When Autism and Museums Collide

Jack Welch
Aug 28, 2017 · 7 min read

There’s a revolution taking off within the world of heritage. Not where everything is digitised and older premises pushed aside for modern developments (before you wonder!), but about expanding the breadth of visitors who are typically misunderstood when it comes to museums. For autistic visitors and their families/supporters, the potential traps of crowded spaces and confusing layouts of various exhibits to visit and in what order, means that it simply becomes unrealistic to ever think of visiting. It is simply a shame when groups in society are excluded from understanding more about the cultural offer that may be on their doorstep.

Over the past year, I have had a number of conversations with museum professionals and visitors with first-hand experience, the outcome of which included a co-produced resource on best practice for museums. There was much to be hopeful about. Whether it was early morning openings or in-built sensory rooms, some of our most renowned museums were trailblazing the way for autism access.

What of smaller, local museums though?

Dorset County Museum (Source: Wordpress)

Dorset County Museum (DCM), near home for me personally, stands at an important crossroads of a major redevelopment, which may potentially see £15 million committed for a full expansion and redesign to modernise the museum for its long-term future. As part of this, the team working there are seeking the insights and recommendations from groups to help make the museum accessible for visitors with additional needs. I had previously met the museum last year for a more informal discussion on what this might look like with autism adjustments. Following a somewhat unexpected email from the museum’s Exhibition Development Manager, Elizabeth (Liz) Selby, and following a meeting which also included the museum’s Head of Education, Emma Talbot, a workshop with autistic people was planned to take place. There was much to feel hopeful about, as an advocate for autism related issues, and museum access being of particular interest, I was to be involved with planning from the outset to the delivery of the workshop as it took place.

All Hands on Deck

Agreeing to a workshop happening is perhaps only the starting point of developing the purpose and goals behind the event. Questions that came instantly (not limited to): what time? Age of participants? What are we asking for? Which rooms are most accessible? We were not taking any precedent from other museums which may have hosted something like this before, which may have helped to ease some of these dilemmas if we were borrowing from an existing template. As it was, we would be setting out a fresh path from our own collective experience.

Liz , who had previously hosted a workshop for disabled people earlier this year, described the motivation to make autism a priority: “From the previous discussions you had with Jon [Murdern, DCM Director], he mentioned the idea of an autism friendly space when we were working with our exhibition designers. This got fed into the plans, but we wanted a better sense of what this would actually mean, and what autistic people would actually want.”

Over the course of many emails and the firming up ideas of what the workshop would become, a number of points became clear over time:

· Find out about existing and relevant networks that would have an interest in attending. Never rely on an open call-out alone and expect a flurry of emails/phone calls to come through suddenly. For me, knowing groups like The Chatterboxes in Bournemouth was highly valuable.

· Set the duration carefully. Is a whole day the best use to gather information? Don’t expect energy levels to remain stable throughout in any case and for autistic people, there are varying levels at which we can absorb information. Two hours was our limit, but perhaps three at a push if it may prove useful.

· Location, location, location — the nicest room doesn’t always make the best or most comfortable workspace for autistic people. When it comes to lighting, background noise and the acoustics of a room, pick the spaces wisely. Always ask for participants about physical access too — some rooms in DCM are unable to support this for now.

· If you’re looking to bring in a wider cohort beyond those closest to the museum’s confines, have a reasonable budget in place for travel costs. Autistic people may also need to bring support to accompany them when travelling beyond their known surroundings. £15 was our offer, thanks to the funds provided by the West Dorset District Council ‘Social Inclusion Award’.

· Consequently, budgets are not endless and having a packed room may be just as counter-productive compared to something more manageable. A room with a few strangers is going to be less overwhelming than that of a whole crowd of them. There were thankfully three of us to facilitate, but be sensible on the scale of workshop leaders to participants. We limited ourselves to eight maximum.

· Crucially, the museum used my experience and perspective as an autistic individual to develop this. Remember: ‘Nothing about us, without us!’

We also produced our preparation guide for participants to feel comfortable before attending. There were a few comments on the day on how it could have been improved. Take a look yourself.

Day of Action

If there is any fear that strikes the heart of workshop organisers, it is almost certainly the attendance of those who have signalled they would come — but that alone is not always guaranteed in reality. To my horror, as I walked in the streets of Dorchester, it struck me that the ongoing roadworks to resurface the main high street, which leads up to the museum, were still in progress. For anyone that is autistic, the heavily crowded streets and noise of equipment does not do wonders for sensory stability. Though it was the responsibility for individuals attending the workshop to make their own way, I was reproaching myself for not highlighting the point in the guide created.

The focus group share their views

Ultimately, the afternoon managed to alleviate some of those worries and despite a couple of drop-outs (as normally anticipated), we had a more than a sufficient number of faces in the room. In a change to the initial idea of inviting 16–25 year old attendees, this was expanded to a wider cohort and saw adults who were over that bracket, distinct from conventional age barriers. As it transpired, the younger participants were not much fazed by the presence of people somewhat older than themselves and in hindsight, as I’ve written before about the lack of voice for autistic adults, this was a welcome revision to our original criteria. When it came to encouraging contributions itself, not that much prompting was needed in practice — more an issue of sticking to time by the end!

By the end, we found that:

· Try not to assume either way how much or little participants will speak out. Autistic people are always full of surprises — some might prefer to note their ideas on paper, whereas others can be more than sufficiently engaged in conversation. There’s no right or wrong. Have stationery at the ready too — we had our own artist, who found the act of drawing of help to her own concentration.

· The agenda is more than likely going to not stick rigidly to the times allocated and be prepared for the conversation to take different tangents. It’s a case of having a balance in place, where pulling the room back to the intended line of feedback may be needed. Many of us hold quite strong views that take time to explain!

· Moving across rooms ensures that people have a better understanding of what it is that might be under reconstruction (in this case, a potential sensory room). A change of place can be just as beneficial as keeping to a limited change of course.

As to the recommendations, we found participants wanted a number of changes. Here is just a small sample:

· Create opportunities where visitors can interact with exhibits where possible — something tangible helps to make better connections with the place they are in.

· A visual online tour of the museum to help familiarise with the location before visiting.

· Keep the sensory space minimal to what is inside — don’t bombard with objects for the sake of it when people want to try and feel at ease again.

What next?

For the museum, there is a pause to find out if their application for Stage 2 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund is successful, before the work on the redevelopment, including the ideas discussed at the workshop, can begin.. In the event of approval, the level of engagement is almost certain to increase, with young people being at the forefront to help redesign the museum’s perception for a new generation of visitors. Accessibility too will play a pivotal role in shaping the museum’s new look.

On a personal reflection, I am confident we did as much as we could to start the process of change and evolution. While we take inspiration from museums ahead of the curve in their access achievements, the value of its importance has become infectious. And while not every museum is in the midst of a major revamp, there is no excuse to overlook communities who want to feel simply welcome to a new environment that may have been out of reach before.

The DCM Focus Group

Update (13/10/17)

Some very good news – the museum has successfully received over £11 million from Heritage Lottery Fund to initiate its major redevelopment. There is an outstanding £1.6 million to be found, which will launch as a public campaign titled ‘Hidden Gems’.

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Jack Welch

Written by

Blogger, volunteer, autism activist and much else besides!

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