Labels, Labels, Labels
Today I was so excited to visit The Met! Not only is it an amazing museum, but we got a sneak peak behind the scenes. However, the 50 minutes we were given to explore the exhibits and collections was not enough to cover even 1/4 of the museum. I decided to check out the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas exhibit. I was blown away with the art from the Mayan and Aztec cultures that they had on display. However, I think that the museum fell short in one aspect….the labels.
Not only were the labels written in fairly small print which can be difficult for the elderly and those who are visually impaired to read, they were also placed in awkward positions. Some labels were only inches from the floor and therefore hard to read standing up given the font size, while other labels were laid flat in the object cases. This posed a problem for people viewing the objects in a seated position, whether a person is in a wheelchair, using a portable stool, or sitting on a nearby exhibit bench, because the labels were above eye level and could not be seen. Luckily I am perfectly able to stand, so I stood up when I wanted to read labels with such a placement. However, this is not always feasible for everyone.
According to the The Met website, they do have programming for the blind or partially sighted, those with learning disabilities or on the Autism spectrum, the deaf or hard of hearing, and dementia and Alzheimers patients. I find it interesting that there is no mention of those physically disabled. While I believe the museum is fully wheelchair accessible, they rent out portable chairs, and have elevators, the labels and exhibits are not set up in a way that is easy for anyone with a physical disability to fully experience. I think that if the labels were given a larger font size and placed in better positions or at different angles that The Met would be much more accessible.
