Accessible Ways of Exhibiting Two-Dimensional Visual Artworks for Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals

InSEA World Congress 2023, Çanakkale, Turkey, 04 September 2023, pp.60

The accessibility and inclusiveness of art is linked to fundamental human rights and freedoms. Blind and visually impaired individuals are often

at a disadvantage when it comes to independently accessing visual artworks in museums, galleries or various exhibition sites. The reason for

this is that in addition to the problems experienced in terms of transportation and physical facilities, these works are created and exhibited for

the sense of sight and visual perception. According to the World Vision Report published by the World Health Organization in 2019, 2.2 billion

people are blind or have visual impairment globally. It is observed and determined through various studies that these individuals are generally

interested in visual arts. The number of studies conducted to increase the accessibility of art is increasing day by day and various technologies

have been developed in this process. In this study, based on the literature review, auditory, tactile, haptic or hybrid assistive technologies that

can be used in the exhibition phase for blind and visually impaired individuals to access two-dimensional visual artworks such as paintings,

photographs and prints are examined. In this way, it is aimed to create a general awareness as well as a guide for increasing the accessibility of

visual artworks.