Case Study Promote a culture of diversity and equality
Autism Friendly Activity Hour Museums, Galleries & Archives
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utism Friendly Activity Hour was an event run at Montrose Museum and supported by National Museums Scotland on 1 February 2020. It was aimed at children with autism to encourage them and their families to engage with our ancient Egyptian collection.
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We offered a variety of different activities including storytelling, making an Egyptian headband, object handling, a sensory tent, a picture trail and a hieroglyph hunt. There were also sensory backpacks available containing items intended to make the museum visit accessible for the children.
It was a relaxed format where the children could take part in whichever activities they chose for as long as they wanted. The event was attended by 11 people, six of whom were children with autism. This event opened up our museum to a different audience – many of the parents had been hesitant to visit our museum and others in the past. Our feedback highlighted however that many said they would come back to the museum again. Many also commented positively on the relaxed nature of the event, showing how important it is to create that environment in the museum, particularly for this audience.
