At my 9-5 job, I work with Special Education students for Fairfax County Public Schools, which is a very rewarding and challenging job. I took some of my 3rd graders to the National Museum of Natural History last year and they had a wonderful time.
What struck me was that the exhibits that stuck with them the most were the ones for which there was a hands-on component. For example, in the Behring Hall of Mammals, when you are looking at the big savannah cats, you can pull on a model of their paws to see how the claws extend. My kids were fascinated with this and had to be torn away from this particular display. In addition, the fact that the mammals were posed in real-life situations instead of static helped the kids' imaginations, as was evidenced later when I asked them to draw their favorite part of the museum for me.
I think that it is widely acknowledged that museums in general are undergoing a trend towards incorporating a greater variety of hands-on practices into their education initiatives. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen or done something similar in their museum, and if so, what thoughts you have?
I looked on the SI's Accessibility webpage and I was impressed with the Morning at the Museum initiative for kids with autism. From my own experience, I can tell you that it would actually be much easier to design something for Downs Syndrome or Learing Disabled children. So will we hopefully see this as an add-on in the future? I hope so. I'm wondering why we haven't seen it yet.
Best of luck to you!
Katherine Hoppe
Museum Studies, George Washington University
Washington, DC
Dear Museum Educators,
My name is Alissa Meehan and I am a museum studies graduate student at the University of Kansas, specializing in education. My thesis is on learning disabilities in the museum. Currently, there is a lack of research and programming in this field. My work is designed to help bridge the gap between museums and teachers so that every student who visits a museum learns, regardless of ability.
I would appreciate any assistance you can give regarding this subject and the best practices for learning disabilities in the museum. I would love to hear what your institution is doing to help benefit learning disabled children. My topic is specifically on learning and hidden disabilities, rather than physical disabilities, so please keep that in mind if you wish to comment (although I certainly recognize that they are connected). In any case, if your institution has specific programming designed for learning disabled students, makes tools and adaptations available for students when they visit with a school group, or if you offer a training session for your docents/educators about different disabilities, I would really appreciate hearing how these programs are going and if you'd suggest them for other institutions.
If you are willing to contact me, or perhaps even have a short telephone conversation about the ways your institution is working towards making learning accessible to all, please contact me at [log in to unmask]. All suggestions and comments are appreciated!
Thank you kindly,
Alissa Meehan
Museum Studies Graduate Student
University of Kansas
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