Welcoming (Back) Autistic Visitors to Museums as Covid Pandemic Restrictions Ease
As museums get ready to welcome visitors back through their doors, now is a good time to reflect on how the last few months have particularly affected engagement with autistic people. Lessons can be learnt from the pandemic negatives which will probably continue in some form for a while. There have been some surprising pandemic positives. It would be a huge shame to get rid of these too. The last two years have been tough for all of us but consider the stress levels if even in normal circumstances you “start each day half-filled with anxiety”. [i] Autism isn’t a mental health problem but 33% of autists have one caused by the difficulties of living in a neurotypical world with inadequate support. [ii] 90% autistic people worried about their mental health during lockdown and 85% say their anxiety levels have got worse. [iii] The pandemic has exacerbated the difficulties in a number of ways. Opportunities for social interaction There’s been a big reduction in social and communica