From Barrier to Access with Wellcome Collection / Video-webinar
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
In this webinar, we meet Wellcome Collection, which has been internationally recognized for its strategic work on accessibility and inclusion. The institution works purposefully with physical, sensory, and social accessibility, spanning exhibitions and visitor experiences, front-of-house staff, programmes, and organisational culture.
In 2024, Wellcome Collection had the highest proportion of visitors with disabilities among major UK museums and galleries, and in 2025 the institution received the first Visitor Accessibility Award at the Museum + Heritage Awards for its long-term work placing accessibility at the centre of the visitor experience.
The session focuses on Wellcome Collection’s different approaches to integrating inclusion and accessibility across its wide-ranging programme, with particular emphasis on the development and delivery of strong visitor experiences, and how this affects audiences, staff, and partnerships.
About the speaker:
Colum Gaskell is Head of Visitor Experience & Engagement at Wellcome Collection and has strategic responsibility for visitor experience, engagement programmes, and public-facing initiatives across the organisation. His work contributes to creating an open, welcoming, and accessible environment that supports Wellcome Collection’s strategic priorities and values. In the webinar, Colum shares experiences of working strategically with accessibility and how this creates real value for visitors with different needs.
About Wellcome Collection:
Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library that explores the past, present, and future of health through collections, exhibitions, events, books, and digital formats. The institution is guided by a core ambition that everyone’s experience of health matters. Over many years, Wellcome Collection has worked deliberately to develop accessible and inclusive visitor experiences.
This webinar is relevant for museums and cultural institutions with public access. It is particularly aimed at staff working with audience development, user experience, and interpretation.
5 key takeaways from the webinar
Accessibility as a core value – not an add-on:Wellcome Collection treats accessibility as an integrated part of the entire visitor experience, shaping everything from exhibitions to service and communication.
Front-of-house teams are crucial to the experience:Investment in frontline staff is essential. Training, knowledge, and autonomy enable employees to create safe and flexible experiences for all visitors.
Inclusion requires cross-organisational collaboration:Accessibility becomes strongest when it is embedded across the organisation. Wellcome Collection actively works to break down silos so that responsibility and knowledge are shared.
Skills and confidence among staff enable real inclusion:When staff are given training and confidence to act in real situations, accessibility becomes more than policy – it becomes a lived practice in engagement with audiences.
Accessible design improves experiences for everyone:A focus on physical, sensory, and social accessibility not only benefits people with disabilities but enhances the overall visitor experience for all audiences.
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