About this project:
This project aims to support visitors with Autism Spectrum Disorder in museum spaces. By providing a structured, yet self-guided visit tool, visitors with Autism are able to enjoy the museum during public hours with many of the supports they may need to feel comfortable.
By adding the component that asks for a response to the objects in the Scavenger Hunt, this project also aims to support social-emotional development and skill-building.
For more information about the resources used, please visit the Sources. For more information about the objects, please visit the Objects page.
About the designer:
Hannah Elbaum is a 2019 graduate of Smith College, where she studied the cross-section of American Studies, Education, and Museum Studies, specifically how museum institutions work as educational institutions and how a broader audience can be included in the museum visit experience. Her experience working with children with special needs prompted her to investigate museums’ accessibility to these children, and how that accessibility can be improved. Hannah works as a Jewish educator outside of Boston, MA.
Acknowledgements:
This project would not exist without the support and guidance of Jessica Nicoll, Charlene Shang Miller, Christen Mucher, and Rosetta Cohen, wonderful professors and mentors who encouraged and guided this project. Many thanks are also due to the Museums Concentration for providing students with space in their college experience to pursue joint academic and field experiences and synthesize their learning and passions into a long-term research endeavor.