Introduction

The Museums Association (MA) is a long-standing advocate for everyone who works in and with museums. The MA is committed to supporting museums in creating environments where all professionals, including freelancers and volunteers, can thrive.

In 2022, the MA conducted sector-wide research to identify the current state of individual wellbeing within the workforce and to identify factors affecting wellbeing at individual, organisational and sector levels. The research pinpointed actions to drive positive change for everyone who works in and with museums, revealed a critical need for nuanced discussions about wellbeing, and informed the launch of our ongoing wellbeing campaign in 2023.

The campaign aims to:

• Work with museums to raise awareness and showcase good practice so that they can develop programmes to support their workforce and the communities they serve.
• Work with museums to improve workforce wellbeing through advice, support and programmes.
• Work with museums to actively support community wellbeing.

The campaign includes sector events about workforce wellbeing; undertaking research into the factors that affect wellbeing (for example research into pay or bullying); providing funding for museums through our Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund and expanding the Wellbeing Hub. The hub provides resources for organisations, leaders and managers, and individuals to support creating a culture of care and self-care.

Our 2022 research had high engagement, however there was under-representation of disabled museums professionals among respondents. To address this, two discovery discussion sessions were held in March 2026, inviting disabled museum professionals to deeply explore and reflect on their individual and collective experiences.

The goal was to gain a greater understanding of specific issues and contexts, including how to prioritise fair working conditions and the wellbeing of the whole workforce, and how the MA can effectively support the individuals concerned.

Details about this research phase can be found in the discovery discussion research report.

We want our campaign to emphasise the importance of psychologically safe workplaces for all, but especially for those within the workforce with lived experiences, or those in roles working with communities that have been marginalised, underrepresented or have experienced trauma (where the risks and impact may be higher). This report outlines the key insights and recommendations for the sector – for leaders, managers, staff, freelancers and volunteers – to improve the experiences of disabled museum professionals.