A person holding a mobile with symbols of cloud, social media and email near a laptop

Digital Inclusion: Standards

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Digital

Where to start? Inclusion should be at the core of every museum and heritage organisation, no matter size, budget or stakeholders. This includes any digital work in the service provision to raise the profile of the organisation and opportunities to engage with audiences. Audiences will need accessible information to engage with you in the post-lockdown […]

Digital content including film, chat, magnifying glass, text and email

Digital Inclusion: Content

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Digital

Streaming and Other Content Planning is key to consider any triggers, sensory barriers which the project may cause which could reject potential audiences. Assistive technology tools can be saved to create good, inclusive content. If you need help and support DCN/EMBED is here for you via info@musedcn.org.uk. DCN and EMBED have collaborated to create a […]

History of Place: Exhibition and Collaborative Toolkits

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Exhibitions, Past Exhibitions and Art Projects

These are toolkits from the The History of Place project by Accentuate on collaborative events, research, projects and exhibitions. Link to these toolkits via: http://historyof.place/toolkits/

Equality in Progress Report on Fair Access, Inclusion and Representation

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice

This is a link to the Equality in Progress: Fair Access, Inclusion and Representation in Museums Report by the Glasgow Women’s Library: https://womenslibrary.org.uk/discover-our-projects/equality-in-progress/eipreport/

Disability Co-operative Network

Film: Virtual Reality, Disability and Inclusive Design (Ability Net 2017)

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice

There is an excellent talk by AbilityNet on the accessibility of Virtual Reality, particularly barriers to consider (i.e. motion sickness) as well as opportunities. Speakers are:  Raphael Clegg-Vinell, Senior Accessibility and Usability Consultant, AbilityNet and Mark Walker, Head of Marketing and Communications at AbilityNet Here is a link: [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR6wfpRzHfM[/embedyt]

Disability Co-operative Network

New Law on Website Accessibility (inc. NHLF projects)

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice, Digital, Social Media

New law to replace EU Directive on Website Accessibility Are you planning a digital project which involves an app or a website? Are you funded by Government (local authority, national etc). Are you aware that the EU Directive on website accessibility is now UK Law? What is happening? There is now a law for website […]

South East Museum Development Programme

Special Schools and Museums Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Accessible and Inclusive Museum Experiences

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Exhibitions, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Schools and SEND families

This toolkit is developed by South East Museum Development Programme in support of Arts Council England. It contains practical advice and case studies regarding Special Educational Needs and Disabled People, particularly in relation to Special Schools. There are key tips for museums to adopt, as well as highlighting important facilities such as Changing Places toilets. […]

Sensing-Culture

Sensing Culture: Resources and Information supporting blind or partially sighted visitors

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice, Multi-sensory, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Schools and SEND families

Sensing Culture has been a three-year multi-partner project with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) as the lead partner, and funded by £438,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) with one mission at its heart – to remove the barriers that prevent blind and partially sighted people (BPS) from accessing their heritage. It […]

Disability Co-operative Network

Creating Accessible Conferences and Presentations

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice

Accessible Conference Guidance These guidelines and tips come from Government Digital Service: https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/13/advice-for-making-events-and-presentations-accessible/ Evacuation Plans What evacuation plans do you have in place in getting people safely out of the building? See: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/422202/9446_Means_of_Escape_v2_.pdf Assistance Dogs Guidance: https://www.musedcn.org.uk/2018/01/12/assistance-dogs-uk-information-the-law-and-what-your-organisation-can-do/ For further information on captioning and BSL go to: Stagetext:  http://www.stagetext.org/ Presentations: Vocaleyes:  Making your presentations more accessible to blind […]

Setting Up a Disability Advisory Group: Horniman Museum and Gardens

Posted 3 CommentsPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice, Resources, Setting up a Disability Advisory Group

The external Access Advisory Group (AAG) at the Horniman Museum and Gardens has been running since 2007. In 2013 we re-recruited a Chair and twelve of the fourteen current members. The group name reflects access rather than disability as it aims to challenge barriers to access at the Horniman. AAG benefits the Horniman significantly:  prompting […]

I Need Straws: The importance of the availability of plastic straws on request

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice

There has been a great deal of discussion about banning single use plastic straws to reduce waste and toxins in our seas and oceans leading to environmental pollution.  A number of heritage organisations are now replacing plastic straws with paper straws in their cafes due to this reason. By removing plastic straws we are excluding […]

Social media symbols in a mindmap

Inclusive Social Media Content

Posted 1 CommentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice, Digital, Social Media, Social Media

The importance of inclusive social media messaging: Inclusive social media messaging is vital for any organisation in its communications to its employees, visitors, and customers.  Did you know that 4 million people abandoned a retail website due to poor accessibility (Source: Click Away Pound Survey 2019). By showing inclusive social media messaging your organisation is […]

Eureka Museum

Feeling The Future – Access To Arts and Culture For People with Visual Impairments Trizia Wells, Inclusion Manager at Eureka! The National Children’s Museum

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Exhibitions, Multi-sensory, Projects, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Schools and SEND families

Feeling the Future: Access to Arts and Culture for People with Visual Impairments tells how Eureka! has developed a series of sculpture workshops with partially sighted artist sculptor Lynn Cox and the artwork installation in February. There is also included Trizia’s recent visit to Bilbao in Spain with Traveleyes, which tells about tactile tours at […]

Redesigning Pinterest for better access

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice, Digital, Social Media, Social Media

Very interesting article regarding the redesign of Pinterest for use as a desktop and as an app to be more inclusive for users. https://www.fastcodesign.com/90169317/pinterest-just-redesigned-its-app-for-blind-people

How to create alternative-text on images posted on twitter

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Digital, Social Media, Social Media

These are instructions for creating alternative text on your images when posting on twitter. https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/picture-descriptions

Vocaleyes

Vocaleyes: Guidelines for Digital Accessibility

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice, Audio-Visual Equipment

Guidelines for Digital Accessibility (including Audio Description on film): 
http://vocaleyes.co.uk/services/museums-galleries-and-heritage/resources/guidelines-for-digital-accessibility-film/

See also Stagetext guidelines for adding captions to increase further access: https://www.musedcn.org.uk/2017/11/19/captioning-your-films-and-videos-stagetext/

Vocaleyes

Vocaleyes: Guidelines for making your conference presentation more accessible to blind and partially sighted people

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice

https://vocaleyes.co.uk/services/resources/guidelines-for-making-your-conference-presentation-more-accessible-to-blind-and-partially-sighted-people/

StageTEXT

Captioning your films and videos: Stagetext

Posted 2 CommentsPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice, Digital, Social Media

Captions are a great resources that can benefit everyone. Remember not to use autogenerated captions, but create your own which are easy to do. How to subtitle your own content is just here http://www.stagetext.org/about-stagetext/digital/training-in-how-to-subtitle-your-own-content Stagetext also offer training for staff in how to subtitle content, further information is via this link: http://www.stagetext.org/about-stagetext/digital

Disability Co-operative Network

Busting Accessibility Myths by Barclays

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice

This is a great video by our friends at Barclays Access on common accessibility myths which are common across the heritage sector and responses similar to ours. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1yGFn7OIDY[/embedyt]

Disability Co-operative Network

Inclusive Practice (Design Council)

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Accessibility and Inclusive Practice

This is a great film on the importance of inclusive practice in design. Go to our links pages and talk to us about inclusive practice in your museum or heritage organisation.