New resource for venues – working with families with autism

We have long been passionate about the work that Kids in Museums do and so are delighted that they have produced a new resource. We have already used it in one of our training sessions and staff have found it really helpful. We hope you do too.

Museums are for everyone and Kids in Museums is an organisation working extremely hard to promote inclusion and accessibility.

We are really impressed by this new resource from Kids in Museums. They have put together this information to to help museums, galleries and other cultural organisations better welcome families and young people with autism. Whether your venue or attraction is just starting to investigate how to be more welcoming to those with the condition, or are looking at ways to improve what your organisation can offer children, young people and families, this new resource can help you on your way.

Families with autism support.

This new resource was written in collaboration with Ambitious about Autism and Claire Madge of Tincture of Museum.

First Things First

Sometimes, knowing where to begin is the most difficult step, and working to become more inclusive of autistic visitors can sound like a mammoth task. It doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul of what you do already, it’s OK to start small. The new resource contains advice on where to begin, and inspiration on how to go further.

The Visit

Visiting a museum can be a daunting thought to families with an autistic member, but it needn’t be, museums are treasure troves of specialist knowledge and can be a holy grail for those on the spectrum that have a passionate interest in a subject. There are some very simple things that can easily be put in place which can make things simpler for a family to visit, and they benefit all visitors, not just those with autism.

What is Autism?

Autism can be a challenging subject to tackle, but there are simple ways and means to get to know the condition better. Kids in Museum’s new resource points to organisations that exist to raise awareness and understanding about autism as well as exciting examples of things museums are already offering autistic visitors. As with everything Kids in Museums does, we listen to people, and we are sharing their stories to help museums get to know and better welcome families and young people with autism.

It’s time to say hello!

Things seem to evolve quickly in the world of visits unlimited so it’s taken me a few weeks to finally get round to introducing myself.

So here I finally am with a big hello, my name is Karen Hickton and I’m the newest member of this amazing and dynamic team.

The team is made up of various professionals bringing something different providing a modernised service, it’s a fantastic team.

What I bring

The speciality I bring is my body language expertise and experience.

I coach in the confidence to communicate with customers regardless of communication difficulties or language barriers.

The confidence to support individuals, families and carers with needs, avoiding conflict or dealing with conflict if it arises.

From managing situations to leading teams focused on accessibility, body language training is hugely influential and powerful. It is the immediate and most effective tool in customer management that creates a customers positive experience.

I have worked in the fields of trauma, therapy and coaching for nearly 2 decades.  Now my main focus is coaching other coaches and therapists to create successful and thriving practices. Find out more here; www.kaizeninsight.com.

Post 5pm and weekends

Spare time? Well when I get that I’m either with the kids or scuttling off up a hill or mountain somewhere in the Lakes.

I love yoga and travelling but nothing beats a good book and some chilled out time in peace and quiet.  I have just bought a paddle board so watch this space, this could prove interesting.

Where is my drive from?

Having a son who is disabled, I know all to well the complex issues that can and commonly arise when we go out.  These issues can make or break the happiness of a family day and considering life can be somewhat of a struggle, this can be a big disappointment.

Although the culture and awareness is changing it is still far behind and lagging in certain areas. More and more people are being registered disabled in the UK every year and the statistics are pretty high anyway.

Businesses have a responsibility to employ inclusive policies and behaviour in work places and our communities.

People living with disabilities contribute immensely to our families, to our friendships and to our communities there are no reasons to exclude them from these great experiences that enrich and connect us all?

I work with a team focused team who are dissolving obstacles disabled people face.  Because today’s market is so competitive, Visits Unlimited provide especially relevant training in an area close to my heart.

Finally I reach the end of my introduction, feel free to email Visits Unlimited if you have any questions about me.

Karen Hickton

Visits unlimited are launching a new project ‘Do Something Different’.

Do Something Different will be a web based resource aimed at families with children and young people. There will be a wide range of disabilities, plus disabled people and their carers/Personal Assistants.   The resource will feature a selection of venues, attractions, parks, walks, short breaks and will be for anyone who is looking for suggestions on interesting and varied days out. These will be based in the Yorkshire and Humber area.

Do Something Different will provide information on accessibility and family friendly places to visit each with a welcome rating. The resource will be easy to use and have downloadable information on each venue.

What ‘Do Something Different’ will replace

Currently families end up spending hours trawling the internet, looking for a place to go that is going to meet their needs. Families have told us that websites often do not have the relevant information and their access statements may not be family friendly.  Without the right information it can be off-putting even attempting to go somewhere new.   Families need to trust that when they go to all the effort of planning, getting their and visiting a venue that they have a successful and memorable day out.

Visits Unlimited survey asked families what was important to them when planning a day out or a holiday. Families told us that their priority is a friendly welcome and well trained staff; secondly they felt that good information was important to plan properly and know what to expect on arrival. Another important point is that there is good accessible facilities including Changing Places toilets, parking and helpful cafes make a good experience.

