Zayed National Museum to make history with Emirati sign language tours led by deaf guides

Siblings have been training for more than a year to explain with pride the culture and values of the UAE

Emirati siblings Bader, left, and Shooq Almaskari will be the Emirati sign language tour guides at the Zayed National Museum. Photo: Zayed National Museum

Bader and Shooq Almaskari’s visits to many local cultural institutions often left them with more questions than answers.

Deaf by birth, the siblings found they couldn’t engage with the objects as thoroughly as they liked. The captions were enlightening, but they only told so much of the story of the larger connections between displays.

“There are no interpreters,” Shooq says, speaking to The National through a sign language interpreter. “It’s difficult to truly understand the full story of the objects inside, the galleries.”

As such, when the two were invited by Zayed National Museum to lead tours in Emirati sign language, they understood the significance of the initiative. The museum will be the first in Abu Dhabi to offer such tours when it opens in December. For an institution that aims to tell the story of the UAE in full, covering a timeline of 300,000 years, it was necessary to provide equal access to the nation’s history.

This was especially important for a museum that bears the name of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was known for his inclusive principles.

Zayed National Museum will open to the public in December. Photo: Foster+Partners

“For us, accessibility is not a checklist,” Amna Al Hammadi, the museum's audience engagement lead, says. “Sheikh Zayed used to open his doors to everyone, so this, as the national museum of the UAE, is a home for everyone. We want to ensure that each person who visits the museum is valued and heard.”

The Emirati sign language initiative is one component, catering to the local deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Bader and Shooq joined Zayed National Museum in early 2024 and have been familiarising themselves with the institution’s collection, researching and training for their roles as tour guides.

“We’ve been training for the past year and a half,” Bader says, also speaking through an interpreter. “We’ve learnt how to offer tours to Deaf people and will also learn how to give tours inside the museum.”

“We’ve trained in reading body language, to make connections with people,” Shooq adds. “We will be bringing that training within the context of the museum, getting ready for when we open in December.”

Amna Al Hammadi, Zayed National Museum's audience engagement lead. Photo: Zayed National Museum

The siblings have delved into various aspects of the museum’s collection, learning about the artefacts that highlight different moments in the UAE’s history, from one of the world’s oldest natural pearls, called the Abu Dhabi Pearl to the Magan boat, an 18-metre reproduction of the ancient vessel that will be displayed in the museum’s atrium.

Bader says he is particularly looking forward to telling visitors about the life of the country’s founding father.

“The Our Beginning gallery will be dedicated to Sheikh Zayed,” he says. “It will have objects and visuals that tell his story and show how he worked to preserve the heritage of the people of the UAE. I like this gallery a lot. It helps us understand his life and the context of his time.”

Shooq, meanwhile, says she feels a connection to Al Masar. The 600-metre-long garden – which draws its name from the Arabic word for path – stretches from the coastline up to the structure’s entrance. It will feature a working falaj system with open channels used as part of the drainage system that captures excess water from rain and irrigation, redistributing it to the plants. The garden will feature native plants from different ecosystems in the UAE.

“It will have plants from the desert, from oases as well as urban environments,” Shooq says.

Magan boat, an 18-metre reproduction of the ancient vessel, will be displayed in the museum’s atrium. Photo: Emily Harris / Zayed National Museum

Bader and Shooq say their roles as Emirati sign language guides come with a certain responsibility.

“We’ll be talking about the culture and values of the UAE,” Shooq says. “It’s something to be proud of.”

Bader adds: “We have to communicate these aspects, this history, accurately. We must tell the stories of the objects, the museum, its developments and its programming accurately.”

Shooq also says she hopes their roles as guides will inspire others from the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities to take on similar positions, and for other institutions in the country to also adopt similar programmes. The siblings can also communicate in sign language unique to other parts of the world, which will help them guide international Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors across the museum’s galleries.

“We also hope to inspire others to learn more about UAE history and how the UAE community is one, embracing deaf and hearing people equally,” Shooq says.

This has been a guiding principle for the Zayed National Museum team as they shape programmes and services to ensure all visitors can engage with the country’s history.

The museum, for instance, will be accessible for wheelchair users. It will offer induction loops, a special sound system tailored for people with hearing aids; portable stools, for those who may not be able to stand for long periods; as well as tactile stations that visitors with visual impairments can touch to get more insight into the collection. There will be resources tailored for different neurodivergent audiences, including visitors on the autism spectrum.

These include a sensory map, to plan and know about the crowded and quiet spaces within the museum. A calm room, meanwhile, will also be offered – a quiet space to take breaks and emotionally regulate.

A 3D rendering of the Through Our Connections gallery at the Zayed National Museum. Photo: Foster+Partners

This last feature, Al Hammadi says, was important to add as some of the galleries are fitted with screens, which may overstimulate some visitors. “This room lets them re-centre, reduce anxiety and then go back again and enjoy the museum.”

These different facets of accessibility were envisioned early on, and has taken years to develop and tailor, through discussions with various organisations and government institutions specialising in the field.

“This is really part of a broader commitment to making sure all people of determination and all visitors feel welcomed and feel engaged,” Al Hammadi says. “These tours mean that they can fully connect with the museum’s collection and the stories we are telling.”

Al Hammadi hopes other local institutions become inspired by Zayed National Museum’s initiatives, perhaps incorporating similar programmes.

“We want to position Zayed National Museum as a benchmark of accessibility,” Al Hammadi says. “We want to lead by example. Our vision is to be the most accessible museum in the world.”