State Museum to celebrate those with Disabilities during Disability Pride Day on July 8
June 15, 2023
Event features inclusive activities, including a community art project, silent disco, sensory-friendly shows and more
The State Museum is excited to announce its first Disability Pride Day event, celebrating the nearly one in four Americans living with disabilities, on July 8. Guests of all ages and abilities are invited to visit the museum and get creative with disability-adapted activities. Museum tours and sensory-friendly shows featuring American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, sponsored by Colonial Life, will also be available provided by certified interpreters through the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind.
“We are thrilled to celebrate with this community during Disability Pride Month,” says Amy Bartow-Melia, Executive Director. “Through programs such as Disability Pride Day and our monthly Accessibility Mornings, the State Museum is actively working to be more equitable and accessible.”
During Disability Pride Day, guests have a special opportunity to ‘make their mark’ by joining in a ZotArtz Community Art Creation, sponsored by Colonial Life. Using adaptive art tools, such as stamping tools and paint rollers on wheelchairs, each participant will paint on a large floor mural and make individual poster sized paintings to take home. This inclusive activity, designed for people with disabilities, aims to give everyone the opportunity to make art.
Guests are also invited to enjoy a Silent Disco with lights and sound via headphones, provided by The Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, and an Astronomy Touch Zone featuring braille booklets and tactile materials from NASA. A full schedule of activities, tours, sensory-friendly shows and resources is currently available online.
The State Museum is fortunate to work with supporting partners and other state agencies, including the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), Richland County, The Behavior Co., Beginnings SC, the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind and many others who lend their expertise and help guide the museum towards a more accessible experience for its guests.
Disability Pride Day attendance and activities are free for participants, with the exception of planetarium and 4D theater shows which carry an additional charge. Pre-registration is required due to capacity limitations, participants can submit their registration online at scmuseum.org.
About the South Carolina State Museum
As the state’s largest and most comprehensive museum, the South Carolina State Museum offers a unique, entertaining and educational experience to visitors throughout its 225,000-square-foot facility located in the heart of downtown Columbia’s Congaree Vista. The State Museum is housed in one of its greatest artifacts, an 1894 old textile mill full of character and charm. In addition to beautiful meeting spaces throughout the facility, guests can explore outer space in one of the largest planetariums in the Southeast, watch an interactive 4D movie and look through a vintage telescope in a one-of-a-kind observatory. These exciting opportunities are all in addition to the four floors of South Carolina art, cultural history, natural history and science/technology that guests can experience. For more information about the museum, visit scmuseum.org.
