At Barnsley Museums, we believe that everyone deserves equal access to heritage and the arts, and that our spaces should be there for everyone to enjoy. Whilst recognising we have a way to go, we are committed to making positive change and improving accessibility. Ally Beckett (Formal Learning Officer) and Access lead for Barnsley Museums and Michael Hardy (Digital Engagement Curator) explains more about the work we have done over the last 12 months
Since our last access blog in 2022 Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre has been the proud winner of the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Best Accessible Museum award. Judges loved our accessible facilities, inclusive book choices and sensory backpacks we had available. Our judges said:
‘The museum, displays, interactive activities, and the children’s area far outweigh many other settings. The sensory bag and disabled toilets are exceptional. Staff are lovely, and they go beyond to help. The entrance was very accessible’
‘There is also a fantastic children’s area, with vehicles to sit in, a play shop with fruit and veg, a dress-up area, and a reading space, as well as more interactive activities relating to the displays. We both had a great time exploring.’
We are delighted that Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens have been shortlisted for this year’s Best Accessible Museum award with family nominees giving us glowing reviews:
‘The museum is not overwhelming. Its staff are friendly and helpful. The museum is well set out in sections. There accessible children’s activities in the museum. They staff are very knowledgeable and approachable. There are great workshops and activities in holidays. My son has autism and epilepsy, there are plenty of quiet areas for him to sit and take in his surroundings. It’s a stress free place to visit set in beautiful grounds, that have amazing sensory and story trails.’
We are looking forward to the awards ceremony in October.
Audio Descriptions
We’ve been building on our previous work with VocalEyes to increase the number of objects and artworks in our collection we have audio described. We’ve also been working to get several of our videos audio described, including our historical reconstructions of Elsecar in 1880 and Eldon Street in the 1960s, showcasing the wonderful history and heritage of these places in an accessible way.
VocalEyes have also been working with us to create an audio recorded guide of our ‘Light and Soul’ exhibition on display at the Cooper Gallery until October 7 2023. The painters of Light and Soul drew inspiration from ancient forests and valleys, contemporary life in the landscape and the shifting light over rivers and seas. The guide includes an introduction to the exhibition, orientation within the space and audio descriptions of the 21 artworks that are part of the Cooper Gallery’s permanent collection. Visitors can borrow a media player when they visit the gallery or listen via our Soundcloud page where we have also made individual audio descriptions of our paintings available.
The Light and Soul exhibition is also an example of how we are continuing to make 360° virtual tours of our exhibitions and venues.
A virtual tour of the De Morgan Museum which includes links to almost every object and painting on display and short curator videos.
QR Codes
Visitors to Experience Barnsley can now access many of of our audio descriptions, Makaton videos and other additional content by scanning QR codes. We continue to use QR codes across our other sites and exhibitions too.
Relaxed and Accessible Christmas Events
Following the success of last year’s Santa’s Grotto, he returned to visit us this year at the Hall for the first three weekends of December. We held a ‘relaxed session’ in the first slot of every day (ensuring this was not too early so that families did not have to rush to get there first thing in the morning). For this, we sold fewer tickets to create a calmer and more relaxed environment, and introduced Makaton storytelling in the Victorian nursery. We contacted families in advance to find out more about their children’s needs and how we could best accommodate these during their visit, as well as creating a visual story, quiet space and sensory backpacks.
Relaxed performances of Chris Cade’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ storytelling sessions were also offered, with reduced ticket capacity for a quieter experience, and two of the performances were BSL interpreted. The relaxed performances were timed so that SEND families could visit Santa and then attend ‘A Christmas Carol’, providing a full festive day out.
‘I just wanted to say thank you so much for the Santa session on Sunday. It was lovely that you had catered so well for SEN children’
We have also continued with monthly Relaxed Openings at Experience Barnsley and The Cooper Gallery.
Maps, Makaton and More…
Following the success of the multi-sensory map at Cannon Hall which we mentioned in our last blog, we have created a similar trail at Worsbrough Mill. This was co-created with our ‘Opening Doors’ volunteer group who meet regularly on a Friday morning at the Mill, and is available all year round for families to enjoy (although the Country Park may get a bit muddy in the winter!).
We have continued to share Makaton videos on a regular basis highlighting a different collection highlight each month
The full series of videos can be viewed on the accessibility pages of our website. Last year we did a special December edition of the ‘Makaton 12 Days of Christmas
Looking Ahead
Makaton is also including in our plans for the months ahead including our own recording of ‘The Night Before Christmas’ as well as investigating how Makaton can be used more widely in exhibitions and permanent displays. We have started using British Sign Language (BSL) at some of our events and in videos and we plan to use more widely in the future
Visit our website where we regularly update our accessibility pages with new content and information.
Have you read our recent blogs?
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