How museums are promoting their access on Euan’s Guide

Photo of people looking at art in a gallery.

Museums have, for a long time, been promoting their accessibility and accessible tours, events and guides on Euan’s Guide. From the British Museum in London to the National Museum of Scotland and the Museum of Liverpool, we love reading about access at all these fascinating places! These listings combined with your reviews mean that disabled people can see the full picture of a museum’s accessibility before visiting.

It’s not just the big museums and galleries that are discoverable on Euan’s Guide, there are hundreds of smaller, curious museums to uncover as you search for accessible places to visit near you too. It seems word is travelling fast as more and more museums have been adding their access information to Euan’s Guide over the past few weeks! Here are some of the latest museums to promote their accessibility on Euan’s Guide this winter, and how they’re doing it.

Rochdale Pioneers Museum

Photo of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum.

Where: Rochdale

Stand-out feature: Autism Friendly showings

Welcomed by a giant co-op cuppa tea on brick the wall outside, The Rochdale Pioneers Museum wants disabled visitors to know how accessible they are. It was the birthplace of the Co-operative Movement by the Rochdale Pioneers, and tells the story of their ‘social enterprise in action’. The team behind the museum are promoting their step-free access from the automated doors at the entrance, to the accessible loo and the lift to upper floors. They also want you to know about their Autism Friendly showings at ‘Cinema Saturday’ events!

Visit and review Rochdale Pioneers Museum

Bury Art Museum

Where: Bury

Stand-out feature: Dementia awareness training

Located on Moss Street in Bury, the Bury Art Museum was first built to house the art collection of local paper manufacturer Thomas Wrigley. This museum is extending its warm welcome by promoting its access on Euan’s Guide and wants you to know about its ramp and lift access, accessible loo, and friendly staff who have dementia awareness training.

Visit and review Bury Art Museum

Mall Galleries 

Photo of Mall Galleries.

Where: London

Stand-out feature: Rest benches

Home to the Federation of British Artists, Mall Galleries hosts the annual exhibitions of nine of the UK’s leading art societies and loves welcoming visitors with an interest in contemporary art. The galleries want visitors to know about their ramps to bypass the entrance steps, rest benches inside and that they have a manual wheelchair available to borrow. They also have large step-free toilet with ‘easy turn taps’ featured on their listing.

Visit and review Mall Galleries

Williamson Art Gallery and Museum

Where: Birkenhead

Stand-out feature: Changing table and hoist

Located on the edge of Oxton, the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum is home to ‘the UK’s largest public collection of Della Robbia pottery.’ The gallery and museum is keen to tell visitors about its accessible loo with height adjustable sink, changing table and hoist, as well as its step-free access throughout!

Visit and review Williamson Art Gallery and Museum

The Village Church Farm

Photo of The Village Church Farm.

Where: Skegness

Stand-out feature: Brick paths around the site

The Village Church Farm is Lincolnshire’s only open-air museum and its where you’ll find the Bernard Best Collection of Victorian Agricultural items. Being an outdoor attraction, the museum wants visitors to know about its bricked pathways, two accessible toilets and wheelchair and mobility scooter available for hire.

Visit and review The Village Church Farm

Whipple Museum of the History of Science

Where: Cambridge

Stand-out feature: Relaxed visits

A University of Cambridge museum, the Whipple Museum of the History of Science is packed full of scientific instruments, apparatus, pictures and more! The museum’s detailed listing on Euan’s Guide informs visitors of how to easily access the museum via the Pembroke archway, but they also want people to know about their autism awareness and pre-booked audio described or touch tours for visually impaired visitors.

Visit and review Whipple Museum of the History of Science

The Mary Rose

Photo of The Mary Rose.

Where: Portsmouth

Stand-out feature: Shuttle service from the Historic Dockyard Gate up to the museum

This ‘world-class maritime archaeological museum’ is located in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and brings to life the story of The Mary Rose, the only 16th Century warship on display in the world. The museum is keen to engage with disabled visitors via Euan’s Guide by providing information about its large print guides, lights up morning, Mary Rose App audio tour, folding chairs and Changing Places toilet.

Visit and review The Mary Rose

Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum

Where: Bungay

Stand-out feature: Wheelchair accessible boardwalk with passing places

This volunteer-run museum has over 60 aircraft on display and wants visitors to know about its wheelchair accessible boardwalk to the River Waveney, as well as its step-free accessible toilet, water bowls for dogs, and wheelchair access to all buildings including the hangars, café and shop. They also have thousands of aviation artefacts to browse!

Visit and review Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum

The Polar Museum

Photo of The Polar Museum.

Where: Cambridge

Stand-out feature: Tactile maps of the Arctic and Antarctic

Part of the Scott Polar Research Institute, The Polar Museum offers a chance to learn about the planet’s extreme regions! The museum is promoting its access on Euan’s Guide to tell visitors about its step-free access and its welcome for visually impaired visitors. Staff at the museum are trained to offer guidance to blind or visually impaired guests and have various handling collections including tactile maps of the Arctic and Antarctic.

Visit and review The Polar Museum

William Booth Birthplace Museum

Where: Nottingham

Stand-out feature: A lift to all levels of the building

Telling the story of The Salvation Army’s founder, William Booth, this curious museum offers a fascinating insight into Georgian times and the life of the charity’s founder. The museum promotes its access with clear directions to their accessible main entrance mentioning slight slopes, automatic push pads and descriptive features to help visitors navigate to the museum.

Visit and review William Booth Birthplace Museum

Camden Arts Centre

Photo of Camden Arts Centre.

Where: London

Stand-out feature: Changing bed and mobile hoist

A place to learn and to enjoy contemporary art, Camden Arts Centre has added a detailed access listing to Euan’s Guide as part of its welcome to visitors. They use their listing to promote their commitment to accessible toilet signage, and to give disabled visitors guidance about parking, accessing large print materials and where to find hearing loops. Their accessible loo also has a changing bed and mobile hoist!

Visit and review Camden Arts Centre

de Havilland Aircraft Museum

Where: London Colney

Stand-out feature: Water bowls and exercise space for assistance dogs

Sharing the stories of the de Havilland contribution to British Aviation technology, this engaging museum is largely run by volunteers. They use their Euan’s Guide listing to share their Access Statement and highlight helpful details such as where there is wheelchair access and reassurance that there is water and an exercise space available for visitors bringing assistance dogs.

Visit and review de Havilland Aircraft Museum

Are you a museum who’d like to promote your access?

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Tags: museums

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