My children first visited Early Birds at the the Science Museum way back in 2013 and we have been going back ever since! I chatted to Fiona Slater, Head of Access and Equity, at the Science Museum about the importance of these events and why it is so important for museums to share best practice to improve accessibility across the …
LEGO® Build the Change activities at the Natural History Museum
In 2023, the Natural History Museum (NHM) launched hands-on LEGO® brick activities at their Dawnosaurs events – free relaxed mornings for autistic and neurodivergent children and their families where they can explore the Museum before it opens to the general public. These activities are part of a new partnership with LEGO Group’s flagship sustainability programme, Build the Change, which is …
Low Revs – sensory friendly at Silverstone Museum, Sept 23
Silverstone Museum replicates the noise, adrenaline, and excitement of motor racing, but staff are aware that this can be an unsuitable environment for some visitors. We welcome many SEN education groups (both child and adult learners) to Silverstone Museum, and it has been a passion project to introduce sensory friendly events here, to enable everyone the opportunity to enjoy the …
Rebecca Knight, Kickstart Trainee at the Cartoon Museum, London, August 2022
In our latest blog Rebecca tells us about her Front of House – Kickstart role at the Cartoon Museum. Tell us about your role Being in a small team, I have to be ready to take on 1 or 2 new things every so often (which is certainly a lesson in spontaneity!) I have a lot of responsibilities within my …
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
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 …