We want our work to be accessible to everyone who works in and with museums. This statement applies to the Museums Association’s website, documents, and online and in-person events. It was first published on 10 February 2023 and last reviewed on 27 January 2026.

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Website

This website is run by the Museums Association. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. We have made the website text as simple as possible to understand and we have tried to ensure that content is optimised for a range of accessibility devices and programmes.

For example, that means you should be able to:

  • Zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Our website is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard where it has been possible and not an excessive or disproportionate burden.

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • Some of our older videos may not have captions
  • Our online forms are held externally to the website and may be difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • Our online learning programmes use a plug-in platform and may be difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • Some of our older PDF and Word documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software (see ‘Documents’ section below)

We use AltText.ai to help us write alt text for images on our website so they can be interpreted effectively by screen readers and other assistive technologies.

If you would like to discuss the accessibility of our website, please contact Francesca Collins, digital communications officer, via francesca@museumsassociation.org.

Documents

We endeavour to ensure that our Word documents or PDFs meet accessibility standards, and we are confident that most of the documents you will find or receive while engaging with the MA are accessible.

However, we cannot guarantee that all old Word documents and PDFs are accessible. Should you require a plain text or accessible version of any MA document, please contact Francesca Collins, digital communications officer, via francesca@museumsassociation.org.

Online events

We will endeavour to make our online events as accessible as possible for all attendees by:

  • Providing closed captioning for all events taking place on Zoom
  • Asking speakers to provide an audio description of themselves and their slides
  • Taking regular scheduled breaks
  • Endeavouring to make slides available in advance by request to events@museumsassociation.org – slides may also be available after the event (this is at speakers’ discretion)
  • Recording events so you can watch them again at any time
  • Saving the meeting chat transcript
  • Providing detailed joining instructions to delegates so they know what to expect from the event and the digital platform
  • If you require someone to attend an event with you to provide support (for example, British Sign Language or audio description), then please let us know by emailing events@museumsassociation.org

In most cases, delegates will ask questions via Slido, the chat function on Zoom or via email.

Should you wish to discuss further accommodations with us, please get in touch with events@museumsassociation.org.

Please note that our Code of Conduct applies to all MA events, which was created to ensure our spaces are safe, welcoming and inclusive.

In-person events

We will endeavour to make our in-person events as accessible as possible for all attendees. In the first instance, please refer to the venue and access information provided for each event on the event’s website page. You can also refer to the websites of individual event venues for more information about venue-specific accessibility. We will make in-person events accessible by:

  • Taking regular scheduled breaks and inviting delegates to take unscheduled breaks as and when they need them
  • Providing a quiet rest space for those who need to access one (where possible)
  • Briefing speakers to ensure any shared slides follow good accessibility guidance, based on advice from VocalEyes
  • Endeavouring to make slides available in advance by request to events@museumsassociation.org – slides may also be available after the event (this is at speakers’ discretion)
  • Offering a number of free places at events for those who face barriers to inclusion
  • Welcoming assistance dogs at our events – please let us know in advance so we can ensure they are fully accommodated
  • Providing detailed joining instructions to delegates so they know what to expect from the event and the venue
  • Automatically reserving accessible seating for delegates that require it (this will vary depending on the venue). It is helpful to know in advance if you do need accessible seating, so please email events@museumsassocation.org and let us know how we can help

If you require someone to attend an event with you to provide support (for example, British Sign Language or audio description), then please let us know by emailing events@museumsassociations.org.

Should you wish to discuss further accommodations with us, please get in touch with events@museumsassociation.org.

Please note that our Code of Conduct applies to all MA events, which was created to ensure our spaces are safe, welcoming and inclusive.

How we’re improving accessibility

We regularly review our website content in partnership with our web developer to ensure that as much of our content as possible meets up-to-date accessibility standards.

Our Inclusion Working Group of staff meets at least four times per year to discuss plans for future improvements to our accessibility both online and as an organisation. We also seek feedback in our annual members’ survey.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, please contact Francesca Collins, digital communications officer, via francesca@museumsassociation.org.

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact Francesca Collins, digital communications officer, using the email listed above.

You can get in touch with us via the details on our contact us page.