The Coffin Works is committed to providing ways to enable both visitors and staff to achieve full physical, intellectual and sensory access to its collections.  It will do this by ensuring that its entrances and public areas such as the courtyard and facilities, are always physically accessible and that visiting procedures for access and entry to the heritage attraction, research collections and on-site learning activities are clearly advertised.  Integral to ensuring continued physical access to collections is maintenance of the museum lift to guarantee that it is in constant working order, thereby providing access to spaces that would otherwise be inaccessible to some visitors. 

The Coffin Works is committed to developing and publicising programmes and activities that will introduce children and adults with learning difficulties, including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) to the Museum, to its collections and facilities. 

In addition all staff and volunteers will receive training in how to address disability access issues to ensure that tour guides, in particular, are aware of how to support visitors with access needs.  This will include wheelchair users and people with visual and hearing impairments and/or learning difficulties.  The main purpose here is to ensure that tours are tailored around the needs of visitors with physical, learning and sensory access issues, and our Front of House team are aware of the importance of being inclusive.

Staff and volunteers will also receive training around issues of bereavement to ensure that they are prepared for emotional responses which may arise as a result of their access to the museum’s collections and themes.

A core duty of Birmingham Conservation Trust is to safeguard our collections while providing reasonable access to them for the study and enjoyment of all visitors.  Members of our Front of House team will be available at all times when visitors are in heritage spaces to supervise the handling of objects.  It is intended that this approach strikes a balance between providing a unique opportunity to handle objects, whilst guaranteeing their safety in order to preserve them for future generations.

A handling collection will be selected which is suitable for use with schools and community groups on–site.  This may include objects for loan.  The Collections & Exhibitions Manager, in partnership with the Learning Manager, will regularly review the contents of handling boxes to ensure that objects develop access to new subject areas and curricular links covered in the collection.  All loans boxes will contain an inventory of items to mitigate any potential loss of objects.