Welcome and Inclusion
Welcome and Inclusion – New MDN Support Coming in 2026/7
Ensuring a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone in our society is central to the purpose of all museums, whether that relates to the visitors and communities who use and help create our museums or the staff and volunteers who run them.
To help museums develop the best approaches to Welcome and Inclusion, and to comply with the legal frameworks which flow from the Equalities Act, MDN will be delivering a range of new support for museums in 2026/7. This will be tailored to help museums at different starting points for this area of work, and will reflect the variety of experiences and challenges every museum has in reaching out to and welcoming different audiences and groups. Our support programme will consist of:
- Welcome and Inclusion themed best practice examples delivered via our Elevenses programme;
- More detailed training sessions delivered using ‘lived experience’ around this key issue;
- Opportunities for one to one support for museums as they develop and deliver welcome and inclusion processes in their organisation;
- A themed day long in-person forum exploring Welcome and Inclusion.
We are currently developing the detail of this programme – watch this space/website for further information and dates as they become available.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap and eLearning Resource
Museum Development South West have launched a free eLearning course for museums who want to develop their understanding of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
The EDI Roadmap has been developed with expert consultants, with lived experience and EDI expertise, alongside a group of museum user testers.
Through six modules, learners will discover how good EDI practice can be implemented in all aspects of their museum, from leadership and recruitment through to front of house and collections.
This course is for learners who already understand the Equality Act 2010 and protected characteristics. The eLearning can be completed in your own time and paused and returned to when you are ready.
Find all information about the eLearning course on the Museum Development South West website