“A great opportunity to get out as a family in an environment where people are understanding of my son’s autism. Fantastic staff, really welcoming and helpful!”
Manchester Museum launched autism-friendly early openings in November 2014 in partnership with the Greater Manchester Autism Consortium, the National Autistic Society and Manchester Art Gallery.
The launch was in response to a survey exploring the barriers that families felt they had experienced when accessing cultural venues.
Key findings were that families wanted:
Early openings provide a quieter time for families to visit, a quiet room and a range of family activities supporting different needs and learning styles, such as sensory, visual and kinaesthetic.
Parents have valued the opportunity to share experiences and gain support from each other. They have commented on the benefits of being able to access these activities as a whole family and the lack of similar opportunities.
For several families it has been their first visit to the museum, but they have begun to visit outside of the early opening events.
Through a rolling programme of autism awareness training, staff have gained increased confidence in their ability to support visitors with communication needs.
Going forward we aim to identify a quiet space that is available at all times, to continue to consult with families to develop activities and resources, and to look at how our work can further support people with autism.
Victoria Grant is the family programme coordinator at Manchester Museum
Manchester Museum launched autism-friendly early openings in November 2014 in partnership with the Greater Manchester Autism Consortium, the National Autistic Society and Manchester Art Gallery.
The launch was in response to a survey exploring the barriers that families felt they had experienced when accessing cultural venues.
Key findings were that families wanted:
- increased understanding from staff and visitors;
- an opportunity to access cultural venues at quieter times;
- the reassurance of the presence of a quiet room.
Early openings provide a quieter time for families to visit, a quiet room and a range of family activities supporting different needs and learning styles, such as sensory, visual and kinaesthetic.
Parents have valued the opportunity to share experiences and gain support from each other. They have commented on the benefits of being able to access these activities as a whole family and the lack of similar opportunities.
For several families it has been their first visit to the museum, but they have begun to visit outside of the early opening events.
Through a rolling programme of autism awareness training, staff have gained increased confidence in their ability to support visitors with communication needs.
Going forward we aim to identify a quiet space that is available at all times, to continue to consult with families to develop activities and resources, and to look at how our work can further support people with autism.
Victoria Grant is the family programme coordinator at Manchester Museum