Hi readers, it’s Kerry and William here, writing about access and being included.
That’s because this morning I, Kerry, was invited to Dorset County Museum to take part in a conversation about how the museum is making it accessible. My role was to represent people with learning disabilities on behalf of People First Dorset.
I, William, have asked Kerry lots of questions about her day and here is a summary of what she said.
After being dropped off by my support worker, I met the group - about 10 of us, from organisations like Dorset Council or Help and Care. I can’t remember all their names. We heard about from Dorset Museum, how they are making it as accessible as possible, many things I had no idea about! For example, sometimes they hold ‘quiet evenings’ or lower the lights for people who need a more peaceful experience. They also put on a lot of free events, like one with clay coming up soon, and hold free events with other attractions like the Shire Hall.
They also have lots of aids to help those who need it, such as ear defenders or Easy Read information. We also talked about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and I realised that as part of the Dorset Council EDI group, I talked about the work we are doing there too.
It was also interesting to hear how numbers go up a lot if the weather is bad, as people want to go out but be inside, so they have to make sure there are enough staff and volunteers on those days.
I left the museum wanting to help more, as it’s such a great place. I hope the group meet up again soon, as it was all so positive!
The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by People First Dorset - a charity led and run by people with learning disabilities with support from staff.
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