Environmental Interpretation for the Visually Impaired

When one hears the word interpretation a picture is usually formed of translating, either
the spoken or written word, from one language into another. Interpretation is just that, but
it can extend far beyond the written or spoken word to include the translation of any
foreign concept into a language understood by the listener. Among these foreign concepts
is the natural and man-made environment in which we live. Before one can effectively
discuss the art of and adaptations necessary for interpretation for the visually impaired,
one must possess a thorough understanding of the components involved.
Environmental Interpretation
True interpretation, by capitalizing on a persons desire for the enrichment of the mind
spirit, goes beyond a mere statement of fact. As Dr. Paul Risk(1978) of Michigan State
University states, interpretation strives to create in the listener sensitivity, awareness,
understanding, enthusiasm, and commitment.To know what comprises effective
interpretation, however, is only half the battle. To effectively bring about such
interpretation is the greatest challenge faced. Freeman Tilden in what has become the
interpreters Bible aids in this battle by stating six principles around which a successful
interpretation program may be designed(Tilden, 1974|)
1. Any interpretation that does not somehow relate what is being displayed or described
to something within personality or experience of the visitor will be sterile.
2. Information, as such, is not interpretation. Interpretation is relevation based upon
information.
3. Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts.
4. The chief aim of interpretation is not instruction but provocation.

5. Interpretation should aim to present the whole rather than a part.

6. Interpretation addressed to children should not be a dilution of the presentation to
adults, to be at its best it will require a separate program.
if it is anything, effective interpretation is an affair of the heart-the heart of both the
interpreter and the listener. (Sharpe, 1976)

ADAPTIONS AND APPLICATION

The goals in designing a visitor center to accommodate visually impaired persons should
be no different than those in designing for the sighted. What does have to be changed,
however, are the means by which these common goals are achieved. The sighted receive
a majority of their sensory input through sight? As a result most design is centered around
the use of one sense. The visually impaired visitor does not receive such input and relying
on his other senses will form a different conception of the surrounding environment. In
order to facilitate the blind persons comprehension of space the architect can modify
non-visual parameters slight variations of levelstemperature levels of adjacent
spacesor by even changing the textural qualities of the surface. (Bernardo, 1970) Such
changes have the advantage of not being made specifically for the blind-thus visually
impaired persons do not feel that they have been singled out, and the sighted benefit from
the added sensory stimulation.
Aside from the structural design of the visitor center, the actual exhibits themselves also
need modification. Again, without thought and planning, this may be accomplished to the
advantage of all users. The typical exhibit, consisting of either a picture or diorama
placed behind a glass pane or an exhibit separated from the public by a rail and several
feet of empty space, is of absolutely no value to a visually impaired person. In all
probability, the visually impaired visitor will be with a sighted companion who could
read the printed text, but without any form of accompanying tactile input the text will
remain an abstract mass of words confusing rather than enlightening. Further -more,

everyone loves the sensation of touching, smelling, tasting, or hearing,- sighted persons
for the added sensory excitement and visually impaired persons for the perceptual
information received. Take down the rail, remove the glass, use the exhibits to their
fullest potential. Skins and skulls, shell and bones-anything touchable will probably
become the high point in the visitor center. There are some items which due to their
fragile or expensive nature cannot be handled. For such items it is necessary to provide
simulated objects constructed to represent the fragile item or a highly descriptive text
presented in terms and concepts understandable by the visually impaired visitor. Such
modifications require a slightly higher level of maintenance and supervision. Any
increase , however, will be more than compensated for by the responses received and
experiences gained by all visitors. The outside area contains vast new opportunities for
both design and interpretive innovations. One aspect of prime importance is the attitude
of visually impaired people toward specialized treatments such as the Braille Trail. In a
policy statement , the American Foundation for the Blind states, specialized gardens,
trails or museums often carry a psychological impact that is distasteful to the blind or
otherwise visually impaired person who has a consciousness of dignity of self.
(American Foundation for the blind, 1972).
Actual design of the trail itself will depend upon the total population it is to serve.
Obviously the trail must be made to accommodate both the sighted as well as the nonsighted visitor and will require a specific design strategy. Should the trail be designed to
be accessible to persons with all types of handicaps, a totally different strategy will be
necessary for either a part or all of the trail. Problems in design compatibility arise due to
the surfacing and terrain requirements of non-ambulatory users. Persons confined to
wheelchairs are for the most part limited to trails which are paved and have a slope no
greater than 5 percent. An alteration of the kind is displeasing to other users and
particularly to visually impaired users. A trial containing both a short loop designed to
meet the requirements of those with ambulatory limitations along with a loner extension
designed for the non-sighted users will provide a solution acceptable to all. Through such
design features all users will be able to experience the natural environment to the fullest
extent possible.

