Call for Papers and Projects: ICOM CECA Annual Conference 2015

The 2015 Annual Conference of the Committee for Education and Cultural Action (CECA) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) will be held in Washington DC, USA, on 17-21 September 2015. The main topic of this year's conference is "Museum Education and Accessibility: Bridging the Gaps". The event will consider accessibility as the degree to which museum collections, programs, and expertise are available to as many people as possible. The conference will address the fact that today many people still face widespread barriers to museum resources and learning opportunities. Socioeconomic and geographic obstacles as well as physical and cognitive disabilities hinder full participation in cultural life for these underserved audiences. While many museums with missions aimed at social change and justice have developed strategies of inclusion, there is still a considerable disparity of approaches and absence of enduring programmes. How can museum education bridge the gaps? What roles can digital access and new technologies play? Among the conference's driving questions are the following:

• What do we know about the motivations, needs, and expectations of underserved audiences in relation to museums?
• What models of inclusion can museum educators share?
• What are examples of programmes that empower underserved audiences, enable their independence, and enhance their quality of life?
• How can museum educators maintain and expand these models and programmes?
• How can digital access expand learning opportunities and empower audiences to be full participants in their local communities and our global society?
• What critical questions should museums be asking about the use and ethics of new technologies and digital access?

Papers and proposals are invited in a variety of formats, as follows:

• Research papers, involving a presentation on a question or problem investigated, the method or instrument used, the obtained results and their interpretation.
• Regular papers, involving a rigorous and critical presentation of a subject closely related to one of the sub-themes of the conference.
• Marketplace of Ideas, involving a presentation of a concrete project or idea carried out at the presenter's museum or institution, which should be transferable to other museums or settings.
• Poster session, involving a poster presenting a text and some illustrations.

Proposals should be sent by 31 March 2015. For additional information, please visit https://cecadc2015.wordpress.com/guidelines/