This guide was created in partnership with Autism in Museums.

Autism in Museums: Welcoming families and young people

Kids in Museums believes museums are for everyone. But many autistic children, young people and their families find visiting museums difficult. Here are some simple ideas to help overcome hurdles faced by these families and young people. Most of these ideas are low or no cost – all they need is a little time and commitment.

The National Autistic Society defines autism as a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people, and how they experience the world around them. There are approximately 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. Understanding how to welcome and offer support to autistic visitors is vital as many can feel or become socially isolated.

Read on for advice on and examples of how to improve access for autistic children, young people and their families at your museum.

1. Planning

Decide on your budget

What do you want to achieve? Think about what is practical. Are you developing a new audience or supporting autistic visitors who already visit? You can make small changes to support visitors in regular hours – this doesn’t have to be expensive.

Decide on your time commitment

Above all, think about a consistent, regular offer. Outreach and working with new audiences can take time so make sure you factor this in. The most successful museums work with local partners.

Hold accessible or relaxed openings

Reducing the numbers of visitors can really help but not every museum needs to open early to do this. Some museums open early, some open after hours. What works for you and what would work for your visitors?

Tailor your offer

You are unique. Autistic visitors are coming to learn about your stories. You don’t have to radically change what you do, just tailor it for your audience.

Talk to your local community

Get in touch with local autism charities, special schools and groups. Search for your ‘Local Offer’ on your local authority website. They can give you advice about what works for them. Don’t assume you have all the answers.

Get to know autism

Do your research. Learning more about autism will help you understand the barriers and how to overcome them.

2. Before the visit

Understand the barriers

This can include transport. Even the journey to the museum can be exhausting for autistic visitors.

Website

Your website is often the first point of contact for autistic visitors who like to plan and understand what will happen when they visit. Have you got the basics right? Do you explain how to get to the museum? Are there multiple ways for people to get in touch? One method might not work for all. Short videos showing the museum can be really helpful for visitors coming for the first time.

Visual story

Ambitious About Autism defines a visual story as a “‘one stop shop’ for what to expect when visiting your museum, explaining information with clear language and explanatory photos, maps and symbols”. It should show your galleries and exhibitions, as well as the café, toilets, stairs, lifts and where to go for help on a visit. Think about explaining challenging content, mannequins, audio and immersive experiences.

Sensory map

A sensory map is a floorplan of your museum that highlights busy and quiet areas. It can also show galleries that are very bright or very dark.

Training

Training is key and should include all members of staff and volunteers, including front of house, security and café staff. Think about appointing Autism Champions who can disseminate training to staff and volunteers.

Outreach

Autism is a spectrum condition; it means everyone is different. If you want to work with different groups, you might need to go to them first to help understand what they need and what you can offer that works for them.

3. Museum Environment

It’s not about changing everything!

Get in touch with your senses

Many autistic people find sensory stimulus overpowering. Some seek out sensory stimulus, whilst others avoid it. Walk round your museum and think about noise (hand dryers, audio, entrances), smells (café), lights (dark galleries and bright spaces), space (exits and busy or tight spots) and touch (is it okay to touch/not touch). Is there a way to remove these barriers or turn them off for a short time?

Offer a quiet space

Chill out rooms can be really helpful to destress. If you don’t have a dedicated Quiet Space or Sensory Room, think about offering a pop-up space, which is a portable tent set up near activities with cushions and sensory toys inside.

Provide somewhere to eat

Cafés can be noisy and overwhelming. Do you have a school lunch space you can offer to visitors at weekends? Can you direct families to a nearby green space if they need a break?

4. Support in the museum

Wayfinding and signage

Providing clear information on how to move around the museum space and where the amenities are can lessen anxiety on a visit. Make sure staff are clearly identifiable and easy to find.

Ear defenders

Offering ear defenders on the front desk lets families know you are there to help and can lessen the impact of unexpected noises.

Sensory bags or backpacks

These can be a great source of distraction and can support families on a visit. Think about fidget toys, dark glasses, torches and magnifying glasses.

Trails

Having a checklist of things to see and do can encourage visitors to explore your spaces.

Ticketing

Does your ticketing policy make visiting easy? If you need to leave because a visit is overwhelming, is it easy to get a refund or leave tickets open for returning another day?

Queuing

This can be incredibly difficult for autistic visitors. Think about giving autistic families the option to get to the front. Consider introducing the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme, which highlights hidden disabilities.

School holidays

Visiting a museum when it is really busy can be tough. Think about offering bookable slots with reduced numbers during holidays to make a visit more manageable.

5. What happens next?

Evaluate

Is your offer working? Are you reaching the right audience? If it doesn’t work, talk to your audience about what you can do to make a change. Consider how to capture feedback. Sometimes simple methods, like using emojis, can be a good way to learn if activities are popular. Don’t leave evaluation to the end of your offer – embed feedback into your plans from the very start so you can make the most of learning along the way.

Marketing

If a family has never visited before, they won’t be looking at your website. Word of mouth is powerful and talking to groups may be your first step to new audiences.

Top tips

  • Don’t try to do everything at once!
  • Everyone with autism is different. One approach for every visitor won’t work.
  • Experience it for yourself. Visit relaxed cinema, theatre and other museums’ events to see good practice.
  • Review your resources. Museums change and so should your resources.
  • Visual stories support a lot of audiences.
  • Don’t be afraid to try or get things wrong!

Resources

Getting started

1. Planning

Understanding autism

Accessible sessions: Early openings

Accessible sessions: Regular hours

2. Before the visit

Website examples

Visual stories

Sensory maps

4. Support in the museum

Sensory backpacks

Trails

Sensory equipment suppliers

Further reading

Further study

Planning for community consultation

General awareness resources

Books

  • A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  • The Reason I Jump: one boy’s voice from the silence of autism by Naoki Higashida
  • The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
  • Neurotribes by Steve Silberman
  • Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome by Luke Jackson
  • Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin

Television

Film

Autism resources for children

Files for this Resource

Tags: , ,

Categories:

Audience: , , , ,