It can be very daunting visiting a new place for the first time, particularly if you are on the autism spectrum. Museums are starting to do more to help visitors prepare for a visit as well as offer ‘relaxed hours’ where they can keep the visitor numbers down. The National Army Museum offered their first … [Read more…]
Liverpool continues to lead the way to becoming an Autism Friendly city. Is is fantastic news to hear they have been chosen as Autism Champions for April. They run events across their museums and you can find out more here. The team at National Museums Liverpool have been working with Autism Together since 2015 to … [Read more…]
I can’t actually think of a time when we have all visited the theatre together. With two autistic children it is a sensory overload just waiting to happen. Quite frankly I am loathe to pay out for something that we probably won’t even get into, let alone sit through. Barriers include: travelling into London; busy, … [Read more…]
I first started volunteering at Brunel’s SS Great Britain as a Visitor Services Assistant back in December 2015. It feels like ages ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. My co-volunteers remember me as a white ghost – I was shy and very quiet, due to how nervous I was, but that would … [Read more…]
We have struggled in the past to visit the theatre as a family. There are lots of sensory triggers, foyers busy with crowds, dark auditoriums, not knowing what will happen next and loud noise. I few years back I visited the National Theatre for a relaxed performance of ‘I want my hat back‘. On this … [Read more…]
Autism in Museums is delighted to be partnering with Kids in Museums and National Museums Liverpool to offer a training day on 9th May in Liverpool. Would you like to make your venue more welcoming to families and young people with autism, but aren’t sure where to start? Have you begun to make changes but … [Read more…]
Holding a relaxed opening at Cornwall’s Regimental Museum “Just a few simple adaptations can give a family a visit to remember” Relaxed openings have become increasingly common over the past few years. From cinemas to theatres to supermarkets, from the cultural sector to big business increasingly organisations have been thinking about how they can adjust … [Read more…]
When we began our Museum Marathon back in April to raise money for Autism in Museums I never dreamed we would raise over £1,000. To have so much money was a huge responsibility. It took me a while to work out what sensory equipment to buy to make the most impact and it was important … [Read more…]
Autism in Museums is delighted to have been asked by VocalEyes to collaborate on the State of Museum Access 2018 report. A major barrier to disabled people visiting museums is the lack of advance information. Museum websites are key tools for providing visitor access information, and the absence of this contributes to the ‘disability engagement … [Read more…]
HUGE THANKS TO SPACEKRAFT FOR DONATING AN EXTRA TACTILE SENSORY BAG (WORTH OVER £100) TO AUTISM IN MUSEUMS, WE NOW HAVE 9 PACKAGES TO GIVEAWAY! In April 2018 over 30 volunteers completed a Museum Marathon walking to over 26 museums in London in one day. We raised over £1,000 and some of that money is … [Read more…]