Did you know 43.9 percent of adults aged 65 and older are disabled?
While society has pushed adults with disabilities to the margins, the museum is pulling them back in in a meaningful way as part of an effort to be more inclusive and welcoming to all visitors. Mallory Lind, the museum’s associate curator of education, is leading a new program that offers hands- on activities and adapted tours tailored to participants’ needs through partnerships with two local nonprofits, the Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA) and Hope Haven. ACCA provides a Dementia Resource Center that offers education, support and enrichment for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. When working with individuals with dementia, Lind takes specific steps to create a more accessible and engaging experience. “Building connections is important because once there is a loss of connection, it is hard to restore,” Lind said. In any museum, the sheer volume of works can be distracting for individuals with dementia. Rather than overwhelming participants with entire galleries, Lind uses the museum’s Shannon and Peter Candler Collection Study Room. She selects just a few key pieces of art focused on a theme. Using a theme fosters a strong association with the art, which can help combat short-term memory loss. Lind says it also “reduces confusion, anxiety and frustration.” For example, for a session centering on impressionist art, Lind selected art connected to the theme of summer. These works evoked the ocean, sand and salty air for participants, who also did “message in a bottle” conversation prompts and made miniature beach scenes in glass jars. Creating accessible programming for aging adults requires an understanding that “accessibility” looks different for different populations and that flexibility is key. Hope Haven offers community-focused services for adults with developmental disabilities. Some sessions take place at Hope Haven’s center in East Athens, while others bring participants to the museum. “I enjoy getting to know them within their space because they aren’t always able to bring everybody to the museum,” said Lind. “Transportation needs can be challenging for people who are wheelchair users.” Making art education accessible for these participants means combining learning with hands-on activities. “For programs with them, I do try to think of things that are more tactile,” said Lind. Modifications to activities might include offering grip aids for those with less hand dexterity, slanted boards for those in wheelchairs and
After viewing artwork in the galleries, visitors from the Athens Community Council on Aging made miniature beach scenes in glass jars.
magnifying glasses for the visually impaired. During one session at Hope Haven, Lind read participants a book about David Drake, an enslaved artist from Edgefield, South Carolina, known for his distinctive pottery. Participants then created their own pinch pots and used stamps to mark their names on them, echoing Drake’s practice of signing his work. Lind’s belief that museums shouldn’t leave certain populations behind underlies the program. This work carries special meaning for her due to personal experience with Alzheimer’s in her family. This firsthand understanding of the challenges families face drives her commitment to create meaningful connections through art. Lind has clear ideas about the program’s expansion, keeping sustainability, student involvement and accessibility in mind. Her biggest vision involves bringing together multiple organizations to create broader social connections. “What if they were able to sometimes interact with even more people who are like them and have similar differences?” she wondered, imagining Hope Haven and ACCA participants meeting adults from other disability service organizations. At the same time, Lind remains focused on refining what already exists. “I would like to just make it more sustainable. I’m still very much learning what works and what doesn’t.” For example, she repurposes materials from other museum activities instead of throwing them away, maximizing resources while reducing waste. While the needs of aging adults with disabilities vary, they share a need for inclusion and community. This aligns with the Georgia Museum’s mission to serve all Georgians. “We should be making a space that is welcoming and comfortable for every audience,” said Lind.
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