19. The Sustainability of Deaf Museums
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Intro Chapter 19
Sustainability is an important question for mainstream Museums, but maybe even more so for Deaf Museums. In the Deaf Museums survey, we asked our contact persons for their wishes - and worries - for the future.
19.1 The Sustainability of Deaf Museums
During the 2 years of our project, two Deaf Museums had to close down. The Brother Leothard Deaf Museum in Belgium, and the Museum of Deaf Education (Museum voor Dovenonderwijs) in the Netherlands. In both cases because the buildings where these Museums were located, were sold.
Most of the remaining Deaf Museums are worried about the future. In our survey, we asked a question about the future of the Museum. Peter Jones' (Deaf Heritage Centre UK, April 2022) answer:
"We live from hand to mouth and could collapse any time."
Our question, and the answers of all respondents:
What about the future of your Museum? What are future risks, future opportunities?
Kuurojen museo |
We are at the moment planning our new basic exhibition and what kind of feedback we get from our customers is a signpost for our future exhibitions. Taking children and young people into account is an opportunity for us. |
Norsk Døvemuseum |
Future risks are the location of the Museum since we don’t own the building. Future opportunities are the political interest in the museum and also the general focus on minorities. |
Musée d'Histoire et de Culture des Sourds | As the museum relies on volunteers, the risk is what the volunteers can do. If there are no more volunteers, a solution will have to be found with the support of the National Federation of the Deaf of France. |
Deaf Heritage Centre UK | The future of our Museum depends heavily on securing grant income. We live from hand to mouth and could collapse any time. |
Døvehistorisk Selskab |
If the school for the deaf wants to close, we will have a problem with the rooms we use now. |
Piet Borneman, curator of the Museum of Deaf Education in the Netherlands, after all exhibits had been put in storage, November 2021, see his interviewelsewhere on this website.