Sensory Friendly Morning

Description

To accommodate members of the public who found contemporary art gallery visits sensorily overwhelming, Talbot Rice Gallery hosted a sensory-friendly morning on Tuesday, 6th August, from 10 am to 12 pm.

On this occasion, the gallery adjusted the bright lighting to lower lighting around the exhibition.

These sessions were designed to prioritize the sensory needs of autistic people, other neurodivergent individuals, those with additional sensory support needs, or anyone else who preferred a more relaxed experience of the gallery.

People were welcome to attend with their families, friends, and carers.

The gallery recognized that stimming helped people cope with overwhelming experiences and welcomed visitors to stim in the space.

People were encouraged to rock, pace, and vocally express themselves around the gallery. Visitors were invited to bring and use their own stimming/fidget objects, and where available, to borrow theirs.

Visitors were made aware that other guests might be stimming around the gallery. If these behaviors were difficult to experience for anyone or the person they were accompanying, staff could direct them to another part of the gallery.

Additional resources were provided to make the experience more comfortable:

- Free sensory kits were available at reception. Each kit included a stress ball, a pair of ear defenders, a traffic light fan, a soft toy with a marble inside, a fidget toy, a magnifying glass torch, an eye mask, a dot-to-dot activity book, and an emotion fan.
- A visual storyboard was available to download to anticipate travels to the gallery and the experience during the exhibition.
- A sensory map of the gallery was available to download, designed to highlight elements of the space that could impact the sensory experience of the gallery.
- Stimming objects were available to borrow through the gallery, to be returned where possible.
- Staff and volunteers were available for support if required.

Period	6 Aug 2024
Event type	Conference