How can the museum remove stimuli for visitors with sensory processing disorders?
A visit to a museum can be extremely tiring because of the many impressions and stimuli you have to process in a short space of time. For people with autism, acquired brain injury (ABI), and other sensory processing disorders, a regular museum visit is therefore not always without its challenges.
In 2017 the Van Abbemuseum worked with Onbeperkt Genieten (unlimited enjoyment) on developing a low-stimulus museum visit. This kind of visit takes place outside regular opening hours, and the tour is geared to the needs of this target audience. The stimuli in the museum are reduced using practices such as dimming the lights, temporarily switching off sound systems and videos, and providing headphones on request.
Pilot period
During the pilot period, the visitors reacted very positively to the guided tours, which were organised by the Onbeperkt Genieten Foundation in association with the Van Abbemuseum. For some participants, it was their first positive experience in a museum; others were simply relieved to be able to visit a museum which takes account of their limitations, and allows them to feel more relaxed.
To find out more about a low-stimulus museum programme, you can get in touch with us or Stichting Onbeperkt Genieten.
What is a sensory-friendly museum visit?
Sponsored by
The Unlimited from Abbe programme is sponsored by participants in the BankGiro Lottery. In April 2014, the programme coordinator Marleen Hartjes used this contribution to start preparations for the Special Guests programme, which was opened to the public in October of the same year.