RAMM shortlisted for the Museums + Heritage awards

Following a long-term commitment to accessibility across the museum, Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) has been nominated for a Visitor Accessibility Award in the prestigious Museums + Heritage awards. Over the past two years the museum has created an Accessibility Champions group of 11 colleagues from the Audience Development, Collections and Visitor Services teams, with members ranging from museum assistants and exhibitions officers to top management.

Accessibility has become a defining feature of RAMM, supported by management and staff across teams, including cleaning colleagues, designer, curators, visitor services and audience development. Staff work together to listen to each other and the public. When surveyed, 96% of respondents who identified as disabled or having a long-term health condition in 2023-24 responded that they did not encounter any barriers to their RAMM visit.

RAMM Engagement Officer Ruth Gidley said:

‘There are so many ways that a museum visit can light up your year. But people face a huge variety of challenges just to get to us. We’re putting all our heads together to find ways around obstacles so everyone can enjoy this space and these inspiring objects.’

Following recommendations and training from an external heritage access advocacy group, RAMM has:

• taken a proactively broad definition of practical and emotional access needs – from Deafness, learning disabilities, mobility and visual impairment to anxiety, cognitive impairment (including dementia), dietary requirements, neurodiversity and sensory differences;
• shared responsibility for new stances and actions on diversity, equality and inclusion through a voluntary, teamwide Accessibility Champions group;
• viewed accessibility as relevant for inclusion of colleagues and visitors alike;
• regularly updated training for staff and volunteers;
• and harnessed current technology to enhance collections access within the building, before visits, and off-site.

This approach has resulted in a long list of actions and projects, including: a new inclusive recruitment process for our Skills Development Programme; training in alt text for website content; new relaxed sessions for entire museum to allow quieter visits with limited numbers; monthly Museum Meet-Ups for over-50s dealing with isolation or anxiety; age-friendly outreach at care homes, hospitals, social housing; and multiple opportunities for artists with protected characteristics.

Exeter City Council’s lead for Arts, Culture & Tourism Cllr Bob Foale said:

‘We’re delighted with this nomination, which acknowledges the hard work the team at RAMM have put in to improving accessibility across the service, for both colleagues and visitors. Our museum is for everybody, so it’s really important to us that everyone can access it no matter their requirements. There will always be more improvements and adjustments that can be made, and the museum’s Accessibility Champions group is here to listen and act on feedback.’ 

Find out more about the Museums + Heritage awards at awards.museumsandheritage.com