People are increasingly calling for an ‘inclusive’ society. This means a community in which each population group, regardless of background or disability, is involved and/or represented and takes an active part. It applies to museums, too. The new ICOM definition was approved in 2022. It mentions specific societal challenges such as accessibility, diversity, sustainability and… inclusion.
Since day one, the experience of each and every visitor has been central to our museum. Despite its large size, Train World relies on a relatively small but highly motivated team. Keeping a museum running sounds obvious, but to win over the public you need to think carefully, and it takes effort and dedication to implement the ICOM definition. In other words, a great deal is expected of the Train World staff.
Inclusion matters to Train World. The museum is more than ready to tackle all areas in which inclusion matters, but can it be done by a small team? With the ICOM definition in mind, the management asked themselves what the team could do improve inclusivity. But can a small team remain constantly aware of gender issues? Can the museum pay ongoing attention to the issue of ‘origin, migration and identity’? Can we combat poverty and social exclusion on a day-to-day basis? And can we also fulfil the requirements of people with physical and mental disabilities?
Train World is endeavouring to work on as many of these aspects as possible. But to be honest, we can’t do it all at once. We’re all too aware of that. So we decided to concentrate on one specific target group: people with disabilities. Not that we’re going to ignore other forms of inclusion, not in the least. But what Train World is doing now is making its displays more inclusive by improving access for people with disabilities. Once we have developed products and formulas for people with disabilities, we’ll see what we can do for other groups. This will enable us to target our actions. In any case, it will put us in a position to make further choices in the future.
Our efforts are paying off. For people with a mental disability, we’ve developed ‘Multisenso Rail – Discovering Steam Trains’. Train World also offers guided tours for the blind and visually impaired. In both cases, Train World employs guides/storytellers specially trained at the museum. And it will continue to offer training courses in the future.
In 2021, on the occasion of the ‘Vlieg the Fly’s Treasure Hunt’, we developed an inclusive family tour in the application‚ Erfgoedapp. This tour uses short films in sign language and ordinary spoken language. In the future, we intend to include sign language in our permanent family package, currently under development.
The Train World concept is based on settings in which light and sound fully showcase NMBS/SNCB’s collection. This combination of light (and darkness) and sound has an impact on the senses and on how you as a visitor experience the NMBS/SNCB collection. For Train World visitors with a physical or mental disability, this can often be challenging. We want to do something about it. Starting in 2023, we’ll be endeavouring to make the museum a less potentially disquieting environment at set times.
As well as paid staff, Train World also relies on volunteers to ensure visitors enjoy their visit. As part of our inclusivity drive, we’ll be applying the NMBS/SNCB equal-opportunities policy. We’ll be trying to attract people who find it difficult to enter the job market. People with disabilities, people with diverse origins, etc. will all be welcome.
There is no end to how a museum can be made actively inclusive. New challenges continue to arise and inspire us to be even more inclusive. Train World’s communications policy will continue to be adjusted where necessary. Volunteers with disabilities will continue to be made welcome. For this purpose, extra training is a must for volunteers and accompanying persons. The museum will also increasingly apply the principle of Universal Design to its displays. We intend to develop existing packages such as Multisenso Rail for other target groups (people who do not speak Dutch, French or English, children, people on the autistic spectrum, people with dementia, etc.). We shall also be making Train World accessible to the blind and visually impaired. The applications we develop for these groups need to be further expanded so that they can be used by other target groups.
As far as other forms of inclusivity are concerned, we’re doing what we can. We have no long-term projects relating to gender. What we are doing is responding to proposals by the Brussels Museum to involve LGBTQIA artists in the programmes of events such as Museum Night Fever.
We are proud of our collaboration with Sagacité, a nonprofit that supplies extra coaching to young people from the neighbourhood. The museum makes teaching premises available free of charge. Apart from one-shot projects during more wide-ranging events, our contribution to areas such as identity and origin remains limited for the time being. The plan to extend Multisenso Rail to people who do not speak Dutch, French or English may lead to a project related to migration. We’re certainly keeping that option open. For people in poverty, we’re making a small contribution by offering reduced-price entrance tickets such as Article 27 and Iedereen Verdient Vakantie.