Accessibility in science centres and museums

Making centres and museums more accessible

Supporting science centres and museums on their journey to becoming fully accessible social spaces, the accessibility website is designed for employees to access resources, case studies and links for further information.

One in five people in the UK have a disability, either visible or hidden. If you look around your facility/experience and do not see that diversity then it means that there are likely to be barriers to access for disabled visitors.

The barrier could be physical such as no accessible toilets or places to rest between exhibits. The barrier may not be physical, for example it could be poor messaging of what the experience will be like. Poor previous experiences at other facilities can make people avoid cultural spaces, as the assumption may be that visiting will be another frustrating experience.

By improving our awareness of how to ensure we design experiences with everyone in mind we can make changes that will make everyone feel welcome in our spaces. This can result in a more representative audience, improved reputation and an increase in footfall and audience engagement.