Neurodivergent Access Guide

• What is this guide?
• How can I use this guide?
• Why is this guide important?
• Basic information
• What to do before a visit
• On Arrival
• In the Research Room
• Ending your visit
• Bathrooms
• Food, drink and break rooms
• Sensory information
• Research Room etiquette
• Quiet spaces
• Who was this guide developed by? 

This guide has emerged from discussions between neurodivergent archive, library, and collections users and professionals. It contains what we hope is useful information for anyone who identifies as neurodivergent, although a lot of the information will be generally of use to all researchers. We have tried to collate it into one space to make the process of coming to our Research Room more accessible, but we are aware that you might have further questions. If so, please contact us at [email protected]. 

This guide begins with basic information about where you can find us, before moving onto a section structured loosely in chronological order of what you need to do before arrival, and information that will be of use on the day. Later sections include information about bathrooms, where you can eat or buy food and drink, sensory information, research room etiquette, and where our quiet spaces are. Feel free to skim the whole document or narrow in on sections that are useful to you.

The term ‘neurodivergent’ emerged from autistic activism, designating those whose style of thinking, communication, or processing information diverges from the accepted norm, such as people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, Tourette’s, dyscalculia, or learning disabilities. 

With 15-20% of the UK population estimated to be neurodivergent, there are many people who would benefit from having greater information about what to expect ahead of visits to archives, libraries, and collections. 

Further information

• Our Access Guide to the Research Room contains more information ahead of your visit.
• Our Access Guide to IWM London contains more useful information ahead of your visit.
• A sensory map is available by downloading our Access Guide to IWM London (PDF, 3.48MB).
• Find out more about the Research Room and its facilities in this YouTube video: Introduction to the Research Room.

This site has step-free access via the West Entrance. When facing the naval guns, the West Entrance can be found to the right of the building. Follow the path keeping the museum building on your left. 

Then go to the booking system and select the day you want to visit. You can then start filling in the different sections of the booking form:

• The first section will ask for your personal details.
• The second section will require you to indicate whether you would like to book additional dates to view the same material, reason for booking, topic of research and if you have any accessibility requirements.
• The next section will ask you to provide details of the material you would like to view including catalogue number, title of item and category of material (documents, sound, photographs, museum records, library).
• Once you have added all the items you would like to view you can click ‘Submit’.
• Your request will be sent to us; we will review it and confirm your appointment as soon as possible.
• You can make separate booking appointments for other dates and to view different material following the same process. 
   
• You can request the following things when you book: kneeling chair, a seat near the window, and ergonomic mouse for our computer to access born-digital material. Our chairs measure overall 47 cm H x 46 cm W x 65 cm D. The seats measure 47 to 60 cm H x 42 cm W x 32 cm D. To request any of these resources, please state what you require in the additional information section on the second page of the booking form.
• If you are bringing a companion with you to the building, you will need to let us know at the point of booking your appointment so we can ensure they can be accommodated.
• We use lockers and you will have to put your coat and bag in one before you go into the research room. To use a locker, you will need to bring a £1 pound coin. Alternatively, we can provide tokens. These are available at the staff desk in the Research Room. Our lockers measure 45.5 cm H x 37.5 W x 35.5 D.
• We have created a short YouTube to explain step by step how to book an appointment. 

If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected] 

The research room closes at 4:30 pm. Staff will remind you that the research room is closing 30 minutes before this.

• If you are finished before 4:30 pm, you are welcome to leave anytime.
• When you have finished with your materials, please bring them to the desk.
• If you are not finished with your documents when you leave and have an appointment for the next day, or later that week, ask the staff member at the desk to hold them for you. Explain that you have another appointment and would like to keep your material to view again.

The nearest bathroom to the Research Room is a gender-neutral accessible bathroom on the second floor, on the opposite side to the Research Room. There are additional bathrooms on the ground floor of the building.

• We do not allow food and drink in the research room. This is to deter pests which could damage the historic material, and to ensure that no food or drink is spilled on our items. You may leave food and water in the lockers outside the room. You can leave your desk any time to eat or drink outside of the Research Room.
• If you are diabetic, you are allowed to bring glucose tablets into the room with you. You might be asked by our staff why you are bringing these in. You do not need to go into detail but will need to say you need them with you for medical purposes.

A sensory map of our research space is available by downloading our Access Guide to IWM London (PDF, 3.48MB). 

Light 

• The research room has natural light through large windows on one side of the room.
• The research room uses fluorescent overhead lighting through lamps fitted to the desks. These lamps can be switched on and off depending on your preferences.
• You can request a seat near a natural light source by indicating this at the point of booking when you specify any accessibility requirements. We will try to accommodate your request but cannot always guarantee this.

