Catherine Hillis discusses the measures that cultural organisations are taking to make themselves more accessible to their blind and partially sighted visitors.
People with sight problems face many barriers when visiting cultural venues. In some venues visitor information is not accessible, buildings are difficult to get to or around and display information is in small print. Sometimes staff lack confidence in speaking to people with sight problems or in offering assistance, computer interactives rely on good
Research findings
In order to explore these barriers and find ways to improve access, the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) and audio description agency Vocaleyes have collaborated over the past 18 months on a research project, Talking Images: museums, galleries and heritage sites. Funded by Resource and Arts Council England through its New Audiences Programme, the project has been supported by English Heritage and MAGDA (Museums and Galleries Disability Association) with the aim of involving visually impaired people in extensive consultation. The research has included a phone survey, focus groups and detailed reports on audio guides and other services from a team of blind and partially sighted auditors who have visited a wide range of venues across the UK. In addition, Vocaleyes has worked with Kettle?s Yard, Tate Britain and Christchurch Mansion to develop new approaches to audio guides ? projects overseen by consultative groups of visually impaired people. The Talking Images conference, taking place next month, will report back on the findings of the research and will give organisations the opportunity to discuss access policies, practice in their venues, and to share ideas and experience.
Work to be done
Cultural organisations know the arguments about why they should provide services for blind and partially sighted people. The facts speak for themselves: around two million people in the UK have a sight problem and every day 100 more people start to lose their sight. It is estimated that by the time we are 60, one in twelve of us will become blind or partially sighted; this rises to one in six by the time we reach 75. Blind and partially sighted people have a moral and legal right to access services; the Disability Discrimination Act means many organisations are reviewing their provision and looking to improve access for all.
There is much existing good practice in museums and galleries across the UK and approaches to access are continually evolving. There are venues thinking not only about making existing services accessible but about innovative ways for people to intellectually access collections. The auditors for the Talking Images project however, encountered many problems on their visits that illustrate that there is still a lot of work to be done.
What works in one venue will not necessarily be right for another. Some of the approaches to improving access that have been examined in the project have been developed with sustainable resources; other improvements have had few cost implications. Adopting clear print guidelines, for example, may not have any cost implications for an organisation and will mean that the greatest number of people possible will be able to access printed material. Developing touch trails or hosting sessions that incorporate handling objects, detailed descriptions of works of art or use sound to recreate a time or situation, will take detailed planning and staff time but little expenditure.
Meeting needs
Whatever approaches are adopted, it is vital to ensure that they meet potential users? needs. Research for the Talking Images project has shown that users and venues alike value the importance of consultation but that such consultation is often focused on one-off projects rather than as part of an on-going review of services or development of overall policy. Consultation takes time and resources but can be beneficial for spreading the word about what is happening at a venue and for developing relationships with local groups.
Many venues taking part in the research recognised the importance of a holistic access policy and action plan. As one venue said, ?Disparate efforts are unsatisfactory for users and for staff. A comprehensive access policy and implementation plan is needed so that provision for visually impaired people is reliable and so that all staff understand and work as a whole to the same end.? However, only half the venues participating in the project had such a policy, and in recent research by Resource, this figure was found to be less than 40%.
Better communication
When new services are developed, obviously it is essential to let people know about them. Many venues surveyed felt that blind and partially sighted people didn?t know about the services and events they offered. Promoting services takes time and resources but there are venues that have shown that consistent commitment has resulted in regular audiences at events and good links with local groups. Marketing services is also about letting people know what is on offer when they get to a venue. Large clear signs in prominent places used with internationally recognised symbols such as the eye symbol, will also be seen by visitors who would benefit from the services that are available but who do not consider themselves as blind or partially sighted. Again, comprehensive staff training will help ensure that when a visitor with a sight problem visits your venue, they will be met by someone who knows of all services on offer, and is confident in meeting and greeting them.
Catherine Hillis is Talking Images Arts and Heritage Officer for the Royal National Institute of the Blind.
On May 20 and 21, English Heritage will be hosting the conference ?Talking Images: using audio description in museums, galleries and heritage sites?, which will give delegates the opportunity to discuss the issues raised in this article. It will include presentations, workshops and study visits that will share ideas on improving access for blind and partially sighted visitors. For more information contact Juliette Fritsch at English Heritage. t: 020 7973 3430; e: juliette.fritsch@english-heritage.org.uk; w: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk