The publication of the Museum and Heritage Access 2022 Survey report.
Building on a survey taken in 2018, we worked in partnership with VocalEyes, Autism in Museums, and Centre for Accessible Environments, to audit the online access information provided by more than three thousand of the UK’s museums and heritage sites.
“This year’s access report shines a spotlight on the museum and heritage sector and the continued need for inclusion of access information. Whilst many venues advocate for the inclusion of all communities, it isn’t visible on their websites and significant work still needs to happen to make inclusion a reality. We recognise that many places suffered significantly during the pandemic, and ongoing turbulence, including a loss of access expertise. However, commitment and action now need to be re-established. For example, 53% of the videos reviewed for this year’s survey did not have subtitles, making over half of the heritage and museum sector’s video content inaccessible to deaf visitors. This survey was produced in collaboration with three other access organisations, who are all here to support, guide and share knowledge with the heritage sector. We are all here to help.” – Melanie Sharpe, Chief Executive, Stagetext.
The report has been used to create the Heritage Access 2022 Benchmark Tool, which sets baseline scores for online access information in the sector. The scoring was completed after a team of trained volunteer researchers reviewed the websites of 3150 heritage sites, using a standradised checklist . This benchmark will be used in further surveys and will track where there has been an improvement on the quality of online access information provided by museums and heritage sites.
Find out more about the Heritage Access 2022 Benchmark Tool.
The overall result of the 2022 survey, when compared with 2018 Heritage Access Report, clearly shows an improvement within the sector’s access information. It has illutsrated some examples of growth in access, leaving a positive outlook for the future of access in museums and heritage sites. The full results of this report are available to download in the following formats: PDF or Large Print Word or Audio mp3
