A blind archaeologist?

J Carmen and R Skeates (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Public Archaeology. Oxford University Press, 673-93, 2012

Tim Phillips and Roberta Gilchrist have been key players in a major project investigating the issues surrounding disability and archaeological fieldwork in the UK. In this chapter, they outline, on a global scale, the current anti-discrimination legalization intended to ensure the social inclusion of disabled persons. They then describe how different archaeological organizations in the UK have responded to this, and highlight some of the tensions that have arisen. They also present a case study of university training, derived from their own project, in which disabled students have been enabled to participate in archaeological fieldwork, guided by a philosophy of focusing on individual ability as opposed to disability.

CIfA 2022 Annual Conference, 2022

This paper is an extension of work I have done in 2018, namely through papers written as part of #DiggingWhileDepressed, a short-lived moment of discussion on Twitter in which archaeologists spoke about their own bouts with mental ill-health during fieldwork. In this paper, I draw from recent literature on mental health and accessibility in archaeology, as well as my own personal experiences dealing with inaccessibility in the field and how this has exacerbated feelings of anxiety and depression. I will examine how a lack of consideration for accommodating disabled archaeologists can similarly impact mental health, as well as how this issue speaks to a much larger problem of ableism in archaeology as a whole. To conclude, I will propose some ways in which archaeologists can improve their approach to Enabled Archaeology, with emphasis on the intersections between mental health and accessibility.

Integration of Archaeological Heritage Interpretation into Practice: Concepts and Case Studies, 2022

ERASMUS+ 2014-2020/Key Action 2: Cooperation Partnerships/HED, 2022

Archaeology and archaeological cultural heritage should be reachable and accessible to different profiles including to persons with special needs: people with impaired vision or hearing and intellectual disabilities. These categories have been largely denied access to their archaeological heritage and they have been deprived of the possibility to fully experience their past. The aim of this project is to create a strategic partnership in the field of higher education with the purpose to create and share innovative practices in the digitalization of the cultural heritage and its accessibility for persons with disabilities. The general goal of this project is to bring archaeological cultural heritage closer to the public, including different categories of the population, preferably through on-line courses. Through the project activities the awareness of the value and importance of archaeological heritage among the general public will be raised and the field of archaeology and conservation science will be popularized. Reaching these goals, we shall draw on the experience of our partners from European countries with longer archaeological traditions and, in doing so, we shall foster a sense of common European identity.

The Post Hole Issue 6, 2009

Antiquity, 2019

Current archaeological practice in the UK and elsewhere focuses on the collection of empirical data. While scholars have proposed theoretical advances in field techniques, very few of these methods have been adopted in commercial archaeology. A combination of increased time pressure on development projects and the conservatism of the sector contribute to challenging times for archaeological practice. Additional complexity is introduced by large-scale infrastructure projects unsuited to standardised field techniques. This article explores these issues, calling for a flexible, consultative approach to project design and implementation, to ensure the longevity of both archaeology and the archaeological profession.

2017

In 2015 the European accessible tourism market was valued at USD $168 billion (European Network for Accessible Tourism 2015). Furthermore, the accessible tourism markets of the United States of America and Australia are estimated to be worth USD $17.3 billion and USD $8 billion, respectively (Jamison 2016: 66). From this basic data, it is evident that accessible or disabled tourism is a growing market. Thus, taking into account these figures, there is a strong rational for targeted actions by the Ministry of Antiquities to adapt and build accessible infrastructure at archaeological site for visitors with specific access needs.

World Archaeology, 2012

The power and the promise of digital technology provides the opportunity to revolutionise the way we think about and do archaeology. This opportunity has been seized by a few enterprising archaeologists, but can only be fully realised when a culture of participation and sharing is fostered in both academic and professional realms. Digital literacy and critical digital media object creation cannot be the realm of only a few heritage professionals, but should be cultivated and rewarded as we create new publication standards throughout archaeology. We present the background of digital participatory culture, the current entanglement of open source, open access, and for-profit technology in archaeology, and offer a challenge: to create a more ubiquitous, reflexive, open and participatory archaeology on both the institutional and the individual level.