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 …
Relaxed Opening at the National Museum of Computing, Anne-Marie Langford, Learning Programme Manager, Dec 2020
The National Museum of Computing has been offering Relaxed Openings for over 3 years. They were set up by my predecessor Claire Marston so I cannot claim the full credit. We run 6 relaxed openings a year. We either open at time when we are usually closed or quieter. We welcome families with autistic members. We pull in additional volunteers to be on hand …
Careers for All – Leeds Museums and Galleries by Carl Newbould, Dec 2020
When phone rang and I was offered a job at Leeds Museums and Galleries (LMG) to manage Careers for All I remember being stunned and silent. I was both incredibly excited but also apprehensive about entering a role so specific to SEND. I have a specialism in AEN (additional educational needs) which I picked up from my teaching degree at …
Autistic Adults in Museums, MA dissertation by Elizabeth Blake, Dec 2020
In September of 2020 I handed in what, in hindsight, seems like an inevitable piece of work. It was my dissertation for an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies at the University of Manchester, examining what the adult autistic community required from museums in order to make them more accessible. I essentially grew up in and around heritage sites …
Putting the community first at the London Museum of Water & Steam, Nov 2020
At the London Museum of Water & Steam we have four values which we try to live out in everything we do. Helpful, Knowledgeable, Inclusive and Fun. But how do you live those values in the middle of a global pandemic which has closed your Museum? For us it started with asking the question “who needs our help?” and the …
What do SEND families want from museums in a time of COVID?
Kids in Museums, Autism in Museums and Sam Bowen carried out a survey specifically for SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) families all about their visits to museums pre and post lockdown. Interrogating the data Autism in Museums has come up with ideas to support accessibility and inclusion that all museums, galleries and heritage venues should be thinking about in …
Inviting sensory learners to explore Museums in a time of Covid, National Maritime Museum, Sept 2020.
At the National Maritime Museum, we recognise that the design of some older galleries does not lend them to sensory engagement and so a concerted effort to provide sensory engagement within new galleries and to develop resources that bring sensory engagement to galleries have occurred. From opportunities to touch tactile collection objects in the new Sea Things gallery, to the …
Intersecting Art and Science to Support Autistic Children – National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Aug 2020.
Andrea Stahel, Community & Access Programs Manager, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. As many of us appreciate, art-making can be incredibly meditative and in difficult times, a source of solace. This year has brought new challenges for children as they adapt to changes in their education, family and social lives. Children can often find disruptions to their daily routine challenging, …
‘From the Stands’ – a sensory football experience box – Craig Eccles, graphic designer.
There are around 700,000 autistic people in the UK, the condition comes with its individual challenges and can have a huge impact on everyday life, including within sports. For someone with autism and their family, going to watch their favourite football team can be overwhelming and stressful. The noise, sights and smells of a stadium, as well as the uncertainty …