Museums, museum AD and Easy Language: some critical insights

This paper will first trace the development of accessibility and inclusion in relation to the parallel development of the definition of the museum. It will then explore how museum audio description (AD) has become one of the means of accessibility and inclusion in the contemporary museum. The main features of both museum AD and Easy and Plain Language will be illustrated. After highlighting the rational and the salient features of Easy Language (EL), the ‘controversial encounter’ between museum AD and Easy Language will be described. Museum AD is a form of audio description, which is a means of accessible audiovisual translation for the blind and the visually impaired. In audiovisual translation, access to products derives from the visual component in combination with other semiotic channels. The integration of Easy Language into museum AD seems to make problematic the simplification of the verbal component of museum AD. However, this area of research has received scant attention so far, as testified by the very few studies conducted. For this reason, I will limit my scope to make some observations and describe the state-of-the art of this area of research.