilities. This study argues that basic accommodations should be made for adults with intellectual disabilities due to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the positive effects museums can have on a person’s wellbeing, and the desire for these programs to exist from the community. This study also acknowledges difficulties of creating these accommodations, such as lack of resources or money, perceived lack of interest from the community, and the lasting stigma that museums are for an elite group of people (i.e. well-educated, white, wealthy).