This research aims to understand the extent and nature of activities and approaches to improving access for people with learning disabilities to the arts, galleries and museums in London.

This paper forms a part of a large body of work by Lemos&Crane on tackling isolation, encouraging social and cultural engagement and promoting positive social networks for adults with learning disabilities living in the community. As well as empowering people against vulnerability to loneliness and cruelty, engagement with the arts, museums and galleries creates opportunities to enjoy new experiences, develop positive social networks, express yourself in a new and meaningful way, broaden experience and ignite imagination.

Lemos&Crane were commissioned by City Bridge Trust to write a scoping paper to understand the extent and nature of activities and approaches to improving access for people with learning disabilities to the arts, galleries and museums in London, as well as to identify gaps and suggest recommendations for practice as well as policy. This paper outlines preliminary findings.

They distributed an email questionnaire seeking examples of good practice to arts organisations, galleries and museums across London and learning disability specialists from London and across the UK. Twenty-six mainstream arts organisations, galleries or museums responded to their survey. Of these, 14 had some form of current or ongoing activity for people with a learning disability. Twelve organisations had no current or ongoing practice or activities for people with a learning disability. Of these, eight had never had any activities for people with learning disabilities and four had previously run a project or activity but this had come to an end. Performing arts organisations seemed to be more responsive to the needs and aspirations of people with learning disabilities (especially children) than most museums and galleries.

Lemos & Crane. (2014). Re-imagine. Improving access to the arts, galleries and museums for people with learning disabilities. London: Lemos & Crane.