As usual it has been a very busy year for DCN and we have compiled this list in what we are doing to support inclusive practice in the Heritage Sector. We will also hint in how we are taking DCN forward to 2018 and where we need your support.
Since March 2017 we have delivered:
Workshops on accessible learning experiences for the ACE funded Creative Court
at the National Museum of Justice
Workshops on neurodiversity awareness and social barriers relating to neurodiversity for West Midlands Museums Development for Breaking Boundaries Conference and Open to Interpretation which was fully booked.
We have also delivered presentations to:
- Cornwall Museums Partnership: Rethinking Diversity in a Rural Region
- Museums Association: Future of Audiences – Disability with Sam Tatlow from ThinkBIGGER
- Arts Society (formally NADFAS): low cost inclusive practice and supporting museums/heritage organisations
- Warwickshire Tourism Network: Access Plans and Changing Places/Mobiloo toilets
- Neurodiversity and the Arts: Autograph ABP and (speaking with Jess Starns of Dyspraxic Me on Museums of the Labelled Project)
- Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ‘Celebrating Ability’ event
We have also attended:
- Access for All: Accessible Tourism Conference
- Heritage Trust Network: Inspiring Heritage for All Conference
- London Accessibility Meet up on Digital Inclusion
- Museums Association Conference as part of the Festival of Change
- Accentuate History of Place Symposium: Brave Poor (and invisible) Gatekeepers of Past and Future Cities
- Include Me Too Conference: Leaving No one Behind: Achieving and Supporting Disability Inclusion and Rights National Summit
- Purplespace Annual Christmas event
We have contributed to:
- Purplespace #Virtually Purple: A guide to social media for Disabled Employee Networks and Resource Groups
- Future Edition to Museum Practice.
- Co-hosted #museumhour this year with History of Place and Tincture of Muse on inclusive practice in Museums and Heritage
We have good working relationships with charities, providers such as BarclaysAccess, AXSChat (second largest online access community in the world) Purplespace, Heritage Lottery Fund, Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Arts Council.
We have connected with many access and inclusion ambassadors and further charities this year.
We don’t have the space to mention them all but here are a few mentions:
Mobiloo (portable Changing Places toilets) @mobiloo, AbilityNet, Global Disability Hub, LittlePeopleUK, Shani Dhanda, Samantha Renke, Mik Scarlet, Diane Wallace, Changing Places ambassadors Alison Beevers and Lorna Fillingham
We have supported a number of museums with:
- Advertising opportunities by other organisations and museums
- Engaging and developing access panels
- Sharing knowledge relating to organisations such as Stagetext guide to captioning
- Supporting Vocaleyes campaign for Museum Access Information #musaccessinfo
- Museum of the Labelled supporting Jess Starns on identifying neurodiversity history in pre-existing collections and archives as part of her MA.
Becki was asked to be a Fellow for the Arts Marketing Association for Futureproof in Museums and is now an access auditor.
We are seeking a museum placement if the BBC Employable Me series is recommissioned.
For 2018
We have completed a Forward Plan for identified priorities for the next three years. We have a number of priorities for 2018 including informal meet ups, workshops, projects and support with the sector.
If you would like to know more, do email us on info@musedcn.org.uk FAO 2018 inclusive practice in museums
or follow us on @museumDCN
Thank you to all of you who have supported and worked with us over the past year.
We wish you best wishes for the festive season and going forward for inclusive practice in the Heritage Sector together in 2018.