Implications for Practice

In terms of its concrete contributions, the findings of this research had several significant implications for the field. First, it resulted in establishing a sustainable access program with long-term benefits for the greater Midlands community. From a broader perspective, this research fulfilled the goal of finding out how cultural institutions can be transformed to ensure equity of access to human cultural heritage for all users, regardless of their physical or intellectual ability. Therefore, the knowledge gained from this study will be useful to other museums looking to enhance their special programs to increasingly diverse local communities.

The main outcome of the study was that it proved that exposure to cultural events enhances the quality of life of children with autism by providing opportunities to engage

with art, learn, and interact with peers in a non-threatening and welcoming environment. Specifically, the study produced evidence of change in the autistic children’s content knowledge and social interaction skills. The aforementioned change was noted through an increase in understanding of the exhibit content, as well as enjoyment, socialization, and creativity during the gallery tours and the follow-up hands-on art-making activities the children completed together with their parents.

The intent behind this research was to stimulate dialogue between the autism community and the cultural sector about integrating the principles of social justice into current educational practices of cultural institutions to make the museum field more inclusive and relevant to all of its service communities. The study made the case that civic engagement is the vehicle museums can use to address pressing social concerns and needs. By doing so, this research carried with it a far-reaching implication for the future of museums. The study illustrated that by diversifying their audiences to include

communities with special needs museums can not only benefit those communities but also erase negative perceptions of exclusion, increase attendance, and bring new meaning to a cultural experience.

In the current economic reality, engaging communities that have previously been marginalized is a challenging task for museums but, as the CMA access program

demonstrated, it can be done through partnerships, effective leadership, and

organizational commitment. It became obvious that reaching out to new and diverse audiences requires that museums do something bold, innovative, and different from what they have done before. However, the benefits are far greater than the risks and

life and trusted agents of change in society. Caring has always been an integral part of the museum’s mission. Historically, museums have cared for collections and artifacts.

Therefore, there should be nothing to prevent them from caring for their visitors and their entire communities.

By narrating the story of a successful access program, the researcher made a compelling argument that museums should fully immerse themselves in addressing important issues of inclusion and social unity. If museums fail to recognize this need and act accordingly, they run the risk of alienating audiences with special needs, a growing segment of the population. As Long (2013) observed, if there are no communities to visit, share their lives, and engage with a museum, there will be no future for the museum.

The study has significant practical implications for different organizations and individuals working with museums and autistic communities. First, it will be useful for museum educators interested in designing effective museum education programs for special needs children. Program staff in other museums may leverage similar assessment strategies and tools to better gauge the impact of their programming on the visitors they target. The implication for museum administrators is that the study provided insights into ways to set strategic priorities, provide efficient leadership, develop collaboration,

allocate resources, and re-affirm the value of the museum in the eyes of its service communities and other vital stakeholders. Second, cultural heritage consultants will find the findings of this study helpful in supporting their recommendations to other cultural institutions on the ways to design better cultural, educational, and social experience for special needs community. Third, the study is important for various program staff in other types of cultural institutions besides museums, such as zoos, aquariums, or parks. The

example of the CMA access program demonstrates that any work for special needs populations is worthwhile; therefore, other cultural institutions should continue and expand their efforts in this area.

Fourth, this research has impact for education in general and particularly for special education teachers because students who can enhance their learning in alternative settings are likely to do better when they return to their classroom. Teachers who

understand the value of the museum as an educational setting will be more motivated to bring their special needs students to cultural institutions and experience learning in those unconventional environments. Fifth, the study is valuable for researchers and scholars who focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder. The study findings have proved that cultural intervention, understood as the museum experience, is another effective way to address some of the key challenges of autism. Therefore, the study posits that participation in museum activities, and learning in cultural institutions in general, may be a great supplement to traditional therapies for autism. Sixth, software designers and creators of online learning tools for children with autism will also benefit from this study because it provides a vivid picture of how these children learn, interact, and grow as individuals in cultural and recreational settings. Therefore, educational and behavioral software developers will be able to integrate this knowledge and make their products better address the real needs of autistic children.

Lastly, the study had clear-cut benefits for the participating families, and it will benefit other families with autistic children as well, by demonstrating ways in which these children can be integrated into social and cultural mainstream and take advantage of the wide variety of opportunities available to them. In other words, the study has

implications for the entire autism community by showing that autistic children who experience cultural events do better both cognitively and socially.