Date

9-17-2026

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)

Chair

Jared Tracy

Keywords

History, disability, disability history, accessibility, museum, museum history, public history, museum studies, American history, American museums, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, curation, disability rights, national endowment for the arts, America's Museums the Belmont Report, Belmont report

Disciplines

History

Abstract

This dissertation represents an overlap between disability history and public history by examining how museums in the U.S. became more accessible between 1960 and the early twenty-first century. Utilizing an expansive cross-section of primary and secondary sources, this study unravels the complexities of social and legal pressures that resulted in accessibility becoming a priority in museums. Changes in social expectations, new legal measures, and activism contributed to a shift in the status and treatment of people with disabilities. With these changes came a need for public spaces to adapt and provide disabled peoples with the same access and experiences as those enjoyed by persons without disabilities. Social acceptance of disabled persons occurred gradually, gaining momentum as the decades progressed. Meanwhile, state and national accessibility legislation was passed haphazardly. Laws, such as the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, had a limited scope, and at times overlapped or contradicted other laws, resulting in a fragmented, ineffective system. Over time, more encompassing legislation, namely the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, expanded disability protections in all areas of life, not just in publicly funded locations. At the same time, museums struggled with funding and meeting the ever-changing standards expected of them. Despite these issues, many museums found creative ways to advance their educational programs, public outreach, and accessibility using technology, redesigns, and expansive procedural changes. By the twenty-first century, after decades of development, adaptation, and trial and error, American museums had become increasingly accessible, a journey that had not been widely documented until now. Standing at the intersection of social, legal, technological, and disability history, this dissertation retraces the long road to accessibility in American museums.

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