Acton’s Discovery Museum is well known to local residents as a hands-on museum that blends science, nature, and play, inspiring families to explore and learn together. Perhaps less well known is their extensive programming for families and groups with members who may have a disability, including sensory sensitivities, visual impairments, and/or hearing loss.
The Especially for Me program offers accommodations that increase access to and enjoyment of the museum, sometimes during dedicated hours. Because admission is free, families may come and go based on their needs, without concern for cost. Visitors also have the chance to meet others in similar circumstances, thereby reducing feelings of isolation and judgment by others – often described by families dealing with special needs. A medical diagnosis is not required to attend.
Discovery Museum is ADA-compliant and all exhibits are accessible, designed according to Universal Design principles to be both aesthetically pleasing and usable by the widest possible range of people, without regard to age or ability.
Special resources are always available including noise-reducing headphones, a Social Story Guide (available in eight languages), a sensory map to the museum, and a designated “Take a Break” space. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters may be requested during registration. Parking is always free and dinner, including a gluten-free option, is provided at all evening events.
All Especially for Me events are free to attend, but preregistration is required. Dates and registration links can be found online, and questions can be answered at sheilman@discoveryacton.org. Registration generally opens up four to six weeks in advance of each event. Events coming up soon include Sensory-Friendly Afternoon on June 4, Morning for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Kids of Deaf Adults (KODA) visitors on June 3, Autism-Friendly Special Evening on June 15, and Special Evening for Deaf, Blind or DeafBlind on July 20. Looking further into the future, a Sensory-Friendly Halloween is in development for October 26.
Especially for Me is part of the museum’s Open Door Connections program to provide opportunities for those who face a variety of barriers—financial, developmental, or cultural—to experience the Museum.
Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum that blends science, nature, and play, inspiring families to explore and learn together. The museum and its Discovery Woods accessible outdoor nature playscape and giant treehouse blend STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning on a 4.5-acre campus abutting 180 acres of conservation land in South Acton. Originally founded in 1982 and expanded to two museums in 1987, the museum reopened in a single,16,000 square foot accessible building after a complete renovation and expansion in early 2018.
Discovery Museum is committed to accessibility and is a recipient of the Massachusetts Commonwealth Award, the only winner in the Access category, and a LEAD® Community Asset Award from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2024 the museum was awarded a National Medal for Museum Service from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the nation’s highest honor awarded to museums that make “significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.”
