The Ellen Bruss Design Studio at the DAM.
At the Denver Art Museum, accessibility is more than a compliance checkbox—it’s a commitment to creating an inclusive, welcoming space for all visitors. With a three-year initiative funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the DAM is embarking on a transformative project, Designing for Accessibility. By collaborating with people with disabilities, the Ellen Bruss Design Studio will function as a living laboratory for innovation that fosters connections between the disability community, museum staff, designers, and the public. Together, we will develop tools and strategies for creating more accessible exhibitions across the museum. This endeavor culminates in a community-curated accessible design showcase featuring cutting-edge innovations in the field, which opens in July 2027 to celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The DAM has a long history of offering programs and accommodations tailored to visitors with disabilities, from Art & About for visitors with dementia to Sensory-Friendly Mornings for kids with neurodiversity. Denver also has a unique connection to the disability rights movement. On July 5, 1978, 19 disabled activists, known as the “Gang of 19,” protested the inaccessibility of Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD). These protests eventually led to an agreement with RTD to ensure that one-third of Denver’s buses be made wheelchair-accessible. Momentum from these protests in Denver spread across the country, culminating in the landmark passage of the ADA in 1990.
Today, the DAM operates a large campus with two public buildings that meet ADA requirements. But the legal requirement is just the bare minimum. Designing for Accessibility provides us an opportunity to go beyond this by offering a truly accessible experience to all. It allows us to think intentionally and creatively about how our exhibitions meet the needs of visitors with disabilities.
Guided by the slogan popularized by disability rights advocates in the 1990s—“Nothing about us, without us”—each part of this project will include the perspectives and voices of the disability community. Using design thinking strategies, we will work with people with disabilities not only to envision an “accessible museum experience” but also to prototype new designs to make that experience possible at the DAM.
Over the next three years, the museum will convene two working groups composed of people with disabilities, their care partners, and disability justice advocates to collaborate on accessible exhibition design interventions. Partnering with local designers, the first group will be invited to share their feedback on barriers to accessibility that they experienced at the DAM and to actively participate in the creation of prototypes that make our exhibition design and display more inclusive. The prototypes will be deployed in the Design Studio for testing and refinement. If our community thinks they are successful, the prototypes will ultimately make their way throughout the museum to increase access across our campus.
The second group will work with DAM staff to curate a showcase of accessible design objects in the Design Studio. The group will collaborate to select objects that tell the story of how design can empower people with disabilities in all aspects of their life. Participants will also co-create interpretative elements such as video interviews and written labels about specific objects on view, revealing their personal reflections on the theme of accessible design. The showcase will provide a platform for individuals with disabilities to share their stories, raise awareness for accessible design, and engage museum visitors with hands-on activities that encourage design thinking.
By elevating the voices of the disability community and pioneering innovations in accessible exhibition design, the DAM hopes to be a model for museums worldwide. Together, we’re not just reimagining the museum experience—we’re redefining what it means to be both by and for our community.
Want to get involved? Learn more about how to apply to be a part of the project by contacting access@denverartmuseum.org.
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Join one of these community discussions on how we can create a more accessible and inclusive museum experience for everyone, especially people with disabilities.
