Open Forum

Hello AAM community,

I am reaching out to learn more about programming designed for people who are blind or have low vision. I am at the very beginning of this learning journey and am deeply interested in gaining the skills to support and engage this community through art and museum experiences.

I'd like to ask for your guidance:

• Are there remote training programs you'd recommend for someone just starting out?
• Are there in-person training opportunities in the NYC area that focus on accessibility and inclusive design for people who are blind or have low vision?

I am open to any suggestions, resources, or engaging in conversations about best practices and innovative approaches in this field.

Thank you so much for your time, wisdom, and any support you can share. I deeply appreciate this community's generosity and expertise.

Warm regards,
Liz Titone

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Liz Titone
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Hi Liz

Great that you're getting into this! 

Verbal description is a big part of accessibility for this audience. I produce an art podcast called "A Long Look" featuring verbal descriptions that can provide an example: alonglookpodcast.com 

The National Gallery of Art also has a great resource on how to write these: www.nga.gov/visit/accessibility/collection-image-descriptions.html. You can see an example here under image description: www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.105596.html. Also check out their full accessibility offerings at www.nga.gov/visit/accessibility.html

Best of luck
Karen Jackson

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Karen Jackson
Washington DC
longlookproductions@gmail.com
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Welcome to a fun and creative world of programming and design, Liz.

Most of the major museums around NYC have regular programming for people who are blind or have low vision, and the access programs staff are mostly very amenable to having other colleagues observe programs and talk about how they run their programs and what works well.

I'd recommend exploring MAC's website (the Museums, Arts and Culture Access Consortium) for the calendar of programs and resources.

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Rachel Ropeik
Educator | Adventurer | Facilitator | Experience Builder | Pirate 🏴‍☠️
strategic, playful, progressive approaches to catalyze change in arts and culture
~~~
rachelropeik.com | @TheArtRopeik (twitter) | (instagram)
pronouns: she/her​
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Hi Liz,

I don't know about New York Museums as far as training or programming, but you've made a great start by reaching out here.  Just a few general things to keep in mind for doing tours with low/no vision folks from my experience:

1. Utilize as many senses as possible.  Are there installations that use sound or smell as part of the experience?  Do you have an outside sculpture garden or similar space that will allow more sensory experience than touch alone?  I work at a living history museum, so we have a lot to feel, smell, and hear, but an art museum is a whole different challenge!
2. Ask first what they need/want from an experience.  Remember that most folks with disabilities have years of personal experience with navigating the world, and have their own needs/preferences when doing so.  I had a visually impaired roommate in college who liked me to "narrate" things as we moved around campus (like "steps up, 5.") but rarely wanted to hold my elbow.  But I have had folks who wanted to hold my elbow on a tour and those who were happy with their cane or dog or other companion.  Simply introduce yourself, say you are here to help them have a great experience, what do they need to have that?
3. Never grab unless it is a life-threatening situation.  Top gripe is people being "helpful" by grabbing and yanking.  They may ask to hold your elbow but usually don't want you to hold them.  When you are giving something to hold or want to lead them to a touchable object, like a "relief painting" that can be felt to get an idea of what a picture looks like, just say so - "there's a touchable object a few feet from here to the left."
4. If you are planning to create new objects or programs, contact any local sight impaired community (is there a school for the blind nearby?) to ask them what they find most useful in a museum visit.  Always better to start with the folks you want to serve, if you can, rather than trying to build something for them that is less than what it could have been.  This goes for any programming for any group.

Best of luck and welcome to the wonderful world of accessible museums!  One of the greatest things about accessibility is that it helps everyone, not just the focus group.

Lara Templin

JYF Museums, Virginia

lara.templin@jyf.virginia.gov

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Karen Lara Templin
Assistant Interpretive Program Manager
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Williamsburg, VA
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Dear Liz

I have heard of this group through the  grad program I was in  at San Francisco State. Here is a link to an article with a name and the organization. 

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/art-exhibits/expanded-museum-audio-descriptions-help-the-sight-impaired-envision-the-art

Hope it helps.

Rachel

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Rachel Alschuler
Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
San Francisco CA
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Hi all, just sharing my information from Liz's thread in the other forum!

In addition to Art Beyond Sight (already mentioned here), I recommend Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch of MuseumSenses and Sina Bahram of Prime Access Consulting. They are both blind museum professionals, and as others have noted above, working with people with lived experience of disability is essential to successful accessibility efforts!

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Meredith Peruzzi (she/they)
Museum Accessibility Specialist
Echo Spark Consulting, LLC
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Hello all - 

Thank you for your patience as I catch up-I've been out of commission this past week and am just now getting back to my computer. I truly appreciate your support and am eager to dive into these incredible resources!

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Liz Titone
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Hi Liz. We just finished a story at BmoreArt - in our most recent issue - about ReBokeh - an app for low vision people for art and museums. It's amazing and being implemented by a number of museums! Here is a link: https://www.rebokeh.com/  - and we will be publishing the story online this Friday at BmoreArt.com.

Cara Ober

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Cara Ober
Executive Director
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