9. Further resources for accessible exhibition making

This section includes sources of further information, guidance, and resources for accessible exhibition making.

For organisations:

• Disability Arts Online has a guide to accessible recruitment
• Unlimited’s accessible recruitment and employment guide
• A New Direction: guide to inclusive progression routes for young people
• The tipping point for social change. https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/what-the-rest-of-the-world-knows/2020/11/03/
• Little book of ableism by Victoria Jenkins
• Oxfam Inclusive Language Guide 2023, disability, physical & mental health (page 15)
• https://sensationalmuseum.org/Exhibitions for All: a guide to co-designing exhibitions with disabled people
• Access Docs for Artists. Information on writing an access document for disabled artists.
• Unlimited – Cards for Inclusion. Thinking through the social model and barriers.
• 10 things you can do with little/no money:Disability: a toolkit for museums working towards inclusion
• Setting up a Disabled people’s involvement panels
• Ramps on the Moon support the cultural sector to be anti-ableist. They have a A Framework for becoming an Anti-Ableist Organisation and a resources page
• Disability culture showcased at the Met Gala and exhibition
• Creativity is Mistakes: a toolkit for art galleries written by disabled artists
• ​​Content warnings – vital access tools
• A guide for organisations on stopping the exploitation of disabled artists and art workers.

Inclusive Exhibition Design:

• Wellcome Collection – Inclusive Design Toolkit
• Shape Arts – How to plan an accessible exhibitions
• Visual Arts Ireland – Organising an exhibition or event taking into consideration access
• Accentuate – accessible exhibitions for all toolkit
• Wellcome Collection – Creating accessible exhibition guides
• Museums Association article with case studies – designing accessible exhibitions
• Hanging Together article – creating accessible digital exhibits
• See this example of sustained co-design dedicated to improving access and inclusion for blind and partially sighted visitors in UK museums
• The Neurodiverse Museum has a range of resources and case studies on how to welcome neurodivergent people

Access policy and plan:

• Collections Trust – Access Policy and Access Plan
• BOP Theatre company publicly share their EDI policy and action plan

Website and social media accessibility:

• D&A’s guide to creating accessible social media content.
• Edinburgh International Book Festival’s clear list of how websites can be used to make information more accessible
• Free website accessibility testing by Shaw Trust Accessibility Services

Other / general:

• Guide from EBU on good practice for accessibility for museums and cultural heritage sites (2021-22)
• American Alliance of Museums’ Accessibility Resources and Universal Design
• Disability Arts Online’s virtual museum that has lots of accessible formats embedded)
• Disability Arts Online – Insight, commentary, and resources from disabled artists and cultural practitioners.
• VocalEyes – Best practice for audio description, descriptive content, and inclusive interpretation.
• Resources on digital access from the Digital Cultural Network (practical webinars, and podcasts).
• MuseumNext article on best practice in making museums more accessible to visually impaired visitors
• BOP Theatre has resources on accessible event planning, marketing and. template access statements and forms
• To read more about the social model of disability see: https://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/library/Barnes-implementing-the-social-model-chapter-2.pdf and https://nadp-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1.-R.-Slorach-40-Years-of-the-Social-Model-of-Disability-How-Relevant-Is-It-Today.pdf