Enjoyable museum visits

[Happyrespitecarer]

Hello. I'm helping our local museum become more welcoming to people with disabilities, including learning disabilities. My autistic 23 year old son loved the visit, because they have a small sensory room, toys and a few exhibits that spin. I'd be grateful for any ideas, suggestions etc for making local museums more accessible and enjoyable to visit. Thank you.

[Maurice_Mencap Partner]

Hi Happyrespitecarer , that's a great question! I was speaking to someone who is volunteering at the British Museum recently, and he was telling me about some things they were doing to make some of their exhibits more accessible.

A lot of it was around finding ways to interact with the exhibits in some way. For example if there was some old clothing, they would find some material that matched or use parts of a similar outfit that was in too bad a state to display so people could feel what the clothing felt like. Or if there was a certain smell associated with an object, they'd find a way to replicate that and let people have a sniff! They also 3D printed replicas of some objects for people to feel the shape and size of them.

Some museums will have disability-friendly opening sessions with a limited number of people allowed in for a set time and other adjustments in an attempt to minimise any sensory overload. Lots of supermarkets do this as well, usually with a "quiet hour" once a week with no announcements over the loudspeakers.

I hope that helps - it's such an interesting subject so hope other members here have some ideas or experience that we can add to the list!

[BrummieLass]

I have found that for my Son, who has a learning disability, something that helps to engage his interest means he enjoys the visit and gains from the experience. For example a simple sign by the exhibit with something to look for or find in the display. Can you see this item...photo of it....and maybe a sentence about it. It means he looks more closely, is more likely to see and appreciate other things. And it gives us time to see and appreciate too.