A Science Museum Turns the Lens of Inquiry on Itself

How cool is my job? 

In late January I spent a delightful afternoon at San Francisco’s famous Exploratorium as part of the Mott National Conference of Statewide Afterschool Networks. I had been to the Exploratorium as a tourist in the past and always enjoyed it immensely. However, this time was different. I suddenly saw The Exploratorium as a perfect place for natural and authentic inclusion. I looked at The Tinkering Studio and imagined children with a variety of abilities in the space, and that children who may be labeled as having a disability would have a lot of abilities to share and show as they created art and science using the hands on materials. In my mind’s eye I saw children considered “typical” gaining a greater level of understanding and appreciation for their peers with autism. And I saw all kinds of children exploring future interests and possibly even career paths while enjoying the incredible exhibits at the museum. I was inspired! After the tour the staff gathered the participants in the McBean Theater for a talk-back session. I posed the question, “How do you support children with disabilities in museum activities?” I will never forget how the staff looked at me with their eyes large and their hearts open. “We aren’t sure, but we know that children with disabilities come to the museum, and their parents tell us they like it, but we want to know why it works, why it doesn’t work and what we could be doing.” Music to my ears!

This past Friday and Saturday I went back up to the museum to begin helping them get the answers to their questions. I experienced the same openness that I sensed back in January. I gave a “brown bag” talk on Friday and we discussed how the activities of the museum may support the needs of children with a variety of disabilities, and also how their unique sensory environment is challenging to children with certain types of disabilities. I gave them the basic tenets of inclusive practice, and we spent some time on how to make accommodations that would support children and adults with disabilities.

Following the brown bag session, we held a series of 30-minute sessions with staff from different departments. Representatives from volunteer management, field trips, visitor research & evaluation and exhibits came to ask questions and think through how they might make shifts in how they do their work to make it even more accessible to people of all abilities. I was incredibly impressed with the passion that was apparent in each of them. I heard about their previous efforts, like an autism family night that was a collaborative effort with another local agency, and also a lot about their upcoming move to the Piers in early 2013.

Kids and families enjoying an activity at the Open MAKE

Saturday I was back at the museum to witness their Open MAKE event that involved 90 different “makers” hosting open activities for children and families. A feature of this event was Caine’s Arcade, and there was a line into this 9 year-old's exhibit all day long.

The theme was "trash" and this seal was made all from materials washed up on the Oregon seashore. 

We always remind organizations that inclusion is a journey, not a destination. It doesn’t have a finish line that you cross. The staff at The Exploratorium seems to understand that inherently. They are using their highly-developed inquiry skills to question, “How could we be more accessible?” “What’s working here for children with autism and other disabilities, and how could we incorporate that throughout the museum?” “What challenges do people face in accessing our museum, and how could we help alleviate those challenges?”  KIT is committed to helping them explore these questions, and I am excited to see how they grow as they move to their new, larger space next year.