MDEM have launched a suite of support for museums who want tor review and improve their accessibility. On offer to organisations is two training sessions and some bespoke consultancy support in this area. This will be particularly useful for anyone wanting to review access to ensure their museums standards are also compatible with their next Accreditation return. Please see below details for hoe to get involved:
This initial session will provide an insight and understanding of the wide and diverse range of disabled people, and into delivering Museum services to meet those wide audience needs. It will provide a context of the Equality Act 2010 and an approach to inclusive access.
As well as considered physical access to Museums it will provide best practice in meeting the needs of people with physical, sensory and neurodiverse impairments and discuss work to support people living with dementia in heritage places. The training will also discuss how to effectively engage and communicate with disabled people and their advocates. It will also provide support in enabling everyone to offer inclusive information and communication services.
What you will gain
- An understanding of the range and diversity of disabled people wishing to visit Museums
- An understanding of the barriers to access and how to develop inclusive services
- How to better engage and communicate with disabled people and their advocates
Please note: Delegates attending this introductory session will be offered enhanced access support after the event. This may take the shape of an access audit, zoom mentoring and support, advice and guidance of activity plans in this area or support in creating an access statement.
This will then be followed by a second session scheduled on the 13th July. Details of this follow up session will be provided as part of your joining information for session one.
Session Leader:
Phil Chambers, a wheelchair user has worked with a wide range of Museums and historic buildings to enable service providers to better engage with disabled people and their advocates to meet their responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010).He led the accessibility part of Revealing the Minster at York delivering access audit, staff and volunteer training programme that included the needs of people with physical, sensory and learning disabilities, and particularly people on the neurodiverse spectrum and people living with dementia.
He is also access advisor to York Museum Trust, enabling museums across the region to develop their inclusive access capabilities. Long term HLF projects included Horniman Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Hunterian Museum and Sheffield Industrial Museum developing inclusive services and engagement with disabled people and their advocates. He is now completing a long -term access for all project with the Thackray Museum Leeds, coinciding with its reopening after restoration.
Informative and fun Access for All training schemes provide an insight into the range and diversity of disabled people, helps to set the context of the Equality Act(2010) and how to deliver inclusive services to the wide mix of people with impairments and how to effectively engage and communicate with them and their advocates.
Who should attend?
This session is aimed at Accredited museums or those working towards Accreditation in the East Midlands. Organisations who need to access enhanced access guidance to fulfil their next Accreditation return will be prioritised. We recommend you send up to 3 delegates from your organisation on this course.
