Case Study: Yorkshire Sculpture Park

In the summer of 2025, as part of my Arts Council England funded 'Developing Your Creative Practice' project, I worked with 3 sites to test out new ways of working.

In each case study, I explain the new ways of working that were tested as well as any challenges and key learning points from this work.

What were the aims of this activity?

• Support Yorkshire Sculpture Park to increase accessibility for neurodivergent staff and visitors,

• Try out new ways of working to support the sector with accessibility.

Summary of the areas covered

• Navigating the site,

• Programmes for families and communities,

• Programmes for schools,

• Interpretation and Exhibitions,

• Recruitment and Staff,

• Website and Social Media.

The Country Park area of Yorkshire Sculpture Park has clear finger pointer signage to help visitors to navigate this area of the site.

What activity did Emily complete?

Emily met with multiple teams across Yorkshire Sculpture Park initially to gain an overview of access at the park.

Emily toured the site both independently and with staff to gain a greater understanding of how accessible the park is to navigate.

Workshops for schools, communities and families were observed with attendees who had a range of different needs and feedback on how to make these sessions more accessible was given in meetings and by email.

Emily viewed the new temporary exhibition, ‘William Kentridge: The Pull of Gravity’ and gave guidance on which elements of the exhibition needed to be highlighted in a visual story as well as how to communicate specific areas of the exhibition to visitors.

Emily met with the team responsible for website and social media to discuss current findings for online content and how this could be improved.

Emily met with HR to discuss current recruitment and working procedures as well as sharing lived experience of recruitment as a neurodivergent person.

What are the next steps following this work?

• An Accessibility report has been provided, highlighting priorities such as sharing good access work on social media,

• Staff expressed a desire to continue working with Emily on longer term access initiatives such as the site map and the formal learning programmes.

Accessibility is embedded into temporary indoor exhibitions at Yorkshire Sculpture Park through the use of sensory bags and resources. This is an example from The Chapel.

Were there any specific challenges with this work?

• Time constraints meant that some areas for improvement identified couldn’t be addressed as part of the project such as the map. It has been recommended this be looked at as a longer-term action.

• Travel to the site using public transport was challenging due to reliability and staff attitude on the transport. This was overcome by working with staff at YSP to come up with solutions, but it is acknowledged that this work is ongoing.

What was the most successful part of this work?

• Observing workshops for families and communities was mutually beneficial as it allowed Emily to see best practice in working with groups with a variety of needs as well as supporting the team with guidance to improve them even further.

• There was opportunity for peer support while staff were sharing their thoughts around accessibility. Through discussion, staff could work through ideas and challenges together.

What are the key takeaways and learnings from this case study?

• The Importance of embedding accessibility as not everyone will tell you in advance about access needs, including school groups,

• The Importance of working with communities to build trust and improve confidence around visiting such a large site.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park has a dedicated quiet space in the Visitor Centre as well as potential quiet spaces in the form of sculptures, ‘Silence’ (pictured) and Skyscape.

Date of work completed: May - August 2025

Yorkshire Sculpture Park Website: https://ysp.org.uk/