Maximizing access is one of the stated objectives in the Mission Statement of
Dorking Museum & Heritage Centre (‘the Museum’). The Museum’s access
policy seeks to ensure that there are no physical, cultural, social, financial,
intellectual, psychological, emotional, logistical, age-related or geographical
barriers to prevent potential audiences from enjoying, participating in and
benefiting from the facilities and services provided by the Museum. The
management committee’s aim is to achieve the optimum level of access to the
Museum’s collections, and to enable the widest possible spectrum of people from
all sections of the community to enjoy use of the Museum’s facilities and to
participate in its activities.
It is the Museum committee’s aim to build accessibility into everything the
Museum provides and plans and to consider the needs of different users of the
Museum and its collections. In assessing barriers to accessibility we will
consider:
- Physical accessibility – the ability of people with physical disabilities to
reach and appreciate every part of the Museum and to access offsite
activities. The needs of the elderly and of people caring for young children
are considered as physical access issues. - Sensory accessibility – whether those with impaired vision or hearing can
enjoy and appreciate the Museum’s building, exhibitions and collection
and participate in its activities. - Intellectual access – whether people with special learning needs can
engage with and enjoy the Museum and its exhibitions and activities. - Cultural access – the needs of people for whom English is an additional
language, or whose background knowledge of English history and culture may be limited. This includes the foreign visitors to Dorking who come to the Museum. - Emotional and attitudinal access – whether the Museum environment and the Museum staff and volunteers are welcoming to our entire audience and participants from all sections of the community and welcome them and provide for their needs appropriately.
- Financial accessibility – whether charges for the Museum’s services and activities are appropriate or form a barrier to those on modest or low incomes or to schools and organisations with limited budgets being able to engage with the Museum’s activities and collections.
- Logistical access – whether opening hours and the timing of events are a barrier to engagement and whether the public can gain access to items and material that we do not have the space to permanently display.
- Age-related access – whether the Museum provides a suitable and welcoming environment for all age groups.
- Geographical access – whether engagement with the Museum’s resources and collections is accessible to users and audiences outside the immediate area.
The Museum undertakes accessibility audits to identify barriers to access and to
agree actions to address barriers to access which have been identified. Agreed
actions are taken into the Museum’s Access Plan which records responsibility for
implementation and targets for action. A written record of accessibility audits is
kept and accessibility audits and the Access Plan must be reviewed at least
every 3 years.
The 2023 Accessibility Audit and its conclusions are annexed to this policy.
In addition to scheduled reviews the Museum team assesses access provisions
and procedures in response to circumstances. Special provisions were adopted
during the Covid 19 crisis to ensure that as much as possible of the Museum’s
collections remained accessible to the public in digital format, even when it was
not possible to allow physical access to the Museum, and to ensure that
engagement activities were available to a range of audiences.
Comments by visitors recorded through the Museum’s visitor survey or online
review forums are monitored and any access issues are discussed at
management committee and actions are agreed and recorded.
In-house volunteers are given inductions and annual refresher training that
includes customer service and access issues and all volunteers are issued with
copies of the Access Policy and Plan for reference purposes.
This policy is subject to periodic review by the Museum’s executive Committee
and by its Trustees.
Last edited January 2023 KA
Adopted by the Committee of Dorking Museum & Heritage Centre on: 17
January 2023
Approved by the Trustees of the Dorking Society on: 27 March 2023
Date for review: March 2028
