Braille and Large Print Information Guides are now available at Market Hall Museum

Braille and Large Print Information Guides are now available at Market Hall Museum to enhance the visitor experience for people with sight loss.

Heritage and Culture Warwickshire have worked with Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to produce braille and large-print museum guides. This was supported by Guide Dogs for the Blind, Warwickshire Vision Support, Coventry Macular Society and Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind.

The guide provides information about the museum’s history, access, facilities, galleries and interactive activities, along with plans of the ground and first floors and images of some of the important displayed objects. Each image is accompanied by historical information and a detailed description of the object. Large print labels are also a feature of the guide.

Sue King, RNIB’s Tactile Images and Maps Consultant said ‘I worked with Market Hall Museum over several months to help them make their museum more interesting and accessible to people with sight loss. The new tactile and large print guides with supporting images are an important museum resource for people with sight loss. These guides will provide a unique experience to interact with objects and information that they would not normally have access to”.

Jon Radley, Curator of Natural Sciences says ‘Our displays and their interpretation are designed to be as accessible as they can be, for all visitors. Our traditional interpretation is augmented by digital labels throughout the galleries, which provide better visibility and access for people with visual impairment. Tactile interactive installations can also be found in the galleries, enhancing the visitor experience.’

Victoria Goodall-Barber, Visitor Services and Operations Officer says ‘Our volunteer team are committed to ensuring that Market Hall Museum is accessible to all of our visitors. We offer free guided tours and we have volunteers who are trained in supporting visitors with visual impairment. We can also offer pre-booked tours in French and sign-supported English’.

To request a volunteer guide please contact the Visitor Services and Operations Officer on 01926 418247. We will do our best to accommodate requests, but this is dependent on volunteer availability. For further information please contact Victoria Goodall-Barber on 01926 418247 email victoriagoodallbarber@warwickshire.gov.uk