A teenager who is an autism ambassador for Life Science Centre (Life), helping to make the centre welcoming for visitors with sensory needs, has been awarded a prestigious national industry award.
15-year-old Z King has volunteered at Life for five years and their dedication and lived experience has helped to shape a more inclusive and accessible environment in the science centre.
Z was announced as the winner of The Marsh Youth Voice Award for 2024 at the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) annual conference dinner in London.
The awards celebrate and acknowledge inspiring examples of volunteer contribution and impact in the UK-wide science centre and museum sector.
Life has worked closely with partners such as Z and the North East Autism Society, to introduce a range of measures to help people with sensory needs get the most out of the visitor experience.
These include sensory bags for visitors, developing a visual story, sensory-friendly Relaxed Sundays and increasing understanding of autism and neurodiversity through on-going staff training. Life’s sensory bags have received worldwide recognition and attracted global inquiries from as far afield as France, Italy, and Japan.
The ASDC judging panel said they were “extremely impressed by Z’s pioneering role at Life and their contributions to the community’ and commended their ‘passion and drive for accessibility’.
Receiving their award Z said: “It’s been amazing working with Life and sharing my lived experience at international conferences – I’m really grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. Not only has it made it easier for my family to come to Life but also has made a difference for many other families too.”
Life Chief Executive Linda Conlon said: “We’re delighted that Z’s effort have been recognised in this special way with this national award.
“Life aspires to be the most inclusive and accessible visitor attraction in the UK. That’s a big ambition and we need to draw on the skills and experience of people like Z to help us. Their efforts are not only making the centre better for people with sensory needs but also for all our visitors. It’s a win-win!”.
Life has received recognition at a regional, national and international level, for its innovative work with autistic communities, including the prestigious Mariano Gago Award, dubbed the ‘Oscars of the professional science engagement world’. Life was also the first organisation to receive a ‘Gold Plus Standard’ Autism Acceptance Award this year from North East Autism Society (NEAS), for taking “autism acceptance to the next level”.