Disability Awareness Training Within Museums

Museum Development South East is delighted to commission specialist consultancy ‘Direct Access’ to run a half day training session to help Improve Access in Museums. This 3.5 hr training will help participants to develop a more informed approach to accessibility within their museums from a variety of perspectives, helping them to understand both the legislation and the access requirements for Museum Accreditation.

Trainers: Roger Thompson from Direct Access

PLEASE NOTE: This session is very participatory – using case study scenarios in groups to embed the learning outcomes. The topic may also include/require individual reflection on challenging topics. Delegates should book on the understanding that engagement is part of the format of this training.

What will be covered?

Creating an accessible museum is essential for ensuring that products, environments, programmes, and services are usable by all people, making sure that every individual, regardless of their current situation, feels at ease and welcomed.

This Disability Awareness Training is designed to empower your museum staff and volunteers, with the knowledge and skills to create and inclusive environment for all visitors. Crafted and delivered by people who have living experience of disability, our programmes ensure authenticity and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people, and in turn fostering a welcoming atmosphere that enhances the museum experience for everyone.

Recognising the unique challenges and opportunities within museum environments, the training is specifically designed to address the needs of those aiming to improve accessibility across their organisation. From improving exhibit accessibility to enhancing visitor services, the training will help to equip your team with the tools to create a more inclusive and welcoming space for all.

Platform: Zoom

People in attendance: Max 30

Access Requirements: Please email [email protected] directly. This also includes any trigger warning concerns that you may wish to share.

Who should attend?

Smaller museums (volunteer-run or independent).

Anyone who needs to develop or refresh an access plan, policy, or statement.

Learning objectives

By the end of the training session, you will have a greater understanding of:

• Disabilities and the Models of Disability
• Who benefits from accessibility?
• Legal and Ethical Responsibilities to ensure compliance and inclusion
• Etiquette and Effective Communication
• What an Accessibility Audit is, and how an Action Plan can be applied to improve accessibility
• Inclusive Design Principles of Exhibition Spaces, based on regulations, best practice and case study examples
• An understanding of how accessibility can assist with Museum Accreditation

Please note: We require you to complete the full booking form in order to confirm your eligibility for the session. The main booking form questions will appear after you have been through the 'check out' process. If you do not complete this form we will be in contact and reserve the right to cancel your ticket if we do not receive a response.

MDSE is funded by Arts Council England (ACE) to support museums in the South East of England within ACE’s Accreditation scheme. The South East is defined as the local authority areas of:

• Bedfordshire (Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Borough)
• Berkshire (Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor & Maidenhead and Wokingham)
• Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
• Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock
• Hertfordshire
• Kent and Medway
• Norfolk
• Oxfordshire
• Suffolk
• Surrey
• East Sussex and Brighton & Hove
• West Sussex

We prioritise places on our training programmes for museums which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation. ACE publishes the official lists of Accredited and Working Towards Accreditationmuseums on its website. Where possible we will make places available for museums which do not meet these criteria but the number of places will vary depending on the event format.

London tickets

MDSE is working with Museum Development London (MDL) to deliver some of our training and development programmes.

If you are working or volunteering for a museum in London you are eligible to attend this session.

For full details of our programmes conditions, see our Terms and Conditions on our website

By booking a place on to a Museum Development South East training event, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:

• That you are from a South East museum which is in Arts Council England’s Museum Accreditation Scheme. Where this is not applicable you acknowledge that MDSE will facilitate your attendance if availability permits and that you or your organisation will pay any fees which may apply.
• It is a condition of receiving this ACE funded training that the online evaluation sent to the email address provided at the point of booking is completed by the specified deadline. This deadline is in the email notification unless a paper evaluation is specifically requested and submitted on the day of the training session.
• By booking a place you agree that you will make every endeavour to attend the event and you will give us at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel your booking. If you repeatedly cancel your booking without sufficient notice you agree that we may exercise our right to remove you from future event bookings.

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