Calling for change – Accessible and equitable recruitment practices

This article was first published by AIM.

Curating for Change, the ground-breaking work placement programme for D/deaf and disabled curators in museums, is calling for the heritage sector to change recruitment practice with their action plan We Are Not All the Same.

The plan addresses the most cited reason for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people not making progress in museum careers – inaccessible recruitment practices and unnecessary requirements in role descriptions.

It evolved from the recruitment experiences of 20 museum partners – independent, local authority, national and university organisations – in appointing eight 18-month Fellowships and eight 40-day trainees as part of Curating for Change, a 3-year National Lottery Heritage Funded project to create strong career pathways for d/Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse curators in museums.

Tackling this recruitment problem – where only 4% of museum workers identify as D/deaf and disabled – will enable a more  diverse work force – essential for museums to remain relevant to their communities.

Schemes such as Disability Confident, and equal opportunities policies are not always giving disabled people a fair chance and often miss the point of equality suggests Esther Fox, Head of Accentuate and Curating for Change: “You may have to treat people differently in order for them to compete equally. This is recognised in employment law and often falls under what is termed “reasonable adjustments”.

@UK_ICOM