Continued Education Through Museums: Alexander’s Drive to Learn

By Daniella Angulo

I first met Alexander Ogilvie-Graham at the British Museum, where he was doing an ‘artifacts show-and-tell.’ I held a Chinese soldier’s ancient belt buckle while he explained its finer points, and it was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do in London. We met at Fulham Palace for this interview. He volunteers at three different museums, so we had our pick of interesting places.

Alexander has Asperger’s, which is a form of autism. After college, his desire to continue learning and love of history inspired him to become a museum volunteer—making him the only disabled volunteer at Fulham Palace, the Victoria and Albert (V&A) and the British Museum. In this role, he leads tours, works at desks as a resource for the public and conducts artifact research. He’s even written a book about his experiences (the first of a planned trilogy), which can be found here. He also regularly shares his stories and history on his blog and YouTube channel. In this way, he brings the contents of these different museums to others who may not be able to access them. 

We were honored to be able to speak with Alexander during Disability History Month (14 November - 20 December). We were very curious to learn more about how museums, as public institutions, are trying to become places that are truly for everyone, as well as where they still have to grow. Moreover, Alexander is just an incredibly interesting person! 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Horizontal cover image: Alexander at the V&A’s Raphael Gallery, where he often leads tours. Photo Credit

What made you want to be a museum volunteer?

Fulham Palace was originally a bishop’s palace, and my ancestors were bishops. I was drawn to it because of my family history, and it became the first museum I ever volunteered at. One thing led to another!

I volunteer at museums for the atmosphere, the learning and the community. After college, I wanted to continue learning, and these are my favorite chosen places to do it. There’s nowhere on Earth like museums. I think they draw the best people. 

I love volunteering because it’s not a normal office. I enjoy being with artists and ‘eccentric’ people, which you definitely find through these experiences. I always get new perspectives from volunteering, which is very important. It lets me be more of a free spirit.

What was it like to go through volunteer training?

It was difficult in the beginning. I was the first Asperger’s volunteer Fulham Palace ever had. They wanted me to have carers for extra security, because all kinds of people visit museums, including some odd ones. Unfortunately, museums are such big places that their processes are usually slow, making carers hard to find. I ended up finding my own carers through family connections. Once I found them, I became a proper guide. 

Overall, training was a very positive experience. The managers are excellent and care a lot, especially at the British Museum. There, I do object handling and show-and-tells. This took three months of training where I learned how to handle rare objects. I went to every session and always arrived early. I try to learn as much as possible. 

Coming from a military family, I’m also already very well organized. This helped me be primed for museum environments. I grew up learning how to always be prepared and knowing the right kind of confidence can take you anywhere. This kind of thinking helps with volunteering, because it means nothing takes you by surprise. I’ve also seen a lot of horror films, so after that nothing really scares you! 

Alexander’s video, “Jade from New Zealand with a fascinating story!” from the British Museum’s Enlightenment Gallery.

What’s your favorite thing about volunteering?

The British Museum is so special, and it’s definitely my favorite museum. It’s not work anymore – it’s just a joy to be there. I’m very lucky, because as a volunteer I get the ‘inside scoop.’ I’ve even been able to go to the British Museum’s glass roof, which was an amazing experience. Every panel is specially made, and each piece has a patron’s name on it. 

You learn lots of fun facts once you volunteer. When you’re disabled, no one has any expectations of you. I didn’t want to sit at home and play Assassin’s Creed every day. Instead, I wanted to be a shining beacon for future Asperger’s people who want to be volunteers. I ended up learning so much, I even wrote a book about it!

The cover of Alexander’s first book, “The Museum Life of a Volunteer with Asperger’s.” Photo Credit

What inspires you to write your books?

When you have Asperger's, you have a big work drive. For my first book, I was really motivated. It took four years of planning to get the notes, references, and objects just right. I didn’t want “The Museum Life” to be a text-heavy book. I wanted it to have pictures so that it felt more personal. 

My second book will be called “Alexander’s Twists.” Every normal person has a normal viewpoint on art, but my ‘twist’ is a fresh look. I see things normal people can’t. The book will show my new views on objects from the British Museum. I want this book to use lots of pictures. That way, it’ll inspire more people to visit the galleries. 

“Alexander’s Twists” will be out around Christmas. People can get it as a present!

Alexander with Nick, one of his carers, who also helps film content for Alexander’s YouTube channel. They joke that they spend so much time together, they’re basically brothers.

What was the goal behind your YouTube channel, “Alexander’s Corner”?

Alexander: It was both my and [carer] Nick’s idea. I wanted to share the museums and what’s inside them, especially with people who can’t visit. We’re lucky to be able to go every week and learn from the experts. 

The channel’s gotten 3,000 views, and we’ve published over 100 videos. The next step is to share it through the museums’ websites. We just finished a new video about Fulham Palace (linked above) which got 130 views in just one day. It’s great fun.

Nick: We realised a channel would be perfect, because Alexander has been doing this for so long. He knows so much about history and the objects, and is able to give great insight into both. It’s also a way to reach out to other disabled people and give them more confidence. Through our viewers’ responses, we see this happening in real time.

We’ve also talked about trying to get in touch with charities to share it on their websites. So far, our reach has grown naturally. I have friends of friends who love history who’ve seen our videos. People who love history, disabled people, all kinds of people have watched the channel. 

Finally, Alexander, is there anything you think that museums could do better?

More quiet spaces have to be made in the future, to deal with sensory overload. We also need more recruitment drives. I’m the only disabled volunteer at the moment, which is why I wrote my book. I’m one of the very first disabled people to be a trained guide at these three different museums. 

When you’ve got Asperger’s, you tend to play video games or only go on outings to cafes or cinemas—places which don’t have many people. In other words, being a volunteer isn’t an obvious career. To have more disabled people, we need more recruitment, more quiet spaces, more tactile sensory activities and, of course, more world-class exhibitions to get people interested! 

Alexander with some of the Bishop’s old books at Fulham Palace.

It’s a bit strange to be the first disabled volunteer at these museums. You have to lead by example and prove it can be done. Ideally, I’d love a whole department dedicated to this. However, it’s still rather new, so you can’t shock them too much. Instead, you have to shock them in little bits. One of my favorite sayings is that tiny things build up to big things. 

Thank you to Alexander for taking the time to share his experiences! As a volunteer with Fulham Palace, the British Museum, and the Victoria & Albert, Alexander’s been able to learn a lot and see these world-class institutions from the inside out. You can keep up with his adventures and learn more about history on his YouTube channel!