The Oriental Museum is making its collections more accessible to visitors with visual impairments, by launching a new accessible audio guide.
The new free guide was created in collaboration with local charity, ‘Blind Life in Durham’, that supports blind and partially sighted people across the county. Visitors using the audio guide will be able to hear audio descriptions of 19 objects from the across the museum’s collections including an Ancient Egyptian stone carving of a queen, a magnificent model of a camel created in China over 1000 years ago and an intricately carved jade wine cup that may date to the time of Genghis Khan.
Working to make museums accessible
Staff from the Museum worked closely with members of Blind Life in Durham, who were invited to explore a range of objects through touch to help describe the objects. Their voices can be heard in the audio guide alongside museum staff and experts.
Producing the audio guide was part of a larger project generously funded by Museum Development North East and Arts Council England. The project included newly commissioned tactile maps of the Oriental Museum for Braille users and the creation of a giant Braille wordsearch designed by artist Clarke Reynolds. Clarke has exhibited works across the UK and internationally and was recently a finalist in the National Diversity Awards for Positive Disability Role Model of the Year 2024.
Clarke works as a blind Braille artist, trying to make museums and other public spaces more accessible and inclusive. He aims to empower blind and partially sighted people to participate in arts and heritage.
Welcoming diverse audiences
Whilst the guide has been designed with visually impaired visitors in mind, it can be used by anyone interested in hearing more in-depth stories behind some of the most fascinating objects in the Museum’s collection.
Jim Welch, founder and chairman of Blind Life in Durham said, “This project is a great example of what can be achieved when organisations work together to improve access for people with visual impairments. For many of our members it’s been inspiring and therapeutic to learn about the objects and with this new audio guide, we are able to recommend the museum to our members and their friends and family.
The Oriental Museum audio guide is available now, free of charge.
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