This section presents a series of four video based resources co-produced with four members of the Visually Impaired Working Group and Front of House staff at the Hunt Museum.
The objective was to bring members and staff together in a safe environment so that the latter could ask questions, learn, and build understanding about the needs of visitors with vision impairment.
The learning derived from these conversations has enabled our Front of House team to welcome visitors with vision impairment with greater confidence, to identify these visitors more easily and to open up conversations with them about the information that they require to navigate the Museum with greater independence.
We hope that these resources provide workers in other museums and cultural heritage contexts with insight and learning that they can apply when welcoming visitors with visual impairment.
Video 1 – Learning from the Lived Experience of People with Visual Impairment
In this video, Hunt Museum Front of House team learn about working group member’s lived experience of vision impairment and the related challenges that they experience daily, including at the Hunt Museum.
Some of the challenges outlined by members include; lack of definition, difficulty reading signage, locating and reading object labels and navigating stairs. Most members also report difficulties with light sensitivity.
Video 2- Canes used by People with Vision Impairment
In this video, working group members share their experiences of and knowledge on mobility canes, which for many vision impaired and blind people, enable safe and independent navigation in day to day life.
Members introduce staff to the ID cane, sometimes know as the symbol cane, and other examples, such as the guide cane and long cane.
Video 3 – Recognising & Welcoming Visitors with Visual Impairment
As vision impairment can be a hidden disability, Hunt Museum Front of House staff ask Working Group members about subtle signs that might enable them to recognise visitors with this disability. The conversation also discusses some of the reasons why a visitor with visual impairment might or might not choose to disclose their disability to museum staff.
Video 4 – Navigation & Wayfinding
This first part of this video provides insight into the level of preparation and research that many people with vision impairment undertake when planning to visit somewhere new, such as a public space.
The second part focuses on navigation aids that museums can provide to visitors with visual impairment once on-site. These include; high contrast floor plans, tactile maps and written description maps. The Navilens navigational app, available at the Hunt Museum is described. The conversation concludes with a discussion on audio tours in museums.