How accessibility can be considered in the development of the Dining Room?
We met to discuss how accessibility can be considered in the development of the Dining Room, but also the gallery spaces too. Members across the Touchstones team attended the workshop so they could hear what access needs were important to the group and what would need to be considered before reopening next year.
We discussed what things can be put in place to make visiting these spaces more enjoyable and easier to navigate. We referred to previous meeting minutes to see what was top priority, which enabled the group to create a list of actions to implement.
We discussed potential barriers, such as parking or having information available on the website, like images and information about the spaces in the building – this would help to relieve any anxieties around layout and what is in the building. This was particularly important when considering mobility and wheelchair access.
The group also discussed the importance of menu layouts, with text being easy to read and having some images of the food. We thought through furniture options, making sure that the layout is considered for wheelchair access, as well as crockery, and adaptive cutlery. We also discussed the way the information is shared in the gallery and what works best for each individual. It was an insightful session and the curators made a lot of decisions around what should be in place, and what needs to be considered ahead of opening the Dining Room and the galleries.