Finding collections relating to d/Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse people

One of the aims of our project is to make collections relating to d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people more visible – and to share some of the objects our Fellows and Trainees are discovering.

Some will have quite obvious connections to disabled people’s lives – a walking stick, some braille or images of disabled people. But we will also be exploring less obvious connections too. Sometimes the significance of an object is its owner; its part in a bigger story, or the way someone with lived experience of disability has responded to it. In this way we hope to broaden the ways that d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent stories are told.

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PUSH 'N' POP FIDGET TOY (Sensory aid)

2020s

MOL.2024.5

ID:A purple rubber toy in the shape of a unicorn's head, with tactile bubbles you can push in and out, inside clear packaging with a label that reads "Push 'N Pop!".Rebecca, from Netherton, was given this unicorn ‘Push ‘N Pop’ fidget toy by Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. It was a thank you for when...

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Rights information: Photographed by Manuel Vason

Description

ID:
A purple rubber toy in the shape of a unicorn's head, with tactile bubbles you can push in and out, inside clear packaging with a label that reads "Push 'N Pop!".

Rebecca, from Netherton, was given this unicorn ‘Push ‘N Pop’ fidget toy by Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. It was a thank you for when she advised them about sensory items for patients during Learning Disability Week.

She loves fidget toys as they “help sooth and calm me”. Her favourite is in the shape of a rainbow. Before fidget toys were developed, she enjoyed popping bubble wrap. She likes that a wide range of people use fidget toys which helps her to feel accepted, and says:

"Pop fidget toys help me to cope with my day when I am anxious.”

Rebecca is a member of People First Merseyside, a self-advocacy organisation run by and for people with learning disabilities.

Community curation: Rebecca donated her fidget toy to be featured in "Assistive Technology: What it means to Us". The display, curated by Iris Sirendi, explored local people's relationships with their assistive technology.

Meet our Fellows and Trainees

The Curating for Change project is running eight Fellowships over 18 months and eight Traineeships over 40 days based across 20 partner museums. Learn more about our Fellows and Trainees here.

Find out more