FRAMEWork

What is it?

The FRAMEwork museum guide for the reception of autistic people is a compendium of practices and programs adopted in the museum environment for the reception of neurodivergent and autistic populations. The descriptions and advice it contains are derived from the results of projects carried out by the educational services of three museums belonging to the FRAME (French American Museum Exchange) network (Lille’s Palais des Beaux Arts, Dallas Museum of Art and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts).

This guide gives examples of how to conduct an activity session at the museum for autistic people.

Why is it important? / How can it help the professionals of the cultural sector?

This guide helps each cultural sector professional to better understand their audience on the autism spectrum and therefore adapt the institution. Through this guide, the goal is to make partner museums’ initiatives known to other museums, allowing them to draw inspiration from those experiences and create programs that fit their own context. It is also an evolutionary tool, as the members of FRAME museum network wish to let it evolve with new research and discoveries.

Tool name

FRAMEWork, Museum guide for the reception of autistic people

Tool type

Downloadable online guide

Accessibility features

The FRAMEWork series is intended to be a practical tool that can be adopted by museums internationally.

Multilingual support

French and English

Public targeted

Museum professionals, cultural institutions who wish to deepen their knowledge of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and of people with ASD

Open source / free / paid / other

Free access to the guide

User Interface (UI) adaptability

n/a

Platform compatibility

The guide is accessible online, via a computer or via a mobile phone

Installation and setup

n/a

Updates and maintenance

n/a

User support and documentation

The documentation was provided by the various partner museums (DMA, MBAM, PBA). They cross-referenced the different practices of museums regarding autism.

Integration with other tools

n/a

Accessibility standards compliance

n/a

One/two examples of a project where the tool has been used

PBA, Lille : In 12 years, creation of 850 artistic practice sessions and reception of 370 children, adolescents and young adults

User feedback/success stories

“For an autistic person, making choices is really difficult. The sessions at the museum are interesting exercises: they allow him to prefer one color to another, to choose a reason, to give his opinion.”Cécile Causiaux, mother of Léo (22) and Max-Hélios (20), young individual with autism.

Accessible exhibition and museum tours guide

The Tourism & Handicap label