Share Spotlight: Accessibility to Inclusion: The Next Step

This week's Share Spotlight comes from Museum Matters, the official blog of my Intro to Museums class:

Accessibility to Inclusion: The Next Step

This week's topic in my Intro to Museum Studies class was inclusion: how do we make sure everyone can enjoy our museum? 

It's an important question.

Inclusion can mean a lot of different things because it can refer to a number of different groups. If you want to include an ethnic group, you'll do different things than if you want to include a group of people who are sight-impaired.

But whatever you do, it's important that it's sustainable. A special exhibit smacks of tokenism. While it may draw visitors in once, is it really likely to keep them coming back?

Do you have any suggestions? What programs or infrastructure do different groups need to feel comfortable in a museum? What have other fields done to promote inclusion?

Share Spotlight: Partners in Conservation

November is Native American Heritage month and the US Fish and Wildlife Service honors the impact of the tribes who work with them.

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This week's share spotlight comes from the US Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region:
Partners in Conservation--Native American Tribes Contribute Essential Data to Elwha Watershed Restoration

I kind of grew up in the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the arm of the Department of the Interior that runs Wildlife Refuges, the places that are more for the animals than the people, as opposed to the National Parks, which tend to be more for the people than the animals.

This week's share spotlight showcases something that the USF&WS is getting increasingly awesome at: partnering with the community to make a difference. They know that conservation only works when the whole community is behind it, and the best way to get them there is to involve them, let them participate, learn, and see the results of their actions.

In this case, the major partner is a Native American tribe in the Pacific Northwest. Tribe members are essential to recording the data necessary for the USF&WS to monitor changes in the area.

Where have you seen Native Americans (or anyone) making a difference in conservation? Have you been to your local Wildlife Refuge? Odds are good there is one nearby.