Everyone has a story to tell: an autobiography in museum disability research practice

Abstract

This article aims to act as an important and politically grounded counternarrative to the dominant discourse of disability, having the potential to unravel the myth of normalcy that undergirds so many of the exclusionary practices today. It will be focused on the author´s biography in the world of disability and in the ways in which this legacy was reflected in her academic research, lecturing classes and conference presentations in the area of disability studies, particularly in the field of visual arts and museums studies. Concepts related to the cultural meaning of disability and its representations within museological practices will be explored to introduce new views related to the potential of museums to be active agents in social inclusion. As a final objective, this article is intended to contribute to the development of innovative and more positive perspectives on the identity of people with disabilities, supporting their active participation within the museum sector as producers of meanings, creating fairer and less prejudiced interpretations around museum collections to publicly present disability stories