Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
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Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts I am deafblind and I always love it when museums have braille. Obviously audio is a very little used to me. It is especially cool if they have tactile drawings or models of the things they are showing.
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@DarkSheepArts I am deafblind and I always love it when museums have braille. Obviously audio is a very little used to me. It is especially cool if they have tactile drawings or models of the things they are showing.
That makes sense.
Tactile drawings and other things of the ilk are in the plan too - I don't know if you're in the US or UK, but I'm going to shamelessly steal all the good work that Bletchley Park have done in their new exhibits.
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@DarkSheepArts @SRLevine @pawpower
You might want to contact VocalEyes, they might be able to help you stretch your $$$.
https://vocaleyes.co.uk/services/museums-galleries-and-heritage/
@funguy2playwith @DarkSheepArts @SRLevine @pawpower seconded, VocalEyes are great
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That makes sense.
Tactile drawings and other things of the ilk are in the plan too - I don't know if you're in the US or UK, but I'm going to shamelessly steal all the good work that Bletchley Park have done in their new exhibits.
@DarkSheepArts Sadly, I am in the US, but I go to a lot of museums here because many of the larger ones also provide sign language interpretation. Last year I was at the intrepid sea air and space Museum in Manhattan and they had models of many of the things and that was really cool.
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Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts @sbourne I like the audio component when it’s available. Biltmore was cool, because they had this receiver into which you entered the number accompanying each exhibit and would hear an explanation about it. Braille is neat when they have it, but it takes longer to read and ou can sometimes have folk start to stack up behind you
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Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts Linking to an accessible companion guide on a site might be a better shout than braille. That would be easier to produce, easier to update, definitely cheaper to maintain and most importantly, it places the choice of how to consume that with each person who wants to read it. EG, I'm totally blind here, learned braille so young that I can't even remember not knowing it, but there are boatloads of blind/VI folk who lose sight later in life and never get that opportunity. IMO audio is a really nice to have extra if you can get it done within budget, but deafblind folk get the soggy end of the stick so often, I reckon I'd try to offset that a bit by commissioning a good writer over a sound designer if I were in your shoes.
BTW I live in London and my partner bloody loves a museum/exhibit. Would be happy to come and poke around ideas in progress. Holler whenever you've got something if that might help.
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Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts ~ I am partially sighted and not yet schooled on braille. I think both would be appropriate.
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Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts
VIsually impaired (keratoconus) and not totally blind speaking here.
Start by making sure any printed displays, labels, and explanations themselves are designed to maximize who can read them: good contrast, large & simple fonts - all the basic stuff of document accessibility.
For me, any of the "apps" stuff is a non-starter since I can't easily work most "just download this app" stuff because it's too small and not accessible itself. I'd never get the app to work. -
Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts my eyesight is on the way out with quite startling speed, so I’m already leaning quite heavily on text to speech, because I’m a single mum and I’m daunted by how slow it will be to learn braille. I also have reduced sensation in my fingers from years of being a musician. But it probably has a relationship with my ADHD and auditory processing delay, too. So it’s probably important to mention that.
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Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts I have vision issues related to vertigo, so technically my visual acuity is excellent (with glasses) but in practice it's very situational. I often find in museums that the labels/info text is too small or just hard to read in the lighting. I find spotlighting horrible cos it's not consistent and it'll white-out some stuff or be too bright while other stuff is too dim to see.
I work in general disability/accessibility and my advice would be 'as accessible as possible by design'
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@DarkSheepArts I have vision issues related to vertigo, so technically my visual acuity is excellent (with glasses) but in practice it's very situational. I often find in museums that the labels/info text is too small or just hard to read in the lighting. I find spotlighting horrible cos it's not consistent and it'll white-out some stuff or be too bright while other stuff is too dim to see.
I work in general disability/accessibility and my advice would be 'as accessible as possible by design'
@DarkSheepArts So as others have said, ensure the standard labels/text is as clear/big as possible and well lit. I like the external booklet option in larger print as I might sit down and read that in a better lit area.
I should say I'm deaf so audio is useless to me, but valuable for many.
I love the idea of QR code to online version of info in a nice flexible format so people can then use their existing assistive tech to enable them to have access e.g. smartphone, or Braille device.
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@DarkSheepArts So as others have said, ensure the standard labels/text is as clear/big as possible and well lit. I like the external booklet option in larger print as I might sit down and read that in a better lit area.
