Trained docents lead small groups of blind and visually impaired visitors around the museum. But the Smithsonian adds a more personal element with its twice-monthly ‘InSight’ tours of the American Art Museum. Museum tours for blind peopleĪudio descriptive guides can be a great tool. The backpack contains lots of objects to touch, such as ceramic models and different materials. It allows younger visitors to explore the museum through multisensory activities. The V&A also caters to children and families with visual impairments through the use of a sensory backpack. Visitors can pick up a touch tour audio guide to help them locate these. There are many tactile objects located throughout the museum.
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They also have tactile books and audio descriptions available. The museum offers a dedicated guiding service that can be pre-booked.
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The V&A is committed to accessibility and provides detailed pre-visit information online. This helps them to plan their trip and to be independent. Visitors often need to know what facilities are available beforehand. For many people, one of the key issues is the availability of information. This encourages people to come back for repeat visits and enjoy new experiences.īesides these events, the V&A is a great example of a museum which offers a whole package of tools. The programme changes often and focuses on a variety of the museum’s collections. The museum runs special events throughout the year which cater to this audience. The V&A has been offering tactile sessions for visually impaired visitors since 1985. For once he was “the mainstream visitor” and we did not have to ask for special permission to touch a couple of things” Tactile museum experiences at the V&Aīeing able to touch museum displays is not a new concept. Describing the visit she says “My son was absolutely thrilled to find a space which felt so welcoming and set up for his needs. In this review she speaks about how a visit to this museum was a positive experience for him. The artwork is specially crafted to provide a fascinating tactile experience for the visitor.Įlin Johnson has a son who was born blind. This means that the design of the museum puts the user’s needs first. Many of the people behind the idea have a personal understanding of living with visual impairment. It came out of a desire to offer blind and visually impaired people the chance to access a museum in a standard way. The museum hosts temporary installations of topics and art related to blindness. It also focuses on art made by blind people and documents the history of people with visual impairments. The museum showcases models of famous buildings, alongside paintings, sculptures and textile art. This museum for the blind exhibits artistic works that are experienced through a sense of touch. The whole concept is that visitors explore with their hands. This Spanish museum throws the ‘do not touch’ signs out of the window. These projects can make displays come alive for everyone. Multisensory displays appeal to sight, sound, touch and smell. Museums all over the world are now catering to more than just sight. But it can also mean more innovative approaches such as tactile exhibitions and even 3D printing. This starts with audio guides and audio descriptive displays. There are many ways that an institution can make a visit more interesting for a visually impaired person.
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How can museums cater for visually impaired visitors? But museums are evolving to meet this need and to make a visit an enjoyable experience for all. The traditional museum experience of objects behind glass does not offer much to a person who is blind or partially-sighted. In the USA alone there are around 25.5 million people experiencing vision loss.įor many, a visit to a museum has the potential to make them feel excluded. Globally, there are approximately 1.3 billion people living with some form of blindness or visual impairment.
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This is not a small section of society and it is vital that they are not overlooked. Museums have a duty to cater to people with a wide range of needs and this includes visually impaired people.