What will be tested
The mediator pathway is one of the two pilots of INCLUDE-ID. It will test how young people with intellectual disabilities can move from being recipients of cultural experiences to sharing them with others, as trainees compensated for their time.
Up to 40 young people will be trained and supported, in up to 10 cycles of 4 mediators, each lasting up to 8 weeks. Each mediator will have a dedicated educator or facilitator, working closely with the Garden's curators, guides, botanists and visitor services.
How the experience will work
- Prepare. Mediators attend 6 to 8 training sessions and 3 follow-up mentoring sessions, and rehearse with mock visits. A personal profile records their strengths, needs and preferred ways of guiding, so that digital support can match them.
- Guide. Mediators first shadow professional guides, then co-lead parts of tours and workshops, and finally lead short sessions for small groups of visitors. Digital tools offer cues and visual aids. They support human guidance and do not replace it, and staff remain present as backup.
- Reflect and share. Mediators review their sessions with facilitators and staff and build a personal portfolio that supports employability and self-advocacy. At public showcase events at the Garden, they present parts of their tours to families and the community.
Where it will happen
- Carmarthenshire, Wales
- National Botanic Garden of Wales. A public attraction and a centre for research and conservation of botanical collections, with over 160,000 visitors a year
How success will be measured
The pilot will look at autonomy-related behaviours, communication and social interaction. It will also assess whether the pathway is feasible and whether other institutions can adopt it, and follow employment outcomes such as contracts, internships, traineeships and vocational training in the year after the pathway.
Evidence will come from accessible self-reports, visitor feedback and observations by staff and facilitators. The tools are co-designed with mediators, educators and Garden staff.
- Up to 40 young people with intellectual disabilities trained and supported as cultural mediators
- At least 85% positive feedback on the AI support tools
- At least 75% participant satisfaction, with demonstrated improvements in autonomy-related behaviours, communication and social interaction
Timeline and reports
- Led by
- Cardiff University (work packages 15 to 17)
- Preparation
- September 2027 to February 2028: assessment indicators framework and integration of AI support tools
- Testing
- March 2028 to February 2030
- Mid-term report
- Due February 2029
- Final report
- Due February 2030
- Policy recommendations
- Replication guidelines for scaling inclusive cultural mediation, due August 2030