Children’s Museum of the Arts Offers Free Admission for Children with Special Needs

The Children’s Museum of the Arts is launching a 2-year Art for All initiative with the aim of making the museum more accessible for children with special needs. As part of the initiative, free admission is given to children with special needs and their caregiver.

Beginning July 1 (in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act), the Children’s Museum of the Arts will begin a 2-year Art for All initiative, courtesy of a Museums of America Award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The program will enable any child with a disability and their caregiver (parent, respite support, therapist, teacher) free admission to the museum during general public hours. In exchange for free admission, the museum asks that families provide feedback to help strengthen museum-wide programs.

CMA’s Art for All initiative aims to make the museum accessible for all children, including those with special needs, by providing its staff with professional development to encourage the museum’s Teaching Artists to think universally when designing programs for children. Teaching Artists will gain skills in adapting their curricula for classes and public programs for children on the autism spectrum and those with physical disabilities. Visitor Services training will expand upon the welcoming culture of CMA by preparing staff with an understanding of the issues that children and parents of children with special needs experience when visiting a community space like CMA. The museum will also collaborate with parent focus groups, community-based organizations, and experts in accessibility.

“This initiative is the beginning of a paradigm shift in the NYC art community, and I hope that every museum across our country will adopt a similar model,” said Mindy Nam Dehnert, funder of CMA’s Inclusive Programs, which provides rich programming in fine and media arts for children with disabilities. “It gives all children the opportunity to have freedom of expression and honors the creative genius that resides in all of us.”

Families can begin to register for the free admission program via an online form found on the CMA website. Once families have registered they can visit the museum at their convenience during general public hours. They will be greeted with a “Welcome Kit” that will include tools to help make their visit successful, including a social story, which communicates to the child what they will find during their visit.

“I believe that early engagement in the arts and a nurtured relationship with cultural institutions can lead to rich learning that will enable cultural inclusion across the lifespan,” said Michelle López, Director of Community Programs at CMA. “It’s important for families of young children with disabilities to have a safe space to bring their children, so that they can make memories together.”

Main photo: A Collaborative Painting Workshop at the Children’s Museum of the Arts

Courtesy Children’s Museum of the Arts