Damning survey shows heritage sites must do more to be inclusive - Museums Association

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Damning survey shows heritage sites must do more to be inclusive

Parents of children with special needs report feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable
British heritage sites are not doing enough for families of children with special needs, according to a recent survey.
More than 40% of parents of children with special needs reported that staff or other visitors had been unfriendly or made them feel uncomfortable while visiting museums, art galleries, theatres, stately homes or castles with their children.

Only 22% of parents whose children do not have special needs reported the same.
The figures were published in a survey conducted by Censuswide on behalf of specialist heritage insurer Ecclesiastical. The survey was completed by 2,000 parents with children under the age of 16 – 11% of whom said they had a child with special needs.
The survey also included recommendations on how to improve support for people with additional needs. Almost half (46%) of parents called for specific quiet or loud times and designated areas to cater to children with special needs. More than a third (36%) believed the ability to queue jump would improve their experience, while 33% said accessible toilets and quality changing facilities would better support their children’s needs.
“At times it is challenging to go out as a family. It can be very stressful as not every venue understands how they can support families with invisible disabilities,” said Vicki Buchalik, founder of Hard Days Out – Made Easy, an online community that reviews days out for those with additional needs.
As a parent of a child with autism, she has firsthand experience of barriers to enjoying heritage sites as a family.
“Simple things can make or break our day, such as a warm welcome, trained and approachable staff, together with an environment which has considered potential pitfalls and is supportive of our needs,” said Buchalik.
Becki Morris, director of the Disability Collaborative Network (DCN) CIC, acknowledged the value of the survey. 
“It’s always important to recognise barriers in relation to visits, taking the current day-to-day experiences of neurodivergent and disabled people into account.“
The DCN works to support organisations to develop inclusive, intersectional practice that covers the full scale of protected characteristics and neurodivergent experiences. It has recently partnered with Embed, a consortium of professional consultants dedicated to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, which launched in October to help transform organisations through inclusive practice.  
“To progress as a sector, we need to enable the voices of disabled and neurodivergent people to come through. We need to profile the good work being done and find solutions more quickly,” said Morris. 
“And fundamentally, we need to make sure funding streams are inclusive from procurement through planning, right from the beginning.”
The Ecclesiastical survey highlighted organisations that have taken positive steps to improving their support for people with additional needs. London Transport Museum opens outside of regular hours on certain days to enable those with autism to enjoy the museum at a quieter time, free from the general public and with many of the gallery sounds turned off. In a similar vein, the National Children’s Museum in Yorkshire enables those with sensory impairments to enjoy interactive exhibits which they can smell, touch, press and pull.
“While most heritage organisations are inclusive and have done a fantastic job diversifying their offering to attract families with a range of needs, clearly more needs to be done to encourage parents and their children to visit these incredible places across Britain,” said Faith Kitchen, heritage director at Ecclesiastical.
“By offering specific quiet or loud times or designated areas and the ability to queue jump, heritage organisations can better cater for children with special needs and their families.”
Our one-day conference, All Inclusive, takes place on 12 December at the Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Join us for practical talks and conversations on how museums can become truly inclusive spaces.

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