Access Advisory Group

The Access Advisory Group has met about four times a year since 2007. We are individuals who represent a range of disabilities.

Barry

Barry Ginley is the CEO of Tamstone Consulting Ltd, specialists in disability and inclusion. Barry served as the Head of Access at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) for 18 years, contributing to the design of new galleries and accessible interpretation as part of the museum’s FuturePlan redevelopment.

William

I am a member of the group and I am from the Mulberry Centre (a daycentre for People with Learning Disabilities).

Natasha

I am a member of the group and I am from the Mulberry Centre (a daycentre for People with Learning Disabilities).

Joel

I am a member of the Access Advisory Group and I support Natasha and William take part in the meetings and the group activities as a whole.

Penny

Hi, I’m profoundly Deaf with two other ‘invisible’ conditions. I rely on British Sign Language access to follow the spoken dialogue.  Sometimes I speak, or sign (voice-over by the BSL Interpreters). I work part-time in education, with Deaf students, also with people learning BSL in schools and University.  I have an Arts degree.

Martin

I am a deaf architect, established tour guide and a signer.

Felix

Long term member of the group. I am an autistic adult who was diagnosed in 2002. I work full time. I currently live in Canning Town. I love listening to music, and gradually trying to make my life autistically friendly. It’s an honour to be part of AAG, because an asset like the Horniman Museum should be accessible to all.

Norin

I’m visually impaired, registered blind I am involved with various projects in different museums in London and a few in Europe.

Alex

I am a parent to two girls. My eldest, Edie is 15 and has complex disabilities and also loves ABBA and swimming. We live in Clapham with our badly behaved dog and love the Horniman Museum. I’m proud to be part of this group and to help make the Horniman as accessible as possible.

About the group

We work with staff and other professionals such as external gallery designers to ensure disability is included at every stage of the Horniman’s work.

Our focus is providing real access for real visitors and staff. We recognise that disability is very diverse. We are pushing boundaries, finding opportunities for the future and raising expectations. We work hard to make sure our advice is listened to and taken seriously. The Community Engagement team and other relevant staff ensure our advice informs the Horniman’s work.

At our meetings, everybody has a voice. We talk about lots of different things. It’s interesting and fun. If you REALLY want to change things to make them accessible for all and are passionate about inclusivity, if you have the time and have lived experience of disability, you’re welcome to join our group.

Please contact the Community Engagement team at communitylearning@horniman.ac.uk or call 020 8291 8690.

How we have made the Horniman more accessible

Wildlife Garden

We demonstrated the inaccessibility of the proposed site for the Wildlife Garden had its location changed.

Recruitment

We did a tour of interview spaces with the Horniman’s Chief Executive and talked the Human Resources team through recruitment step by step to make it more accessible.

Access

We reviewed the access orientation films.

World Gallery

We were involved in all aspects of designing the World Gallery, from the location of the seats are to the colour coding of different areas. We even curated our own case.

Events

We helped create an Access Events role and chill out space for big Horniman events.

What we hope to achieve in future

Everybody has the right to enjoy the Horniman, regardless of their identity.

We will continue to work with the Horniman to ensure the voices and opinions of disabled people are listened to and. help make the museum as accessible and welcoming as possible.

We aim to achieve this by creating safe spaces and experiences for all. For example, we will continue to work on the Horniman’s Natural History Gallery and new outdoor spaces until they open to the public.

We will help with the new garden areas, especially the café and play area.