Speakers: Joanna Quilty, Assistant Visitor Experience Manager, the Design Museum and Neil Taylor, Supported Employment Coordinator, Action on Disability
Do you want to provide work experience opportunities for SEND students but don’t know where to begin?
At the Design Museum, we work with Action on Disability, a local charity that partners with colleges and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to provide work experience for SEND students aged 16–25. Through our Visitor Experience team, we host supported internships that help young people take their first steps into employment.
Over the past three years, we have provided work experience for five interns who have made an impact on our team and our visitors. These internships help students build confidence, develop practical skills and gain insight into the working world, particularly in arts, culture and visitor-facing roles. Their involvement has also helped us improve how we support and communicate with disabled and neurodivergent people, strengthening our access practices, communication styles and management approach.
In this session, I will discuss our experience hosting interns, the role of Action on Disability and the wider context of disabled people working in the arts. I will be joined by Neil Taylor, a Supported Employment Coordinator at Action on Disability.
Main image credit: Richard Heald
Joanna Quilty
Neil Taylor
