Access to Heritage
The award-winning Access to Heritage forum (A2H) has been working in partnership with Liverpool’s museums, galleries and other heritage venues, to improve levels of accessibility for all, since 2005.
Managed by Mencap Liverpool, A2H enables young people and adults with learning disabilities to review and improve the level of accessibility at heritage sites in Merseyside, while also working with venue staff to improve their awareness of learning disability.
A2H also regularly commissions talented multimedia artists to create new interactive and multisensory objects that showcase best practice.
In 2011, A2H won a prestigious Jodi Award for best practice in using digital technology to improve access for people with disabilities, as part of its ‘Touch Pods’ project.
Here is a snapshot of some of A2H’s other projects:
We are currently involved in an exciting three-year research project in collaboration with the Rix Centre at the University of East London and the University of Reading. The project, entitled ‘Interactive sensory objects made for and by people with learning disabilities’, aims to create a series of interactive, multisensory objects that replicate or respond to objects of cultural significance in national collections. For more info visit www.sensoryobjects.com
Between 2010-12, we delivered the ‘Hands On’ project – bringing new skills and enthusiasm to staff at Knowsley resource centres, and the people they work with, through workshops. To read about the impact of this project, and the learning it inspired, visit http://handsonaccesstoheritage.blogspot.co.uk/
We have also worked as consultants on access and way-finding for Museum of Liverpool which opened in 2011.
Are you a heritage venue that requires disability training for staff? Perhaps you would like to commission some access consultation or multisensory interpretation? Or you may wish to become an access consultant volunteer? Then we would love to hear from you – please contact Ticky Lowe at ticky.lowe@mencapliverpool.org.uk
Funding and support for our projects has come from Arts Council of England, RTR foundation, Awards For All, Liverpool City Council, Capital of Culture, Knowsley MBC, The NHS, the National Trust, National Museums Liverpool and the National Wildflower Centre.
