Nikita Bolshakov took part in the development and organization of the professional development program for museum staff
Nikita Bolshakov, a Leading Research Fellow at the ILSIR, together with the Museum of Cryptography, organized a professional development program for museum workers called "On the same wave".
The program, organized to share experiences in the implementation of projects in the field of accessibility and inclusion, includes a series of online training seminars on working with visitors to scientific museums — people with different forms of disability. Methodological support is also provided to museum staff in the development of their own projects and programs. The participants of the program can be both those who already have experience in developing programs for people with disabilities, and those who are just starting to get acquainted with this topic.
"Communicating a lot with the staff of regional museums, including during interviews within the framework of our study "Cultural citizenship and local solidarity: the experience of Social inclusion of the audience of Russian Museums" (the project is supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation), I often came across a request for support in establishing systematic work with people with disabilities. Many museums have specialists who would be willing to engage in such projects, but do not understand where to start and where to find resources. With this program, on the one hand, we want to support such employees, give them specific life hacks and tools, where to start and how to organize work, and on the other hand, introduce them to each other and contribute to the creation of such a small community of employees of scientific and technical museums interested in inclusion and accessibility", - Nikita Bolshakov notes.
The program will be implemented from February 13 to April 28, 2024. During this time, participants will share their experiences with colleagues, get acquainted with the practices of other museums, and also receive advice from people with disabilities, experts and representatives of grant-giving organizations on the creation and implementation of their own projects.
Upon completion of the program, participants will have a scientific or technical project ready for implementation or submission for a grant. The target audience of the project is people with disabilities. The projects will be presented at a face-to-face session in Moscow.
The "On the Same Wave" program is supported by the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation and with the information support of the Russian Committee of the International Council of Museums.