Learn Becoming Seamlessly Inclusive Sensory Explorations We are delighted to be an Arts Council National Portfolio organisation 2023-26 where our work is aligned to the 'Investment principles' and we aim to: Keep focused on ambition and quality, ensuring our work is in the voice of those we work with. To embed environmental responsibility and understanding across the whole organisation and all our work. Build our dynamism diversifying and building partnerships, funding streams, digital innovation and remain open to new opportunities. Build on being inclusive and relevant remaining exemplary in our work in terms of deaf and disabled heritage access as aligned to our core purpose and articles of association, alongside developing excellence in the field of sensory needs engagement and work opportunity. Contents Ambition and quality Environmental responsibility Dynamism Inclusive and relevant Seamlessly Sensing project Kop Hill Climb project Ambition and Quality We offer accessible work placement opportunities for young people aged 16-25. Working closely with the school/college/educational setting to understand the needs of each placement student to best support them. Read about our work placement programme here. Environmental Responsibility November 2023 update Meet Tracey our Carbon footprint ambassador and Team Administrator. We have recently moved into our new office, to meet the needs of our expanded team of Museum trainees and have managed to kit it out with everything we need from chairs to desks, bookshelves and computers from recycling centres and friendly companies getting rid of equipment. We have a proper waste recycling scheme and have recycled our regional touring exhibition equipment to Milton Keynes Museum. Photos left to right: Tracey Mallett, NPHT Team Administrator. Paralympic Heritage Stories exhibition at Milton Keynes Museum. Dynamism There has been a real focus on fundraising at the start of this five year programme of work. More information coming shortly. Inclusive and Relevant Seamlessly Sensing project Would you like to take part in an exciting project working with objects connected to the Paralympic movement? We are currently recruiting disabled and non-disabled people to participate in a one-day workshop and be part of a group discussion focusing on an object from the National Paralympic Heritage Trust (NPHT) Collection and other Buckinghamshire Museums. The aim will be to work together to create a description of that object, which will help audiences better enjoy and engage with the object. Many people feel like they are unable to properly understand or experience objects in museums or galleries. This might be because they don’t understand what they are looking at, or it could be because they don’t have full access to the visual information because they might be blind or partially blind. Image © Royal Holloway University of London. These workshops are part of a research project that hopes to address this by looking at descriptions of objects that are created collaboratively by groups of people with different experiences of disability. We are keen to recruit a wide range of people, whether or not you are interested in history, sport or the history of the Paralympic Movement. No experience is necessary. We would ask you to take part in a one-day workshop at the NPHT, Stoke Mandeville, and to complete a very short feedback questionnaire. We will offer you a thank you payment of £200 (this can be provided in vouchers if preferred) for your time and contribution plus reasonable travel expenses. Lunch and light refreshments will be provided. No advance preparation is required. The resulting audio descriptions will appear in three virtual galleries that are part of the virtual International Paralympic museum, the galleries for this project are: The Guttmann Gallery, featuring the story of the Father of the Paralympics. The Buckinghamshire Gallery, featuring objects related to disability from museums across the county, alongside objects from Special Education Needs Schools and the Paralympics. The British Blind Sport Gallery, featuring objects from blind sport collections. There are 4 workshop dates and participants are likely to be offered only one date only. The dates are all Thursdays, February 8th and 11th and March 7th and 21st and each day will be from approximately 10am to 5pm with refreshments provided. Three people are needed for each workshop and priority will be given to people with disabilities. Ideally we would like one person with a visual impairment for each workshop. If you are keen to take part, please email [email protected] by the 10th January 2024, stating why you would like to take part and sharing with us your disability. We shall confirm places on the 17th January 2024. WICAD (a co-curated name) stands for Workshop on Inclusive Co-curated Audio Description, a system developed by the Royal Holloway University linked to their Sensational Museum work https://sensationalmuseum.org and nationally recognised as ground breaking and inclusive. Kop Hill Climb project This exciting collaborative project with young people is linked to being ‘Inclusive and Relevant’ and will build our understanding of how students with sensory processing needs can use physical movement as a tool for learning. An educational outreach project designed to reduce the social isolation and disadvantage often experienced by children with SEND, using inspirational Paralympic heritage to develop confidence and life skills including strategies to support learning outside of the classroom. The project includes a series of interactive workshops in two local SEND schools, exploring physical sensory experiences with inspirational role models in dance, music, sport and the performing arts during September and October 2023. To introduce movement as a way to enable children with sensory processing needs to prepare for learning beyond the classroom setting, building their confidence and equipping them and their families with techniques to help regulate their senses in order to reduce the isolation experienced through self-exclusion from new experiences like visiting museums or heritage sites. Professional dancer Paulina Porwollik said about being involved in this project: I have been learning and gaining such rich understanding from the children involved in this project programme. Experiencing together what helps us individually to create and be in a safe and secure learning environment, supports the outlook onto a sustainable accessible class room now and in the future. The National Paralympic Heritage Trust does really have a tremendous impact on redefining "the Classroom” through particular projects like this and enhances innovative thinking around accessibility. The NPHT Team, I Have A Voice Too! (Aylesbury adult special needs theatre group) and professional dancer Paulina Porwollik with pupils from Booker Park School. Writer Steve Katon said: It was a pleasure working with the young people at Furzedown and Booker Park. The love of a story and engaging with it is a universal experience and never ceases to amaze me that a unique tale emerges from the experience. I am really keen on working more with young people with a variety of different needs as this will help my practice and create all kinds of diverse protagonists. If stories are for everyone they need to be about everyone, don’t they? Clare Norton said: I had a great experience running when I was younger. I really loved doing the talks with the kids with you. Funders Manage Cookie Preferences