Autistic involvement in enhancing accessibility in archaeological sites

Abstract

In recent years, several heritage sites from museums to archaeological sites have begun to implement accessible measures to make them more accessible to disabled people, in line with legislation and international conventions. However, the people that are meant to directly benefit from accessible measures are not often consulted on the design and implementation. The scope of the present study is to investigate what accessibility in archaeological sites would look like from the autistic perspective. A qualitative approach was used to carry out this research. The researcher recruited autistic participants and walked with them around two archaeological sites to assess the features, aspects and experience that are accessible to them as autistic individuals in an unstructured interview. The sites chosen were Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park and Għar Dalam. The participants identified several barriers that prevented them from enjoying their experience while walking around the sites. Ħaġar Qim had more barriers than Għar Dalam according to the participants’ responses. These responses were then analysed using thematic analysis. The issues raised included direction and wayfinding, the sensory environment, the participants’ willingness to engage with the site, the shortcomings of accessibility for other people with disabilities as well as recommendations to improve the accessibility at both sites. Each theme is discussed within the context of each site. This research demonstrated the potential for including autistic voices in the discourse of accessibility to cultural heritage. The participants have also suggested solutions to improve accessibility to archaeological sites not just for them but for other disabled people who can benefit from accessible measures, such as reducing noise levels, inputting more tactile and interactive exhibits to explore, better signage and wayfinding, and providing more information that can be easily accessible before visiting the site.