Around two million people in the UK are either blind or partially sighted to the extent that it adversely affects their lives.
At VocalEyes, our work is to ensure that these people are given an equal opportunity to enjoy art and cultural experiences.
Data from the Royal National Institute of Blind People reveals that a lack of independence, isolation, poverty and health issues are significant factors among blind and partially sighted people and are likely to stack up against more motivating factors to engage in arts and culture.
For a blind or partially sighted person, planning and understanding what is involved in a visit is of paramount importance if they are to commit to it.
But what if the venue’s website isn’t accessible? What if it doesn’t include information about getting there? What if the switchboard staff aren’t trained in how to support a blind or partially sighted visitor?
Imagine you have low vision levels. You access the museum’s website through a screen reader but find no mention of large-print labels or maps and no information about audio-described tours.
Effectively, the venue is telling you that there is no point you visiting because the collection – the raison d’être of the venue – is inaccessible to you. We looked at the websites of 87 venues managed by Arts Council England’s Major Partner Museums.
On their access page, only 28% mention large-print versions of maps or gallery labels, and only 15% advertise audio-described tours or recorded guides.
The rest don’t offer them or haven’t thought it important enough to advertise them. It isn’t that they haven’t thought about their audience at all – 97% of websites say guide or assistance dogs are welcome.
In the words of the arts council, these are “arguably some of the finest museums in the world, with extraordinary collections that tell stories that are more relevant today than ever before”. But they have some work to do to ensure those stories are accessible to all.
There are many ways in which they can do so with little additional cost: one is by effectively utilising handling collections, which are primarily used by school groups. Touch is not the only way people access collections.
Adding downloadable mp3 files with audio descriptions and curatorial voices to websites would encourage visually impaired visitors to try the venues out in person.
Audio descriptions offer blind and partially sighted people the freedom to choose what they experience and when. Knowing they have equal access to what the museum “looks like” and what exhibits are on offer is important to them.
At VocalEyes, our work is to ensure that these people are given an equal opportunity to enjoy art and cultural experiences.
Data from the Royal National Institute of Blind People reveals that a lack of independence, isolation, poverty and health issues are significant factors among blind and partially sighted people and are likely to stack up against more motivating factors to engage in arts and culture.
For a blind or partially sighted person, planning and understanding what is involved in a visit is of paramount importance if they are to commit to it.
But what if the venue’s website isn’t accessible? What if it doesn’t include information about getting there? What if the switchboard staff aren’t trained in how to support a blind or partially sighted visitor?
Imagine you have low vision levels. You access the museum’s website through a screen reader but find no mention of large-print labels or maps and no information about audio-described tours.
Effectively, the venue is telling you that there is no point you visiting because the collection – the raison d’être of the venue – is inaccessible to you. We looked at the websites of 87 venues managed by Arts Council England’s Major Partner Museums.
On their access page, only 28% mention large-print versions of maps or gallery labels, and only 15% advertise audio-described tours or recorded guides.
The rest don’t offer them or haven’t thought it important enough to advertise them. It isn’t that they haven’t thought about their audience at all – 97% of websites say guide or assistance dogs are welcome.
In the words of the arts council, these are “arguably some of the finest museums in the world, with extraordinary collections that tell stories that are more relevant today than ever before”. But they have some work to do to ensure those stories are accessible to all.
There are many ways in which they can do so with little additional cost: one is by effectively utilising handling collections, which are primarily used by school groups. Touch is not the only way people access collections.
Adding downloadable mp3 files with audio descriptions and curatorial voices to websites would encourage visually impaired visitors to try the venues out in person.
Audio descriptions offer blind and partially sighted people the freedom to choose what they experience and when. Knowing they have equal access to what the museum “looks like” and what exhibits are on offer is important to them.
