​Accessibility built in from the ground up at Te Unua

Accessibility and inclusivity has been embedded into the heart of Te Unua Museum of Southland, with the new regional museum in Invercargill designed to ensure it had every visitor in mind.

Physical construction of the new museum was scheduled to be completed later this year, with the facility in Invercargill set to open to the public in 2027.

Te Unua Museum of Southland Team Leader Operations and Visitor Services Saniya Thompson said accessibility considerations had been embedded intentionally throughout the development of the regional museum.

The team at Te Unua had engaged with a number of accessibility advocacy groups and community organisations including Arts Access Aotearoa, Well Child Network, BarrierFree – a division of CCS Disability Action, Disabled United NZ, and Blind Low Vision NZ, to ensure accessibility features were fully-integrated throughout both the build itself and within the museum’s experience and exhibition design.

“The foundations of facilities like museums are built on the strength of partnership and collaboration within a community. The lived experiences shared by advocacy groups, representing people who live, work, and go to school in our community, gave us the opportunity to shape an experience that will be inclusive of everybody from the ground up,” Thompson said.

The aspiration for Te Unua was to create an inclusive space at every touchpoint of the visitor journey – with plans for a welcome video, to help visitors understand the layout and accessibility features within it, set to be made available before people arrived on-site.

Accessibility parking that offered good proximity to the museum entrance, and included additional space for longer vehicles such as vans, as well as easy access to a wheelchair-friendly reception desk, would greet manuhiri (visitors) upon their arrival to the museum.

The exhibition galleries within the museum were located on a single level, with one surface type.

Meanwhile, wayfinding signage that included Braille would allow people with visual impairments to locate essential amenities within Te Unua, while tactile objects using materials including bronze and fibreglass and audio tours would enhance the exhibition experience and make it more inclusive for all.

For members of the Deaf community and those with hearing impairments, elements including interpretative signage printed material outlining accessibility features, and closed-captioning on audio-visual content would assist with the experience throughout the regional museum.

An internal lift would also be available to ensure people with disabilities could access both the education and office spaces of the museum on the second storey, as well as its outdoor mezzanine.

Low-sensory hours were also set to be introduced once Te Unua opened to the public, Thompson said.

“The first experience people have at Te Unua will reflect their future interactions with us,” Thompson said.

“By the time we’re ready to welcome visitors to Te Unua, we hope to have removed as many accessibility barriers as possible. The team at Te Unua has an ongoing commitment to accessibility and inclusiveness, and we want to listen to our community, learn from them, and continue adapting along the way.

“It’s vital we take these steps, to make sure everybody is able to engage in a meaningful way with the stories celebrated within a museum that belongs to all of us.”

Disability advocate Tracy Peters was among the members of the community who had shared feedback on creating an inclusive space at Te Unua.

She had found herself in a disabilities advocacy role after moving from Christchurch following the 2011 earthquake.

“When I came down to Southland, I was shocked to discover how difficult it was to get around in a wheelchair – in public buildings, toilets, at public events. It was actually really physically difficult, and really quite mentally degrading and humiliating,” she said.

“There’s these barriers all over the place. I started having these conversations, with Council and with other people, and before I knew it, I was on a Council working group. I got involved with that and a few other things, and it just grew from there.”

Peters’ background, including working as a tour driver and with the developer of accessible housing, had given her a unique insight into the spatial knowledge needed to play a role in ensuring developments were inclusive. It was crucial for accessibility to be integrated right from the design phase or start of a new development, she said.

“When you’re building a museum, you’re planning your foundation – your wastewater, your lighting, your electrics. The design phase is the time to include everything, for instance is your lighting going to be suitable for neurodiverse people. You have to say, ‘who do we want to come here? Are we going to try to make this as open and available as possible?’” she said.

“Disability is not an exclusive club – anybody who thinks it is is on a different planet. Disability can be temporary or permanent, or something in between. The New Zealand population is also ageing – so whatever is designed for people to engage with, needs to be designed to include all people,” she said.

Her hope was for Te Unua to be a place that ensured people with disabilities felt safe and welcoming to visit.

“I want to feel welcome. I want to roll in those doors, with a whole bunch my friends, regardless of our disability, and I want to be proud to be able to go into that space,” she said.

“The best thing in the world is knowing I can take part. Being able to visit the cafe and get a nice cuppa, being able to go to the museum and enjoy the exhibits – that to me would be incredible.”