OFI Presence at CECA 2015 Conference on Museum Education & Accessibility

The International Council of Museums (ICOM)‘s Committee for Education and Cultural Action (CECA) convened at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian for its 2015 Annual Conference from September 17-21, 2015. This year’s theme was “Museum Education & Accessibility: Bridging the Gaps” and featured speakers from all over the world, presenting on topics such as plural accessibility, using technology to increase access, museum outreach and social change, and storytelling and accessibility. Over 240 museum professionals from Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, and the United States were in attendance. It was the first time CECA has held its annual conference in the U.S. since 1982. Dr. Pino Monaco, one of CECA’s board members, and Associate Director of Program Evaluation at the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access hosted this year’s event and took the responsibility of the organization and engaged many local institutions to provide diverse and comprehensive experiences to the conference participants. OFI‘s Karen Carter, chair of the Smithsonian’s Academic Appointment Diversity and Publicity Taskforce (AADAPT) staffed a table on internships and fellowships at the Smithsonian and was able to network with many attendees about increasing diversity in all forms in academic appointments at the Smithsonian.