RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) will become a Certified Autism Center (CAC) on Friday, Jan. 3. The goal is to make the museum more sensory-friendly for those on the autism spectrum.
The education team at the museum, located on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, said they’ve been working to make it more accessible and sensory-friendly for years. They partnered with the Autism Society of Central Virginia to get their staff trained.
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To give everyone the best experience, the museum will now give guests access to check out noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys to use during their visit for free. These tools can help people feel calmer and more focused.
Galleries will have low or no sound, dimmed lights and educators will be on site with hands-on building activities.
To kick it off, the museum is hosting a “Sensory-Friendly Morning” on Friday, Jan. 3, in the Traveling Brick Exhibit . The exhibit showcases different cars, sea and space vehicles made out of one million Legos.