Over the past decade, a growing number of museums and public venues have been working to increase their accessibility for visitors with sensory needs, such as individuals with autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, or dementia.
According to the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, one in six children has sensory processing difficulties. In many cases, these accommodations have taken the form of early entry programming, as in the Smithsonian’s sensory-friendly “Morning at the Museum” events, which have been offered since 2011 and are geared toward visitors on the spectrum. But now, institutions are taking these services a step further through training programs for their staff.
Recently, museums including the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) have partnered with the nonprofit KultureCity. Founded in 2013, the organization focuses on increasing awareness of sensory needs through staff training by medical professionals on how to recognize visitors in need of sensory accommodations and how to approach sensory overload situations.
“By and large, when you look at public spaces such as museums, they’re obviously ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990] accessible, but they’re not very accessible when it comes to individuals with sensory needs,” KultureCity’s co-founder Julian Maha told Hyperallergic in a phone interview. As Maha explained, elements including lights, sounds, and crowded spaces can overload people’s senses and trigger physical pain or emotional distress.
In response, the nonprofit equips museums with sensory cool-down devices including noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools, and weighted lap pads for overwhelmed visitors. These features are viewable for museum guests on the free KultureCity App, which shows what services are available and where they can be accessed before visiting the institution.
In addition to these tools, the organization also trains staff on the importance of understanding sensory issues and needs so that all museum guests can feel welcomed whenever they visit — not just during certain hours of the day.
“Awareness is a big piece of it,” Maha said. “You’re saying that every day, every hour, you’re welcome to our facility because you’re going to be accepted and treated equally and have a similar experience to everyone else.”
Walters Art Museum Director of Visitor Experience Laurel Miller told Hyperallergic that the institution has also taken steps to increase its sensory inclusivity by hiring its inaugural accessibility advocate and partnering with Boston’s Institute for Human Centered Design, which focuses on improving accessibility through physical design.
“We’ve heard from visitors that the sensory kits and signage indicating headphone and quiet zones have positively impacted their experience at the museum,” Miller said.
0 Commentaires