"Recently, we have seen an active development of accessible museum programs."
Within the framework of the Inclusive Museum project in the direction of working with children with mental disabilities, an animated video, Social Stories in Museums, was created, which tells about what social stories are and how to use them when preparing for a visit to the museum. This was reported by the press service of the project.
The method of social history was developed by the American educator Carol Gray, which was subsequently used by various public institutions in order to provide adapted information to potential visitors for preliminary preparation for the visit.
“Social stories are a widely used teaching tool to improve the social understanding of people with autism and other developmental disabilities at different ages. In their form, social stories are short stories containing descriptions of specific situations and accompanied by illustrative material. They include specific information about upcoming events: what to expect and how to behave,”notes Evgenia Khilkevich, head of sociocultural integration at the Federal Resource Center for the organization of comprehensive support for children with ASD, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education.
It is very important that social stories can be effective when working with a wider audience: with school groups, people with a migration background and any visitors who have difficulty in visiting cultural institutions and museum programs without visual support.
“Recently, we have seen an active development of accessible museum programs, which is an important indicator of inclusive culture. At the same time, a visit to the museum itself can cause anxiety and possible stress from getting into an unfamiliar environment. Fear of unfamiliar public space carries the risk of being rejected or less comfortable in a museum. Social stories can help to minimize these risks,”explain the organizers of the Inclusive Museum project.
“Applying the method of social stories in museums is not only about comfort and preparation for a future unfamiliar situation. The tool also helps to increase the child's involvement in the museum program. Social stories can turn an introduction to exhibitions and exhibits into a truly vibrant event that is not organized for show. The development and dissemination of this simple method does not require large resources, but it will make museums more accessible and interesting for all children,”says Inna Shirshova, Head of the Inclusive Environment Department of the Sberbank Fund“Contribution to the Future”.
The video "Social Stories in Museums" is intended to tell parents, teachers, tutors, experts of NGOs interacting with museums, as well as all potential visitors to museums, in an easy and accessible form, about the possibilities of using this simple tool.
Also on December 23, 2020 at 12.30-14.00 (Moscow time) on the PRO. Kultura. RF platform there will be a webinar "Inclusive programs and social stories in museums", which will tell in detail about the use of social stories to prepare for a visit to the museum and about others means of visual support in inclusive museum practice.
Registration for the webinar is open at the link.
Webinar hosts:
- Dinara Khalikova, curator of the Inclusive Museum project, member of the Presidium of the Russian Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM Russia)
- Evgenia Khilkevich, head of the direction of socio-cultural integration of the Federal Resource Center for the organization of comprehensive support for children with ASD, MSUPE, expert of the Inclusive Museum project.
The Inclusive Museum project is focused on creating an accessible environment in museums and expanding the opportunities for socialization and self-realization of people with disabilities using museum funds. From December 1 to 13, 2020, within the framework of the project, the All-Russian inclusive action "Museum for everyone!" support of the Sberbank Charitable Foundation "Contribution to the Future", the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation and with the use of a grant from the President of the Russian Federation provided by the Presidential Grants Fund. The action was carried out with the assistance of museums and non-profit organizations - partners of the project.