I should say I'm deaf so audio is useless to me, but valuable for many.
I love the idea of QR code to online version of info in a nice flexible format so people can then use their existing assistive tech to enable them to have access e.g. smartphone, or Braille device.
@DarkSheepArts At work (a uni) we have a deafblindness course and I found https://mh.bmj.com/content/50/4/610 while in a deafblindness resource rabbithole.
Not necessarily for direct copying but to give you some ideas to consider. A dear blind friend of mine had some personalised tours in the USA and he's got some blogposts https://catchthesewords.com/hands-on-with-ancient-history-at-the-british-museum/ annoyingly I can't find Connor's video about his US trip museums which may be on the TikTok which I don't have a login for so can't scroll thru.
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Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts
@kc something for you , pls share to reach more people.... -
Question for #blind and partially sighted folk on the fediverse:
If you go to a museum or gallery, do you prefer braille or do you instead use a text to speech app?
(Or both, or something else)
I've got a bit of money to refurbish a small UK museum space with better provisions for Deaf and Blind folk, so I'm keen to know what will be the most useful.
Please Note: This is a question specifically for blind and partially sighted Fedi users, rather than fully sighted folk.
@DarkSheepArts offer interpreters, like the French "souffleurs d'images"
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@DarkSheepArts Rab may be able to offer some input here @RabBrucesSpider1
@ginger_tosser @DarkSheepArts Personally, I don’t read Braille,. Not every blind person does, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t invaluable for those who do. However, my best experience around museums is when they provide their own audio description of the exhibits. Many have recorded descriptions and explanations which are available in a portable device into which you plug earphones. You can pause & rewind, then follow the audio tour at your own pace.
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@ginger_tosser @DarkSheepArts Personally, I don’t read Braille,. Not every blind person does, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t invaluable for those who do. However, my best experience around museums is when they provide their own audio description of the exhibits. Many have recorded descriptions and explanations which are available in a portable device into which you plug earphones. You can pause & rewind, then follow the audio tour at your own pace.
@RabBrucesSpider1 @ginger_tosser
I get you. That's in my long term plans, but at the moment, the cheapest quote is three times my budget for the whole renovation.
I'm genuinely hoping to get the money to do it in the future, though.
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@DarkSheepArts At work (a uni) we have a deafblindness course and I found https://mh.bmj.com/content/50/4/610 while in a deafblindness resource rabbithole.
Not necessarily for direct copying but to give you some ideas to consider. A dear blind friend of mine had some personalised tours in the USA and he's got some blogposts https://catchthesewords.com/hands-on-with-ancient-history-at-the-british-museum/ annoyingly I can't find Connor's video about his US trip museums which may be on the TikTok which I don't have a login for so can't scroll thru.
Oh, thank you! I've bookmarked that, I'll have a look in the morning!
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@DarkSheepArts So as others have said, ensure the standard labels/text is as clear/big as possible and well lit. I like the external booklet option in larger print as I might sit down and read that in a better lit area.
I should say I'm deaf so audio is useless to me, but valuable for many.
I love the idea of QR code to online version of info in a nice flexible format so people can then use their existing assistive tech to enable them to have access e.g. smartphone, or Braille device.
The QR code looks like a good option, and we can definitely have the external booklets.
I've got quotes from companies who do audio, but it's out of my price range at the moment.
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@DarkSheepArts I have vision issues related to vertigo, so technically my visual acuity is excellent (with glasses) but in practice it's very situational. I often find in museums that the labels/info text is too small or just hard to read in the lighting. I find spotlighting horrible cos it's not consistent and it'll white-out some stuff or be too bright while other stuff is too dim to see.
I work in general disability/accessibility and my advice would be 'as accessible as possible by design'
@NatalyaD I get you with the spotlighting. I've inherited a horrible 90s spotlight system that I'm trying to get around. I'm hoping to install a system of LED panels to lift the shadows.
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The QR code looks like a good option, and we can definitely have the external booklets.
I've got quotes from companies who do audio, but it's out of my price range at the moment.
@DarkSheepArts Yeah, where funds are tight it can be trying to be as flexible as you can and getting best bang for your buck.
I've run grassroots stuff where I read out audio myself in addition to critical web text content to ensure no one had an excuse for not trying to engage with our event's code of conduct (which was a bit long but necessarily so).
I don't know what the legal licencing text-to-speech audio options are for a 'commercial' albeit small org.
