Sharjah museums to kick off ‘autism-friendly’ workshops for kids

Committed to making its museums accessible to all community members, Sharjah Museums Authority is organising an array of educational and sensory activities as part of its “Autism-Friendly Museums” initiative.

Through its first-of-its-kind scheme in the Gulf region, the activities are specifically designed mindful of sensory abilities to create a learning experiences that meet the needs of children with autism aged between 7-12.

The experience facilitates communication amid peers and surroundings within a safe and enabling museum environment.

Since its launch two years prior, the initiative has succeeded in rolling out a series of learning and fun activities for autistic children, including partnerships with various centres such as the Sharjah Autism Centre.

It offers free workshops and specialised activities in English and Arabic, aimed at enhancing the abilities and potential of children with special needs.

The Sharjah Museum Authority hopes to provide an enabling environment for all members of society and further build a bridge towards a more aware and inclusive society.

Each workshop accommodates up to 15 persons including caregivers, while workshops for children with autism are limited to six persons only. Children aged 7-14 with different disabilities will engage in several workshops held at Al Mahatta Museum, Sharjah Archaeology Museum, Sharjah Art Museum and Sharjah Discovery Centre.

The workshops aim to improve children’s social skills and help them explore their artistic imagination and express themselves through art.

Other workshops will take place at the Sharjah Maritime Museum, Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation and Sharjah Aquarium.

Interested centres need to register their students and specify nature of disabilities three weeks prior to the workshop by visiting www.sharjahmusuems.ae, [email protected] or by calling 971569972968.

Also keen to organise regular touch tours for the visually impaired, the Authority has issued Braille and large-print publications as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure disability-friendly museums that are accessible to all.

This ambitious approach has resulted in honouring two of its museums, the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation and Sharjah Maritime Museum, with the certificate of Accessible for Disability in the Museum category by the World Disability Union.

[Sourced from Agencies]