V&A touch tours, London
Barry Ginley, 15.09.2011
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London has been running touch and handling sessions for visually-impaired visitors since 1985 and now hosts talks on a monthly basis.
The aim of the programme is to provide access to the collection to visitors who are unable to see into cases and who wish to enjoy the collection.
The talks focus on the museum’s permanent collection, which includes more than 100 objects that can be touched, as well as special exhibitions, which use a mixture of original and replica touch objects.
To enhance the experience further, guides are trained in how to describe objects, talking visitors through the touching process by explaining the visual elements of an object.
During a controlled one-hour talk, we cater for a group of 12 visitors, who handle a maximum of eight objects, allowing visitors to experience an object in their own time and at their own speed. Limiting the numbers prevents visitors from becoming bored while waiting for others to experience the object.
To satisfy the requirements of curators and conservators, visitors often use gloves to touch objects. Although this is not ideal, it is better to touch with gloves than not at all.
Barry Ginley is the head of disability and social inclusion at the V&A
Links
The V&A
The aim of the programme is to provide access to the collection to visitors who are unable to see into cases and who wish to enjoy the collection.
The talks focus on the museum’s permanent collection, which includes more than 100 objects that can be touched, as well as special exhibitions, which use a mixture of original and replica touch objects.
To enhance the experience further, guides are trained in how to describe objects, talking visitors through the touching process by explaining the visual elements of an object.
During a controlled one-hour talk, we cater for a group of 12 visitors, who handle a maximum of eight objects, allowing visitors to experience an object in their own time and at their own speed. Limiting the numbers prevents visitors from becoming bored while waiting for others to experience the object.
To satisfy the requirements of curators and conservators, visitors often use gloves to touch objects. Although this is not ideal, it is better to touch with gloves than not at all.
Barry Ginley is the head of disability and social inclusion at the V&A
Links
The V&A
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