ABSTRACT
Unfortunately disabled people are still frequently seen as a nuisance and an impediment to the 'normal' functioning of cultural organizations. Directors and managers would of course emphatically deny this, but. as the old proverb says, 'the proof of the pudding lies in the eating' and in our case, the pudding would show as barrier-free and inclusive services. This chapter looks at the wider European social and cultural policy context of making objects available for handling in museums to provide, at least, a measure of access to collections for visually impaired people. The experience of touch in museums is one of the ways of nurturing a greater diversity of human perception in an increasingly visual world. Access for disabled people can only be realized successfully if it becomes integral to everything a museum does. Museum and gallery visitors do likewise, as they explore works of art.
