| This thesis explores the interrelation between physical disability access and digital technology implementation through case studies of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Science, Boston, and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. Specifically, this interrelation is examined through the frame of what new museum theorist Janet Marstine calls "guises," a form of what Jacques Derrida called "parergra." Using a case study approach in which each of the three museums studied represented on of the "guises," I explored the museums' physical and online opportunities. In doing so, I seek out ways in which each museum is (or is not) offering digital technological implementation to offer alternative visitor experiences to patrons living with disabilities. My immediate findings indicate that few museums are incorporating digital technology into their disability access programming, though all have the means of doing so in differing ways.;Finally, I make suggestions for each museum on how to escape the "traditional" narrative of disability access to incorporate digital technology as a primary opportunity for patrons living with physical disabilities. |
