Explora

Explora will partner with the New Mexico Autism Society in a three-year project to develop new resources to help children and families affected by autism use the museum's STEM exhibits and programs more effectively. The project will create a toolkit, including social stories, visual schedules, sensory maps, and suggestions for tools such as visual timers and noise-canceling headphones. The toolkit is intended for small museums to adapt for use in their communities. Explora will work with three pilot sites - Omaha children's Museum, Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY, and The Works in Minneapolis - to test, revise, and refine both the toolkIt's resources and the co-creation process. In a dissemination phase, Explora will train teams of staff from ten small museums on both the toolkit and community co-creation process. The grants will provide museum professionals with strategies to support STEM exploration among families affected by autism and, as a result, benefit these children and families through increased STEM interest and participation in museum-based STEM activities.