Do Something Different is a great initiative for families who will be able to access reliable information easily and be confident of a successful day out in Yorkshire and Humber. We hope that this will be used not only by Yorkshire families but will also encourage families from across the country to visit this beautiful region. All of our days out will be based on the recommendations of families with children with complex needs. But it doesn’t stop there. Venues will be contacted and staff supported to make sure that they live up to the expectations of our families and offer them a warm friendly welcome.

To get started we are launching the DSD questionnaire to get as many suggestions as possible from across Yorkshire and Humber. People can complete the survey through our facebook group ‘Visits Unlimited’ or on the website visitsunlimited.org.uk

We will be running the survey over the summer to get up to date information about the places you have been and loved visiting with you family.

One common learning outcome request we have for the training we run is related to building confidence, skills and awareness in response to the diversity in UK society and in anticipation of increased numbers of international visitors – particularly greater visitor numbers from Asia that’s anticipated.

Typically poor service initiates from a lack of awareness and confidence rather than an employee deliberately being unjust or discriminatory. When we approach diversity from a disability perspective we often find out that most delegates attending have got some connection with disability, whether it is someone they know well, a family member, or an elderly relative with a condition such as Dimentia. A basis for understanding culture and diversity is to reflect on personal experiences.

When we talk of ‘communication confidence’ we understand that non verbal communication is critical to visitors with impairments. So questioning technique is important but so too, tone of voice and body language awareness.

Importance of Body Language

“Since we have the ‘loud’ spoken word, do we need anything else?

It’s very easy to underestimate the importance and influence of body language, yet studies show that only 7% of our communication is verbal which makes a staggering 93% of our communication non-verbal.

We are programmed to respond to and believe in the non-verbal message far more than the verbal and this is hard wired into us through evolution, therefore getting our ‘non-verbal talk’ right is essential for us whether personal, social or professional.

Knowing this, we can clearly see just how vital it is to be aware of the signals that we give out and how easy it can be, to misinterpret or be misinterpreted ourselves.

Learning the non-verbal language will maximize communication and positive influence in all areas of our lives, it is the language that we first learnt, it is the language that crosses over barriers and cultures. The non-verbal language is the most powerful and the most connecting way that we can continually improve the quality of all our relationships.”

Karen Hickton.

Our expert associate Karen Hickton has designed a session specifically addressing this critical knowledge slotted into our ‘Customer Service For All’ course session. Karen’s training received a huge ‘thumbs up’ during our training session to employees of The Deep. Karen’s new module on body language and communication skills got participants thinking hard about themselves and how they come across to both disabled and non-disabled customers from the UK and abroad.

For more information on our ‘customer service for all’ course refer to our face to face training sessions on our site and then get in touch.

Am I disability aware?
Last week I decided to take the plunge and sign up to an online disability awareness course. I was interested in assessing the depth of information I would be required to digest, understand how the course worked as a user and find out what I knew already. Working in the industry, having a disabled child and being teacher qualified, I hoped to do well. I was sceptical as to the benefit I’d gain from the training but thought I’d give it a go.

Boring Lessons!
What about learning experience? Surely online training is the most convenient means of skilling up? Well I felt pretty flat as I plodded through the short modules. I might be a teacher but it doesn’t take one to understand an uninspiring learning experience. A radio button multi-choice tick box approach is just about the worst pedagogy approach I can think of. As a friend of mine once stated “At work we do these online knowledge tests. We just guess our way through asap and go back to correct our answers and shut the damn thing off! but it keeps our manager happy.”

Was is useful?

Surely the course helped me feel confident in meeting the needs of disabled visitors at the front desk? challenge discrimination and understand my rights? advise others on best practice in accessibility? No it didn’t.
It did provide the opportunity to review a few national statistics relating to how many wheelchair users there are in the UK, how many have arthritis and about a dozen other statistics. I’m not sure if the data was accurate though as there wasn’t a date of publication on the website or any reference to the sources used to gather the data.

Did I pass?
How did I get on? Well I was all done and dusted in twenty five minutes! Level 1 Disability Awareness certified! Time included printing my nice certificate off.

So how should online training be?
I heard about e-portfolio online training. This required the use of a qualified assessor to set work. This means work has to be completed by the learner!…and it means there’ll be feedback too. Wow. A learning experience similar to what I’d expect.

Then I thought about course content. Surely there’s loads to learn about disability in terms of really understanding the wishes of disabled people and particularly their aspirations for leisure experiences? There is! I’d want to know more then…and perhaps gain a recognised qualification too to spur me on.

So where can I find a course like this?

I struggled to locate one so I decided to have Visits Unlimited develop it. It’s arriving in late March. Take a peek at our accreditation and courses now and let me know if it’s your cup of tea.

Matt Riley
Director, VisitsUnlimited.