Children’s museums have long understood that access is only the beginning.

Across our field, we design environments where children are valued, play is recognized as serious learning, and families are welcomed as full participants in the museum experience. But as our communities evolve, so must our approaches—especially when it comes to serving neurodivergent individuals and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

That’s why the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) is proud to partner with the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), the American Public Gardens Association (APGA), the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Zoos and Aquariums for a Neurodiverse Ecosystem (ZANE), and the STEM Research Center at Oregon State University on Beyond Access—a multi-year, field-wide initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. (NSF Award No. 2517287).

Moving Beyond the Doorway

Informal STEM learning environments—children’s museums, science centers, zoos, aquariums, and public gardens—are uniquely positioned to support curiosity, exploration, and connection. These spaces already reach millions of children and families each year through hands-on, playful learning experiences.

Beyond Access asks an important next question: How do we move from welcoming people in to ensuring they truly belong—both as visitors and as staff?

Building on prior research, including the Modeling Zoos and Aquariums as Inclusive Communities of Science (MoZAICS) project, Beyond Access will examine how existing tools, strategies, and practices can be adapted and implemented across informal STEM learning settings, with a focus on neurodivergent individuals and people with IDD.

Why This Matters to Children’s Museums

Children’s museums are experts in designing experiences that respond to children’s needs, strengths, and ways of learning. We know that children learn differently—and that difference is an asset.

Through Beyond Access, ACM will help ensure that children’s museums are not only part of the conversation, but leaders in shaping how inclusion is practiced across the broader informal learning ecosystem. This work will explore:

How inclusive exhibit design, facilitation strategies, and environments can better support neurodivergent learners

How museums can strengthen inclusive employment pathways and workplace cultures

How organizations can learn directly from neurodivergent individuals and people with IDD to inform practice

At its core, this project recognizes that neurodivergent individuals and people with IDD bring valuable perspectives, creativity, and ways of thinking that enrich organizations and communities.

A Community of Practice—Across the Field

Beyond Access will support a committed, cross-sector community of practice through 2029, creating space for shared learning, reflection, and growth. Together with our partners, ACM will contribute to project-wide communications, field engagement, and the development of resources that museums of all sizes can use.

This collaboration reflects what we know to be true: meaningful change happens when we work together—across disciplines, institution types, and lived experiences.

Looking Ahead

For ACM, Beyond Access aligns deeply with our mission to champion children’s museums and enrich the lives of children worldwide. It reinforces our belief that inclusion and belonging are not add-ons—they are foundational to playful learning, community wellbeing, and a healthy future for all children.

We look forward to sharing updates, insights, and opportunities to engage as this work unfolds.

Together, we can move beyond access—and toward belonging.

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A Partnership Across the Field

Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) 

American Public Gardens Association (APGA) 

Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) 

Zoos and Aquariums for a Neurodiverse Ecosystem (ZANE) 

STEM Research Center at Oregon State University 

Together, these organizations bring deep expertise in research, visitor experience, accessibility, and fieldwide learning networks to create a community of practice and share inclusive practices across many types of institutions. 

About the Association of Children’s Museums

Started in 1962, the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) is a nonprofit membership organization working with and on behalf of children’s museums worldwide. With more than 470 members in 50 states and 11 countries reaching more than 35,000 children’s museum professionals who collectively serve over 30 million visitors annually, ACM champions children’s museums and together enriches the lives of children worldwide. ACM’s vision is a world that prioritizes the rights of all children to playful learning and a healthy, safe, and equitable future. Learn more at ChildrensMuseums.Org.