Autistic people have a variety of different needs and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.

What does Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have to do with museums? Well, for some children with ASD (and other sensory processing disorders) visiting a museum can be a daunting, overstimulating experience.

Crowded busy spaces, bright lights and audio displays can be challenging, as are interactives that are triggered without warning. Navigation and unwritten rules regarding appropriate behaviour can also be difficult to interpret for our ASD visitors.

“Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences.” – Austism Speaks Canada

The added pressure of new COVID-19 protocols increases the anxiety for many children and families. As we prepare to open the new museum in 2021, we are mindful that this is a really challenging time for our communities and we are working to ensure the museum is accessible and welcoming to all. 

‘As a parent of a child with Autism, it is sometimes a challenge to attend certain places and events due to the sensory overload my child may feel in the environment. I really like the sensory friendly spaces created by Canucks Autism Network at Rogers Arena, BC Place, Science World and at the Healthy Family Expo have provided a wonderful space where children can go for a calm, relaxed and inviting space to self-regulate.

All children and families should be able to visit all places in our community and be able to have the same experience as everyone else.’  – Kulvir Mann, North Vancouver School District School Board Trustee

Sensory Friendly Opening Hours

To combat these challenges, we are excited to be developing our sensory friendly opening hours to be launched in 2021. Our sensory friendly opening hours will run once a month for an hour before our regular opening time.

‘Buglights’ created at the Shipyards Festival.

Families, caregivers and individuals with more tailored needs will be able to visit the museum in a calm, relaxed atmosphere and take part in fun, safe activities with their own family/group or ‘bubble’. Autistic people have a variety of different needs and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. However, there are many ways that we can create a COVID-safe, fun and relaxed experience for visitors.

Providing pre-visit information, altering light levels and displays volumes and providing calm, quiet, sensory spaces can make a huge difference. Of course, alongside this we will be encouraging lots of fun for visitors, safe in the knowledge that our staff are trained to understand the needs of our visitors.

We believe that providing a safe indoor space where children and parents are catered for and supported to have fun and learn together is important. However, we need your help.

Join the Sensory Friendly Program Working Group

We are looking for parents of children with ASD to join our working group. The working group will help shape and inform the development of the program, ensuring it meets the needs of our audiences. The group will share their own experiences, offer guidance on pre-visit information, visit the museum (when exhibits are installed) to advise on the experience and required adaptations, and support the development of learning resources required for launching the program.  

We are looking to recruit 6 parents/carers to meet virtually once per month from December 2020 to May 2021 (6 meetings in total).

To learn more and express interest, please contact our Public Programs Planner, Pamela Roberts at robertsp@monova.ca.