I am the founder of the #SENDinMuseums campaign and have worked directly with the sector on this since 2017 developing and running partnership projects, conferences and resources to support and grow cultural inclusion of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities.
In 2018 I wrote the Special Schools and Museums Toolkit, the first sector guidance on this subject.
In 2020 I was awarded a National Lottery development grant from Arts Council England and created SENDinMuseums.org which is a portal website that advocates, educates and signposts the sector for SEND inclusion.
The funding was for a two year project which also saw the creation of free to use downloadable trails and an advocacy film.
The project has now closed, but I still maintain and update the website, add blog posts and contact links to celebrate SEND inclusion work which is now flourishing in our sector.
There is a Twitter page @SENDinMuseums where museum and gallery staff share their work and the hashtag #SENDinMuseums is used to tag relevant work or links online.
This is more than just a ‘passion project’ it has become an important and radical change in the way museums and galleries value and engage with SEND audiences. It’s something that will stay relevant and needed until inclusion is embedded in every cultural organisation.