Temperature

•    Our research room has heating and air conditioning so the temperature may vary seasonally.  
•    You can bring a small hand-held paper or fabric fan to keep you cool. We do not allow electric fans, to keep our documents safe. 
•    We encourage and allow you to bring an extra jumper into our space with you to help you regulate your body temperature particularly in the colder months.  

Noise

• As you move across IWM to get to the Research Room you may find some areas being noisier, brighter, and busier than others. This is particularly true of the ‘Peace and Security’ area which you need to go across to before reaching the Research Room.
• In our Research Room some talking is allowed for the purpose of discussing your order or research with our staff, but we require that noise be kept to a minimum so as to not disrupt other researchers.
• If you need to have a lengthy conversation with another researcher, we would be grateful if you could do this outside the Research Room to avoid disrupting other users.
• We do not have a dedicated space for group work.
• We have staff who will walk through our space pushing trollies, carrying books, and who might be talking. This might be distracting.
• We have some exhibition spaces near the Research Room which contain sound, although you will not be able to hear this through the walls.
• You are welcome to bring your headphones into the research room with you, unless you are accessing born-digital content in the designated computer, in which case we will issue you with IWM headphones.
• We use air conditioning which has a low-level buzz.
• Fire drills only take place when no members of the public are in the building. We will understand if a fire alarm goes off and causes distress. Our staff will guide researchers towards the nearest fire exit. If you cannot take the stairs, we will indicate where the nearest refuge point is and communicate that you are there to our Security colleagues who will ensure you are safe.  

Smell 

• Our Research Room has many different users, so we cannot guarantee a fragrance-free space. 

Visual distractions 

• There may be visual distractions in our research room, for example people passing by or other researchers moving around. People might be moving archival documents and other collections items through the research space.
• If you are viewing digitised film, you will do so on a designated computer. If you are listening to sound in the sound kiosks, you will be able to use IWM headphones to listen. 

• Our Research Room opens at 10:00am and shuts at 4:30pm.
• We do not close at lunchtime, but you are free to leave the room if you need to go for a break or for lunch during our opening hours.
• We have created a YouTube video to show you how to handle our objects: Guidelines for handling the collections in the Archive and Research Room.
• You will be given an assigned desk. Our staff will show you where this is.
• The first item from your order will be waiting for you in your assigned desk when you arrive.
• When you are finished with your materials, please bring them to the staff desk, and we will issue you with the next item until you have seen everything in your order.
• Photography of our items for personal use and research is permitted and free. In our research room we ask people to talk quietly and keep noise to a minimum.
• The room is free to come and go in as you need.
• Please use our space as you need to. If for any reason you prefer to step out of the room, please do so. If you plan to leave temporarily, let one of the staff know so we can reserve your materials for you.
• When you leave the Research Room, we may ask you to see a book or a notepad they do not want to see your work, this is to show them that you have not taken any documents away with you.

• If you need to leave suddenly for any reason, our staff will understand. If you need to step out, mention that you are leaving to the person staffing the reception desk. If you plan to leave temporarily, let one of the staff know so we can reserve your materials for you.
• The IWM London site is generally busiest at weekends, public and school holidays. The quietest time of the day is 3:00-6:00 pm. Although the Research Room is tucked away from the busiest areas, there might be increased sensory input during these periods, and it may be harder to find a quiet space.
• Download our sensory map for further information.
• The museum is surrounded by the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, which can also be a quiet space to decompress after long research days.

This work was supported by the UKRI and the British Academy Funding through the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Caucus (ES/X008444/1). The funded project this emerged from, Divergent Minds in the Archive, was a collaborative effort between project lead Ria Cheyne, Liverpool John Moores University, and co-leads Ann-Marie Foster, Robert Gordon University, and Lucinda Matthews-Jones, Liverpool John Moores University.

This guide was developed by Ann-Marie Foster at Robert Gordon University, in collaboration with the team at Gwent Archives, and colleagues from Imperial War Museums and Tyne and Wear Archives, and with the input of an Advisory Board. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the expertise and contributions of Anna Briggs, Phoebe Brunt, Kaitlynn Buchbaum, Maria Castrillo Llamas, James Keech, Tom Radley, Philip Milnes-Smith, and Charlotte Willsmore.

The template for the guide is freely available under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Archives, libraries, and collections managers can use and adapt it for their own institution. This guide was customised by Imperial War Museums and last updated in February 2026.