All Inclusive: Championing Accessible Museums
Online, Zoom
Image: National Museums Scotland
Ableism – prioritising the needs of non-disabled people over disabled people – remains pervasive across the museum sector. Disabled people still face barriers in our buildings, policies and structures, and are chronically unrepresented in our workforce and collections.
All Inclusive is our annual one-day conference exploring how museums can become anti-ableist in everything that they do. Anti-ableism recognises abled privilege and actively looks to challenge and dismantle it through theory, actions and practices.
Through provocations, case studies and panel discussions, the event explores what an anti-ableist museum might look like in practice.
We will elevate the perspectives of D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people as part of this event.
Programme highlights:
- An interactive and practical discussion on how to turn advocacy into organizational change
- A panel of disabled museum workers share what it’s like to be disabled in the sector – and what museums can do to support wellbeing and access in the workplace
- Practical advice on low-cost ways for small museums to become more anti-ableist
- Best practice guidance on creating inclusive learning programmes
- How to take an anti-ableist approach to creating exhibitions
Speakers
Michelle Moubarak, Director, Beaney Museum
Katy Ashton, Director, People’s History Museum
Nicola Kelly, Development Officer, Dylan Thomas Centre
Sam Bowen, SEND in Museums
Aimee Fletcher, PhD Researcher, the University of Glasgow,
Shikha Dwivedi, Administration and Reporting Assistant, Kettle’s Yard
Amy Thraves-Connor, Curating for Change Fellow, National Railway Museum
Jenny Hill, Lead Exhibition Curator, Craven Museum in Skipton
Paul Morrow, Co-author of the Cultural Inclusion Manifesto, author of the Cultural Inclusion for Young People with SEND, Lead Practitioner of the Creative Arts at Westminster Special Schools
Vicky Hope-Walker, Chief Executive Officer, National Paralympic Heritage Centre
We aim to present a diverse range of speakers from across the UK and internationally at our one-day conferences. If you are interested in speaking at one of our events, or have a project you’d like to see explored, please tell us more by emailing the Events Team.
Programme
Chair Welcome
Sam Bowen, SEND in Museums, opens the event.
Panel discussion: turning advocacy into organizational change
An interactive panel discussion exploring the importance of advocacy within museums and how this can lead to organisational change.
With:
Michelle Moubarak, Director, Beaney Museum
Katy Ashton, Director, People’s History Museum
Nicola Kelly, Development Officer, Dylan Thomas Centre
Final panelist to be confirmed.
Comfort break
A 10 minute comfort break.
Panel discussion: wellbeing and disability in workforce
What can museums do to not only recruit disabled staff and volunteers but also ensure their working environments promote wellbeing and progression? Our panel will share their experiences of being disabled and working in museums.
With:
Aimee Fletcher, PhD Researcher, the University of Glasgow,
Shikha Dwivedi, Administration and Reporting Assistant, Kettle’s Yard
More panelists to be confirmed in due course.
Lunch break
A 45 minute lunch break.
Putting access at the heart small museums
Jenny Hill, Lead Exhibition Curator, Craven Museum in Skipton, shares practical advice on the steps it took during a redevelopment to make its spaces more accessible – and how it has now embedded an inclusive approach and the simple steps it’s taken that lead to being awarded the Family Friendly Museum Award in 2023 for outstanding work to welcome children and families.
Creating accessible learning programmes
Paul Morrow, Co-author of the Cultural Inclusion Manifesto, author of the Cultural Inclusion for Young People with SEND, Lead Practitioner of the Creative Arts at Westminster Special Schools, looks at how museums can work with schools to develop bespoke or adapted learning programmes for SEND children, adults and families.
Comfort break
A 10 minute comfort break.
Diversifying, managing and funding workforces
Vicky Hope-Walker, Chief Executive Officer, National Paralympic Heritage Centre, shares the lessons from recent work to diversify its recruitment processes for paid staff, volunteers and work placements.
An anti-ableist approach to exhibitions
Go as You Please is a temporary exhibition at the National Railway Museum exploring rail travel from the perspectives of people with lived experience of D/deafness, disability and neurodivergence. Amy Thraves-Connor reflects on the experience of developing the exhibition during her time as a Curating For Change Fellow at the museum.
Q&A with afternoon speakers
Put your questions to Jenny Hill, Paul Morrow, Vicky Hope-Walker and Amy Thraves-Conner.
Please note that this event will be recorded and available exclusively to delegates for three months. After that time, it will be made available to members on the Museums Association website.
Follow this event on X: #MuseumAccessibility
Event fees
Concessionary Member – £35
Member (Essential, Full, Institutional and Commercial members) – £45
Non-member – £65
Not a member? Join today and pay a discounted price for this event as well as receiving lots of other great benefits.
Inclusive event places
The Benevolent Fund will provide five free places to this event to individual members who face barriers due to ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, and gender identity or sexual orientation (LGBTQ).
These free places are part of our wider work towards creating a more inclusive sector. We will also support any accessibility requests such as provision of British Sign Language (BSL), audio description or closed captioning. The deadline to apply for an Inclusive Place is 12 noon on 24 April 2024.
Important booking information
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