Both shows currently on at Hayward Gallery – Igshaan Adams’ “Kicking Dust” and Matthew Barney’s “Redoubt” – while very different, are both brilliant with their respective concepts and works. Whenever I visit exhibitions, I visit with two mindsets – one as an artist and avid artgoer, the other as the mother of an autistic son. Barney’s work has appealed to …
Football Clubs and Sensory Rooms – a visit to Arsenal and Chelsea, Apr 2021
Getting fans back to football is about so much more than ‘Pukka Pies’ and a pint, whilst we have been able to enjoy sport on television nothing beats the match day live experience. Many football fans have realised for the first time what it feels like to be unable to experience their favourite team playing week in and week out. …
Autograph Gallery, London: On adapting our Family SEND Workshops for Lockdown, April 2021
At Autograph we focus on exhibiting and publishing photography, which explores issues related to identity, diversity and human rights. We are strong advocates for representing and including people who are marginalised and have built our organisation around supporting those who have historically been excluded from participating in the arts. In 2017, we joined a radical UK-wide project highlighting the extraordinary …
Working with SEND Learners at The Red House
A Partnership Project between Autism in Nature and Britten-Pears Arts Joe Carr, Collection and Learning Curator Background The Red House is the historic home of the composer Benjamin Britten and his partner the singer Peter Pears, located in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. It comprises the historic house, kept as Britten and Pears knew it; Britten’s composition studio, similarly in its original state; …
Engaging children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) virtually through lockdown
During the Covid 19 lockdown University of Cambridge Museums wanted to engage remotely and maintain relationships with our pre-existing audience of children with special educational needs and disabilities. According to government statistics in January 2020 12.1% of all school pupils have a special educational need, and we have two main programmes for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Arts Pioneers, for …
Supporting teachers and students from Autism Spectrum Condition specialist schools to engage with the Natural History Museum, March, 2021
Championing diversity to create an inclusive organisation is a core value for the Natural History Museum and will help us achieve our strategic priority to engage and involve the widest possible audience. To build on the Museum’s knowledge of how to engage neurodiverse children and their families, the Audience Research and Insight Team teamed up with Access and Inclusion Advisor, …
Making Rhondda Heritage Park: Welsh Mining Experience Autism Friendly, February 2021
Back in 2018, Rhondda Heritage Park: Welsh Mining Experience, began a partnership with the National Autistic Society and other local family autism groups. The idea was to be accredited with the Autism Friendly Award by the National Autistic Society (NAS) by making the site more accessible to additional needs groups. At the beginning, it felt quite daunting as the main …
Roman Review, Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, Ashton Lamont, 2019 in review
Roman Review. Spent yesterday afternoon with twin thing 1 at the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre‘s Autism friendly Romans workshop yesterday and what an utterly fantastic day it was! A pleasant environment, wonderfully helpful and approachable staff plus a brilliant and interesting array of activities – just enough to keep everyone entertained but not too many as to be overwhelming – made …
Museum accessibility for autistic adults in the ‘new normal’ – MA dissertation, Jan 2021
Lydia Shacklock Since beginning my MA in Museums and Galleries in Education at UCL Institute Of Education, my focus has been on cultural access and inclusion. This is partly due to working with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) individuals in a professional capacity, but primarily due to my sister’s additional needs, including autism, having significantly shaped my worldview. When …
A great year for blogs- 2020 in review
In the last year Autism in Museums has been asking for your contributions to the blog. It has been great to hear about relaxed openings, understanding how sensory play can be brought into the museum and research to help make museums more accessible. It was also brilliant to hear from autistic voices sharing what they have enjoyed this year. As …