Special Needs Students
HMNS welcomes students of all abilities! If you have special needs students, please read the following tips and information about bringing them on a field trip to HMNS. If you have any suggestions on how we can better serve your special needs students, please let us know by contacting accessprogramming@hmns.org.
Resources
For more information on the various resources we offer, please visit our Accessibility page and select the special needs of your group.
Access HMNS App
You can also download our Access HMNS app to use before, during, or after your visit. Access HMNS has social guides, a customizable schedule, communication icons, games, a sensory map, and tips for your visit. Access HMNS is available for both Android and Apple devices. The Access HMNS App is presented by Texas Children’s Hospital and SPARK.
Sensory Friendly Field Trip Day
Join us the first Monday of December for our Sensory Friendly Field Trip Day. From 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., museum exhibits are modified to create a more neutral sensory environment. The Burke Baker Planetarium and Giant Screen Theater will offer shows with house lights on and volumes lowered. Sensory Backpacks, which include ear defenders, sunglasses, and fidgets, are available to check out with an ID at the Museum Services Desk. For more information, please email us at accessprogramming@hmns.org or visit our Sensory Friendly Day webpage.
To book a field trip on our Sensory Friendly Field Trip Day, email fieldtrips@hmns.org with your name, school name, number of students, ages, and what special needs your group has.
General Field Trips
We encourage teachers to bring their special needs students any day of the year! Before booking your field trip, read the tips below and take advantage of our Sensory Guide to select the right date, time, and venue for your group.
To book a field trip, email fieldtrips@hmns.org with your name, school name, number of students, ages, and what special needs your group has. This will enable us to give you the resources you need to make your field trip successful.
Outreach
If you’re unable to bring your students for a field trip to the Museum, let us bring the Museum to you! We have a variety of outreach topics to choose from. Visit our Outreach page for more information on topics and pricing.
Tips
Visit HMNS at low volume times. Our museum halls can get crowded on the weekends, during our Free Days on Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. until closing, during holidays (especially Spring Break), and during the summer. During weekdays in the spring, the halls may be crowded with school groups visiting on field trips. The best times to visit are right when the museum opens (9:00am) during the week, especially on Mondays. If you have any questions about how busy the museum is, you can call 713-639-4629 to speak with a representative from our Visitor Services Department.
Review our Exploration Planner in advance! A good way to prepare you and your family for a visit to HMNS is to look over our Exploration Planner and decide which exhibits you’d like to see and in what order you’d like to visit them. It might also be helpful to bring a printed copy of the Exploration Planner, along with our Visual Vocabulary Cards, with you for your visit!
Be sure to review our Sensory Guide before your visit. This map includes information on sensory components of each exhibition as well as quiet places to stop and take a break during your exploration, should you need them.
Please note that our Sensory Guide evaluates loud noises and extreme quiet with equal high sound rating. In the same way, extreme dark and extreme light are evaluated with equal high visual stimulation ratings. Halls were evaluated in this way as each extreme can be potential triggers to someone with sensory sensitivities.
Most Special Exhibits are one-time entry only, so make sure to plan enough time to see the whole exhibit!
Haga click aquí para ver las tarjetas del vocabulario visual y Planificador de exploración!