博物館向來被視為服務知識菁英的殿堂,如何打破博物館與觀眾之間的藩籬,包含有形的建築環境與無形的文化認知所造成的隔閡,使觀眾不分教育背景、年齡與階級,都能享有博物館所提供的文化資源與服務,一直是博物館社群努力的目標。近年來,也有越來越多的博物館與不同機構合作,透過展覽與教育推廣,致力於關懷身心障礙團體並開發文物的療癒潛能,其影響不但拓展了傳統博物館定義下的目標觀眾,並且也改變、轉化了博物館的社會角色。究竟博物館是如何回應身心障礙觀眾的需求與文化參與權?而英國與臺灣的博物館針對身心障礙團體參與所採取的策略、方案與內涵為何?這些都是本文擬探討的議題。本文以「博物館與身心障礙團體之文化參與權:英國與臺灣的個案研究」為題,以個案研究之實地考察、訪談及文獻分析,分析兩國不同的身心障礙法對博物館實踐之影響,並探討英國的大英博物館、維多利亞與亞伯特博物館與臺灣的國立自然科學博物館,如何透過不同的實踐模式,長期關懷不同的身心障礙團體。本文除分析英國與臺灣的個案如何關懷身心障礙團體及其實踐內涵外,也經由比較研究,提出臺灣博物館與身心障礙團體互動所面臨的難題與挑戰,並提供具體實踐之策略與建議。
Museums are often regarded as temples for the elite. Breaking through the visible and invisible barriers between the museum and its audience to include visitors from different backgrounds and of different ages and socioeconomic classes is one of the main targets of museums nowadays. Recently, more and more museums have been working with different institutions to explore the therapeutic potential of objects and provide services to the disabled through educational programs and exhibitions. This approach not only develops and enlarges the target audience, but also transforms the social role of museums. How do museums respond to the needs and cultural rights of disabled visitors? What are the strategies and programs employed by museums in the U.K. and Taiwan? These are the research questions that are explored in this paper. The authors first investigate how the laws of the U.K. and Taiwan influence museum practices. Then, the services provided to the disabled by the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum in the U.K. and the National Museum of Natural Science in Taiwan are explored using interview data and literature review. The practices of these museums in the U.K. and Taiwan and the difficulties they encounter are analyzed, and suggestions for implementation of strategies and practices are provided in the conclusion.