Making art accessible to everyone in the borough

In observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, join us in exploring Orleans House Gallery’s initiatives to make art accessible to everyone without limitations.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually on 3 December. This day is all about promoting the rights and wellbeing of people with disabilities and raising awareness about their situation. 

Orleans House Gallery is a contemporary art gallery set in beautiful gardens overlooking the River Thames in Twickenham. It provides a year-round programme of exhibitions, live events, educational experiences, and a wild woodland for residents and visitors to explore. 

To foster creativity and enjoyment of the arts, the Orleans House Gallery set up an Access Working Group to improve physical access and produce programmes that are welcoming for all audiences.

Accessible facilities

In 2022 the Access Working Group commissioned an access audit to identify barriers to access and inclusion, and supply solutions to these. Interventions include the installation of automatic doors for an adapted toilet and the back entrance to the gallery, white lines painted across the edge of all outdoor steps, and extending the fence at the back of the gallery, supporting those with physical access needs and/or visual impairment. Find out more about accessible facilities at Orleans House Gallery.

Providing an accessible art experience

The Orleans House Gallery is very active in undergoing training and broadening staff knowledge in all areas of access. It provides disability awareness training to staff and members of the Access Working Group. They have taken professional training in neurodiversity and working with SEND audiences and are looking to programme a dementia training soon. 

Through research, the art gallery also identified the need for calm spaces and created a ‘portable chill out space’. This is a trolley filled with items to support visitors who are neurodiverse and feeling overwhelmed in the art gallery. The trolley includes a blackout tent, weighted blanket, fleece blankets, pillows, ear defenders and fidget toys. These items provide comfort, sensory regulation, and a sense of security.

Digital accessibility

Last year the art gallery conducted a digital access audit of its website and social media accounts to improve the visibility of text. For example, italics are avoided as this is difficult for people to read. On social media accounts emojis are limited as this is better for screen-readers. To reduce the anxiety of visiting a new place for SEND or neurodivergent individuals, the art gallery shares social stories on their website. These stories outline their exhibitions through text and images, allowing visitors to familiarise themselves with what to expect before they arrive. The group have also worked on their tone and language to ensure the text on their website is readable to everyone, including those who are dyslexic and/or have other learning disabilities.

The learning from these audits, training and research has culminated in an access charter for the gallery. This includes guidance for staff on all areas from exhibition production, considering hanging height, to events and poster design. The group is committed to improving the access of the site and will continue to identify barriers and implement change. 

Find out more about Orleans House Gallery.