What museums, galleries and other organisations should learn from Neurodivergent people

In this blog, Aimee Fletcher, an Autistic PhD researcher at the University of Glasgow, discusses her research on how cultural heritage organisations can make changes to become more accessible to Neurodivergent people and, by extension, all audiences.

Museums and galleries can be safe havens for Neurodivergent people. They are often home to vast collections, and information on topics that inspire our interests in quiet environments, which seems like the ideal place for us to go. Yet, for many of us Neurodivergent people, cultural heritage is not accessible.

Before delving into the topic, I want to begin by stating my preference for the term "Autism/Neurodivergent accessible". The term "Autism-friendly", which is typically used when discussing events or resources for Neurodivergent people, has never sat right with me. This is because my interpretation of words like this is that "friendliness" – for example, waving to someone on the street is "friendly" but not essential –  undermines that some people need adaptions for a space to be accessible. I view “accessibility” as a right and responsibility, and should not be seen as optional or “nice-to-have”.  I therefore advocate that we use "accessible" and "accessibility" when describing provisions and designs for Neurodivergent people, in the same way, we would use this to describe a space as "wheelchair accessible" when it meets specific access standards.

In the years before starting this PhD, I studied Museum Studies at university and worked part-time at a youth group for Neurodivergent young people. During this period, I realised that most of the limited “Autism-friendly” events and resources that existed seemed to be aimed at young children and, when I explored existing resources, it felt like they had not been designed with Autistic people involved. Additionally, the focus on children seemed beneficial in that it enabled them to become visitors but declined as they reached an age where access to a safe and engaging environment like a museum would be ideal. I asked the questions “What do you offer for Neurodivergent adults?”  and “Were Neurodivergent people involved in creating this?” to various museum workers, who responded with ‘no’ or ‘I’m not sure.’ This needed to change.

Developing the project

I wanted to learn more about the barriers that exist and affect Neurodivergent adults accessing cultural heritage organisations and gain insight into what might motivate them to visit museums. The research is needed to fill the cultural heritage sector's gap in understanding what Neurodivergent people need and how to make these spaces more engaging.

I also wanted to learn more from the museum workers to ensure the research is effective and has tangible results. This included learning more about what is available at different cultural heritage organisations, challenges to becoming accessible, about their understanding of and confidence in their organisation’s accessibility.

As part of the development process, I sought feedback from two focus groups of Neurodivergent adults about the project’s research questions, aims, methodology and the surveys used to gather insight from them. The research was then developed using these insights to ensure community involvement in creating a project adapted to meet the Neurodivergent community's diverse needs and interests.

Two surveys were created, one for neurodivergent adults and one for people working in a cultural heritage organisation. In total, 600 Neurodivergent adults and 300 cultural heritage workers participated in the surveys, with 466 and 230 meeting the inclusion criteria.

The findings from these surveys, which combined qualitative and quantitative questions, were analysed using Thematic Analysis and were presented during workshops with neurodivergent adults and museum workers. During the 4 workshops, the survey findings were discussed, codes were refined and other areas to consider with further research - such as how to make the workforce more accessible. All surveys and workshops will be used to inform a guide kit for the cultural heritage sector, which will be jointly designed with Neurodivergent adults after the paper is submitted.

Why this type of research is important

The research revealed a lot about Neurodivergent adults' needs within cultural heritage organisations, both as visitors and workers in the sector. The high level of engagement from both Neurodivergent adults and museum workers suggests that there is a demand for research and professional practice to be developed directly with Neurodivergent people. It is essential to address this issue with much of the existing resources and events available following similar formats, and largely missing the voices and meaningful involvement of the neurodivergent community in their design.

The findings of this research, which will be published following the submission of my thesis in September 2024, provide an insight into the preferences and needs of Neurodivergent people that would not be possible without directly asking about lived experiences.

By working with Neurodivergent people in meaningful ways to improve their organisations, cultural heritage organisations can influence other public spaces to do the same. This research is a call to action for the cultural heritage sector, and other public sectors, to strive towards inclusive and equitable provision and space design that meaningfully includes Neurodivergent people and other traditionally under-served communities in their development.