By Melanie Dook
A new disability history trail is coming to the Museum of Liverpool this Thursday as part of a new campaign, ‘Curating for Change.’
The trail is being co-produced with local disabled people, prioritising their ideas and experiences so visitors can discover the Museum from an alternative perspective.
The collections will represent the stories of local deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people from the 15th century to the present day.
These stories will range from powerful, motivational doings to challenging accounts of struggle and adversity.
Research and reinterpretation have been carried out by project-led organisation Screen South for their Curating for Change campaign.
Since launching, they’ve gone on to work across the country with a range of partners to deliver heritage, arts and researched based projects, providing opportunities for disabled people to participate and lead.
Over 25% (6 million) of households in the UK have a disabled member with Liverpool having one of the highest proportions of people living with disabilities in the region.
Therefore, the importance of the embodiment of the underrepresented is crucial for an inclusive experience for all.
PR and communications officer for the Museum of Liverpool, Chris Wardle, spoke on his experience during the curation of the trail.
“It was a really unique experience, but it was also extremely meaningful to me as a disabled person to be able to uncover these stories.”
“It’s really important to me that disabled people see themselves represented in the collections of our museum and that everyone sees the important contributions that we’ve made to the city.”
“I’m hoping that by developing inclusive resources and different ways to access these stories it will welcome a range of different people into the museum to learn about disability history.”
The new disability trail will be available to explore from Thursday 18th April.
A complete audio-described guide to all the tactile and sensory interactives are available online for those who’d like to pre-study the location of displays or those who want to re-live the experience.
Disability history trail information: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/museum-of-liverpool/disability-history/disability-history-trail
Disability history trail complete audio description: https://soundcloud.com/user-391458464-366122913/disability-history-trail-complete-audio-description
Mersey Focus 