Abstract:

Museums are working to become more accessible and inclusive for a wider public in recent years. The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) in Singapore aims to normalise disabilities in the museum through education, engagement and empowerment. In June 2019, the museum launched its first inclusive 4-day fashion art camp project for children of all abilities, in conjunction with ACM’s Guo Pei: Chinese Art & Couture special exhibition. There are three main objectives of the camp: 1. To develop capabilities among tertiary students in designing and facilitating workshop for children with different abilities; 2. To promote understanding and interaction between typically developing children and those with special needs; 3. To design a long-term and sustainable inclusive programme using principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

The project involved two museum staff members and various strategic partners such as an educational institution, non-profit organisations, a corporate donor, and thirty-three children of all abilities. During this camp, children worked in teams together with student facilitators to create fashion outfits using donated garments. Children also showcased their work on a runway during a public museum festival one month after the camp. This paper presents the strategy and design rationale from personal, social, and physical perspectives, relationship building and interaction in the multi-ethnic and abilities setting, surveys the effectiveness of the implementation, explores the wider issues raised by the findings, and relates lessons learned from unforeseen challenges encountered along the way.

Keywords:

Inclusive learning, multicultural, museum education, universal design for learning, children camp, museum programme, programme partnership, fashion art and design, accessibility.