Access Quest New Zealand

18/11/2025

Amazing news from the Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities! I have been so proud to watch you take the audit and turn it into something amazing. Congratulations!

19/10/2025

Congratulations to the Teece! They have made it into the final 3 of this year's ICOM-UMAC Award!

It's been amazing to watch your accessibility journey and to be a part of it.

We are excited to share that the Teece Museum has been selected as one of three finalists for this year's ICOM-UMAC Award!

The award is an international prize administered by the International Council of Museums – University Museums and Collections committee. The award honours excellence and innovation in university museums and collections, and celebrates the impact they have on their communities.

The Teece has been nominated for its Accessibility Project, which encompassed both the audit we undertook in 2024 to become more accessible to the Deaf and disabled community, and our audio description project which has seen a dedicated group of student volunteers meet regularly to write new audio descriptions for items in the Logie Collection.

We have been shortlisted alongside two other very worthy projects and are grateful to the UMAC Award Committee for this great honour.

22/10/2024

It turns out that trying to become an aeroplane expert for your other job does not lead to a lot of AQNZ social media time! Here are some updates for what I've been doing this month.
1. Earlier this month, I gave a talk called "Accessibility on an Accessible Budget" at the SLANZA Conference and met some amazing school librarians! The PowerPoint I used can be found via the link in my bio if you'd like to give it a read.
2. This Thursday, I'm participating in the Christchurch Heritage Festival, where I'll be talking about Accessible Heritage!
My talk is at the (3 Hereford Street, Christchurch Central) from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. I've also put the website to book tickets in the link in my bio. It's free and I'd love to see you there!

09/09/2024

05/09/2024

02/09/2024

I had the great pleasure to be interviewed by the University of Canterbury about my work at the Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities.

Read the article:

UC alum Amy Boswell-Hore is improving museum accessibility with insights from her experiences. Join her talk on Oct 24 at Teece Museum to learn more.

30/07/2024

It's wild to think I used to attend the Careers in Heritage talks when I was a student, and now I'm speaking at one.

Careers in Heritage is a free event for senior high school and university students will introduce you to the many and varied careers in arts and heritage. Guest speakers from across the sector will share what's great about their jobs, and let you know what skills or qualifications you would need to do the same work.

Learn about:
- The various roles in the heritage sector.
- How the speakers got to where they are.
- Plus, an opportunity to mingle with speakers and ask questions.

It's on Monday, August 5, 2024, 3.30-5.30pm at TSB space, Level 1, Tūranga.

RSVP via the Humanitix website by searching "Careers in Heritage".

18/06/2024

I'm going to let you into a secret; while disabled people benefit from accessibility, they're not the only ones.

Image Description
Slide 1 - Education Bite: Who does accessibility benefit?
A circular Disability Pride Flag with a bite taken out of the side on a blue background. The title “Education Bite: Who does accessibility benefit?” is in the top right corner while the AQNZ logo is in the bottom right.

Slide 2 - Who benefits from accessibility?
Everybody.
The main goal of accessibility is to create inclusive spaces that can be used by everybody.
Accessibility does not take away anything from anybody, rather it gives people options that help them participate.

Slide 3 - How disabled people benefit
Inaccessible environments result in disabled people being excluded or becoming dependent on others. Accessibility gives them their independence and helps them participate.
When environments are accessible, disabled people can learn and have fun, just as a non-disabled person would.

Slide 4 - How organisations and businesses benefit
Developing accessibility in an organisation or business will increase visitor numbers because you are opening your space to a new market.
The organisation or business will also gain a better reputation.
Accessible thinking creates problem-solvers and boosts innovations.

Slide 5 - How the wider community benefits
When environments have no barriers to participation and are easy to use, everyone will enjoy using them more.
Also, New Zealand has an ageing population, which means that more people are going to develop disabilities over time. The time for safeguarding our future is now.

11/06/2024

Accessibility is a learned skill, just like any other.
No one is going to become an accessibility expert overnight. It's okay to make mistakes, as long as you use it as a learning opportunity and don't give up.

07/06/2024

I had the pleasure of working in the Christchurch Town Hall today and got very excited about these braille panels by the lift.

Having braille panels on a slight angle (perhaps 30* from the wall) makes them easier for blind people to read, thus reducing the energy required.

04/06/2024

Quote: “If I have to feel thankful about an accessible bathroom, when am I ever gonna be equal in the community?” - Judith Heumann

Judith Heumann, the Mother of the Disability Rights Movement, said this quote in the 2020 documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.