My social justice project is to provide an equitable visitor experience for the disabled community at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (an educational institution and a museum. On this page you will learn about inter-disciplinary perspective and theoretical lens.
Visitor Identity-Related Motivation Typology model
Dr. John H. Falk is a leading figure in research on free-choice learning, museum visitor studies and science education in the United States. He is co-founder of the research firm, Institute for Learning Innovation. He is the author of over one hundred scholarly articles and chapters in the areas of biology, psychology and education (Duplessis, 2011).
Falk has attempted to create a predictive model of the museum visitor experience, one that can help museum professionals better meet those visitors’ needs (Duplessis, 2011).
His research showed that most leisure experiences aren’t initiated by a desire to see or do something specific but as a desire to fulfill a
specific identity related motivation.
specific identity related motivation.
His research showed that most leisure experiences aren’t initiated by a desire to see or do something specific but as a desire to fulfill a specific identity related motivation.
Five basic identity related categories of leisure benefits
Explorers Facilitators Experience Seekers Professionals/Hobbyists Rechargers
Explorers: visit museums because it interests them and appeals to their curiosity.
Facilitators: visit museums in order to satisfy the needs and desires of someone they care about rather than just themselves.
Experience Seekers: are ‘collecting’ experiences. They want to feel like they’ve ‘been there’ and they’ve ‘done that’ – they want to see the destination, building or what’s iconic on display.
Professional/Hobbyists: Represent the smallest category of visitors but they are very influential. Could be museum professionals, art and antique collectors, teachers, artists, etc. Often the most critical visitors. They come with a goal in mind and are on a mission.
Rechargers: visit in order to reflect, rejuvenate or just bask in the wonder of a place.
My social justice project is within the realm of the Visitor Identity-Related Motivation Model. The disabled community could and probably does represent one, some, or all of these motivations. Not that the disabled community is different than any other community, but their motivation may be different. For example a disabled individual may frequent a particular museum because their disability is accommodated in that particular space. The model does not focus on the disabled community at all, which I feel is an oversight. He could probably add 2 more of these motivation identities to his to his schedule.
I am not using a theoretical lens because this social justice project is very to the point and has a basic outcome involved. If you make the experiences of the disabled community important and try to make their lives feel valued in your particular space then it makes sense to make it easier for them to intake information.
List of References
Falk, J.H. (2016). Museum Audiences: A Visitor-Centered Perspective. Loisir et Société/Leisure and Society, 39(3), 357-370.
https://www.instituteforlearninginnovation.org/person/john-h-falk-ph-d/
Duplessis A. (2011). The Five Minute Falk: A very brief explanation of John Falk’s Visitor Identity Related Motivations. iMuseum Symposium Toronto March 24-25.
King, L. (2013). Rhetorics in a Museum Space: Connecting Exhibit Spaces, Contexts, and Audiences. JAC, 33(3/4), 671–688. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43854572
Levent, N., & Reich, C. (2013). Museum Accessibility: Combining Audience Research and Staff Training. The Journal of Museum Education, 38(2), 218–226. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43304985