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, …

News News News!

Two exciting pieces of news for Autism in Museums followers! 1 – Autism in Museums needs your help – Autism in Museums has been working with Kids in Museums and Samantha Bowen an access consultant on a survey for families with children who have additional needs. We want to understand more about the barriers and what your concerns are about …

Engaging families with autistic children in outdoor museum spaces, Natural History Museum, June 2020

By Laura Davison and Marie Hobson, Audience Research and Insight Team, Natural History Museum, London, U.K. audienceresearch@nhm.ac.uk The Natural History Museum has embarked on an ambitious project to re-connect people and nature, known as the Urban Nature Project (UNP), through transforming our outdoor spaces and developing a national programme of activity. To ensure that our redeveloped Gardens and associated family …

Museum and Heritage Access Survey 2020

VocalEyes together with Stagetext and Autism in Museums are researching the museum visitor experience for people who use access support – this may be facilities, resources or events. We are undertaking a national survey of visitors which is the first of its kind. It will reveal what people with access requirements need from our museums and heritages sites, and how well …

Early Morning Explorers at the British Museum, April 2020

In 2019 the British Museum launched its Early morning explorers’ events; relaxed sessions for families who would benefit from visiting the museum in a quieter environment. The events are for both children and/or parents with sensory processing requirements including Autism so that families who would otherwise be unable to attend can enjoy the Museum together. These were set up in …

Relaxed Opening – Antony Gormley, Royal Academy of Arts, Feb 2020

Antony Gormley Relaxed Opening: Sam Ahern I was lucky enough to be invited to a relaxed opening of the Antony Gormley exhibition at the Royal Academy back in November 2019. This was the first my relaxed opening for an exhibition that I’d been to. I had gone to other events like Tate Lates, so this was something of interest to …

Jake’s Volunteering – with a tiny bit of support from Autism in Museums, Feb 2020

Volunteering at ‘Ludlow Museum and Resource Centre’ by Jake. In July 2018 I began working as a volunteer at Ludlow Museum and Resource Centre, cataloguing hundreds of finds onto a database called the Portable Antiquities Scheme. This taught me vital lessons in presentation, using photoshop and allowed me to develop my vocabulary when describing archaeological finds. This experience saw me …

Quiet Sessions at the National Civil War Centre, Newark, Jan 2020

Sensory Backpack

We first introduced “Quiet Hours” here at the National Civil War Centre in January 2019 after consulting with a local autism support group PAACT. Their founder Gordon, very kindly met me at the centre and we took a tour, carefully making notes in each gallery and space, detailing what may cause obstacles for our guests with sensory issues. Once that …

Volunteering at ‘Devil’s Porridge Museum’ – Alastair’s story

I have been volunteering at Devil’s Porridge Museum for about 4 months now, along with 3-months of work experience I did back in 2016. I came back with ‘Employability Scotland’ to expand my work experience, gain more understanding in museum activities and improve my social skills with staff. Since returning I have tried to prove myself a cable (or at …