The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia
Anni Turnbull, 15.09.2011
The exhibition Living in a Sensory World: Stories from People with Blindness and Low Vision showed at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, between December 2008 and February 2010.
The exhibition was developed in partnership with Vision Australia and included first-hand accounts and technologies for people with blindness and low vision.
It also included accessible design; Braille and large-font labels; an audio guide available online; iPhones and Daisy players (digital audio players) available at the front desk; and public programmes.
In preparation for the opening of this exhibition, a series of training sessions were conducted for museum staff and volunteers to help them assist visitors with blindness and low vision coming into the museum.
A simple evaluation was carried out in April 2009 from a sample of front-of-house staff and volunteers. A large percentage of those interviewed felt the exhibition and the training session had influenced their awareness and confidence in interacting with visitors who are blind or have low vision.
“I have a greater appreciation and understanding of issues that face people with blindness or low vision,” one interviewee said.
The exhibition has now received federal funding to travel to eight venues in three Australian States, starting at the Newcastle Museum in October 2011.
Anni Turnbull is the curator of design and society at the Powerhouse Museum
Links
The Powerhouse Museum
Daisy players (RNIB website)
The exhibition was developed in partnership with Vision Australia and included first-hand accounts and technologies for people with blindness and low vision.
It also included accessible design; Braille and large-font labels; an audio guide available online; iPhones and Daisy players (digital audio players) available at the front desk; and public programmes.
In preparation for the opening of this exhibition, a series of training sessions were conducted for museum staff and volunteers to help them assist visitors with blindness and low vision coming into the museum.
A simple evaluation was carried out in April 2009 from a sample of front-of-house staff and volunteers. A large percentage of those interviewed felt the exhibition and the training session had influenced their awareness and confidence in interacting with visitors who are blind or have low vision.
“I have a greater appreciation and understanding of issues that face people with blindness or low vision,” one interviewee said.
The exhibition has now received federal funding to travel to eight venues in three Australian States, starting at the Newcastle Museum in October 2011.
Anni Turnbull is the curator of design and society at the Powerhouse Museum
Links
The Powerhouse Museum
Daisy players (RNIB website)
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