I recently received an email asking how our access tours for students with special needs differ from our general school tours–and more specifically, how our school programs are adapted for children on the autism spectrum.

This is a difficult question to answer without knowing more about the specific needs and abilities of each individual student in the class. Yet knowing little to nothing about each student’s disability is one of the most consistent challenges facing our access educators, a wonderful group of museum educators who are trained specifically to work with children who have developmental, learning and physical disabilities. Click to continue »

Within the museum world, collaboration is not a new concept. For years, museums have been joining forces to accomplish a range of goals including mounting exhibitions, purchasing works of art and coordinating programming. Cross-institutional partnerships allow for cost-sharing in the face of increasing acquisition and insurance rates, as well as the sharing of research, scholarship, and other resources.

Education departments of museums regularly collaborate with schools, libraries, or service organizations – and more and more, they are partnering with each other to tackle issues of marketing, space and programming to offer innovative programs to diverse audiences. The Education Department at The Jewish Museum had been contemplating the idea of offering art-making experiences to adults with disabilities for awhile before reaching out to MoMA’s CreateAbility program as both model and partner. Click to continue »

Access at The Jewish Museum is an aspect of my position here that has introduced me to various communities of visitors who are eager to come to this and other museums. They are audiences who are excited that our institutions are working to facilitate more enjoyable learning experiences for all visitors.

Gradually, we are making more and more of our museum experiences accessible to a range of people who in the past may not have been able to fully experience the Museum. For example, we recently published a tactile graphic book based on the Museum’s permanent collection which has been successfully integrated into our touch tours. Click to continue »