Autism Awareness at the British Library, July 2022

The British Library is a large, busy space for people to visit, work and generally just chill out. It is a large building with many things inside of it, ranging from over 13 million books to many different displays and exhibitions. Sometimes this busy space can be hard for people with autism or with other specific sensory needs to visit. …

The Great Exhibition Road Festival and autistic families

In June 2019, my dad, my 6 year old autistic son Samuel and I went to The Great Exhibition Road Festival without knowing what to expect. Now for the first time since Covid, the festival is back on this coming weekend. I have been asked to write this blog to show how inclusive this festival actually is for SEN families. …

Autism Access at the Cartoon Museum, April 2022

For World Autism Day we have a fantastic new blog from Amba who is the Community Outreach Officer at the Cartoon Museum. She tells us about her own reasons for wanting to improve access to the London museum and shares the work she is doing with autistic audiences: Growing up I benefitted from museum outreach programmes, and while I ended …

Interview – Marion Godwin, Visitor Engagement Team Leader, Blists Hill, April 2022

a white woman in a hat and victorian clothing standing in front of industrial machinery.

On Autism Awareness Day we are delighted to share an interview with Marion who works at Blists Hill Victorian Town, part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. In the interview we talk about what it means to be an autistic heritage professional and what it is like to be the ‘human version of an interpretation panel’! Marion talks about the …

Interview – Joseph McGeady, Learning Apprentice, British Library, March 2022

In this interview we talk to Joseph who has been doing an apprenticeship at the British Library. He shares his experience of working for a large cultural organisation and the types of activities he has undertaken as an apprentice. Why did you want to do an apprenticeship at the British Library? I have had a strong interest in history ever …

Co-curated opportunities in museums for neurodivergent young adults, Jan 2022

Esther Amis-Hughes, Leeds Museums and Galleries In 2018 a wonderful opportunity stumbled into my lap – Tim Boardman from the Study Programme within Swarthmore Education Centre (a setting for 16-24 year olds with learning disabilities and additional support needs) was looking for placements for students. I had very little experience of working with autistic or neurodivergent young adults – which …

Autism in Museums gets funding to work in partnership on a Digital Volunteering project thanks to National Lottery funding

Posted on: Thursday 25 November 2021, 9:47 am VocalEyes has been awarded £99,814 of National Lottery funding to launch a digital volunteering initiative and break down barriers to heritage. Today’s funding is part of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Digital Skills for Heritage initiative, which aims to raise digital skills and confidence across the whole UK heritage sector. Seventeen projects have been …

Young people with autism participating in museums: Finding my voice with the ‘Reimagine Remake Replay’ Project

By Michael McConway In my experience, a museum is an accessible window into other cultures, a contemplative, quiet place of learning and reflection. Interactions with visitors in the galleries of my local museums in Northern Ireland, whether the larger National Museums Northern Ireland sites or regional heritage centres, can provide a rich vein of networking with others who feel strongly …

Sensory Friendly Backpacks at V&A Dundee

By Peter Nurick, Communities Producer, Access and Learning Earlier this year V&A Dundee introduced Sensory Friendly Days, supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and designed to welcome visitors who may benefit from a more relaxed sensorial environment. As part of these events, the museum unveiled brand new, updated sensory friendly backpacks to enhance the experience for visitors. The …