Criteria for site selection should include accessibility, ease of maintenance, and above all
the incorporation of the most diversified site provides the greatest possibility for the use
of the visual, tactile, and auditory senses. Rivers, bogs, pine, and hardwood forests are
just a few examples of the many eco-systems which could be included along the trial.
The actual physical design of the trial should strive to maintain a natural environment to
the greatest extent safety considerations will allow. The means of achieving this
naturalness span a broad range-from the use of guide ropes to no alterations but rather a
reliance on a sighted partner. Consultation with potential user groups and the agencies
serving these groups and the agencies serving these groups would be the best way to
determine the particular design best suited for the trail. One interesting innovation has
been employed on the Touch and See Nature Trail in the National Arboretum,
Washington, D.C. Portions of the trail pass through an open meadow where it was felt the
visitor should be able to roam freely. As a means of accomplishing this the staff put
down a gravel band around the safe area.stationed sign informs visitor.he may walk
or run freely till he steps on the gravel strip.(Garvey, 1968)
The degree of naturalness one will be able to maintain is dictated by the level of safety
considered necessary. The extent of trail alterations needed will depend on the type of
terrain through which the trail is passing and the population to be served. The Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, for example, has established the following as
minimum requirements for nature trails:
1. 1-5 percent desired grade,
2. 10 percent grade maximum for 100 feet or less,
3. 3-4 foot tread width,
4. Clearing of 2 feet each side of trail and 10 feet overhead,
5. Stable, well-drained soil.
Further alterations might include removal of stumps and roots which could trip the user,
installation of railings made with natural on-site materials, or a warning provided in the
text at the previous stop.

One final aspect is the actual interpretive program, both content and method. The key to
program adaptation quite simply is to utilize the tactile and auditory senses to their fullest
potential. The advantages of selecting a trail through the most varied terrain possible can
now be realized. Such terrain provides the widest possible spectrum of sensory
stimulation. Feel Stations have provided a popular method of providing opportunities
for physical contact with that which is being discussed. Contact, however , need not be
limited to Feel Stations J.Beechel in his book Interpretation for Handicapped Person
lists other possible options(Beechel, 1976):
1. Take people through tunnels or caves to hear the sounds
2. Record sounds for all seasons
3. Let people crawl through a hollow tree to see what it feels like
4. Allow handling of items whenever possible blind people are extremely adept
and careful with their hands.
The number of possible adaptations is limited only by the interpreters own imagination
and creativity. The best of innovations, however, will be of no value if the accompanying
message cannot be effectively communicated to the visually impaired visitor. As is quite
often the case, the most commonly used method may not be the best method. The use of
Braille comes to mind when considering interpretation for the sightless, yet only 5-10
percent of the blind can read Braille. (Sharpe, 1976). The small percentage of Braille
readers reduces the efficiency of such a method to a point where alternatives should be
sought. Furthermore, the signs are extremely susceptible to vandalism. The raised dots
may be hammered down, dots may be added, or entire sheets ripped off.
Alternatives to the use of Braille trail guides range from doing nothing to use of large
print material and recorded messages. Because it is unlikely that a visually impaired
person would visit an interpretive facility without a sighted companion may simply read
the text for the visually impaired visitor. Partially sighted visitors can read signs with
large print (18 point or larger) and so will require no special adaptations. (Beechel, 1976)

Cassette players, though currently used on relatively few interpretive trails, appear to be
the most promising communications approach to date. The players, loaned out from the
visitor center , may be carried by a visually impaired person, thus giving him the option
of independent travel. The message repetition if necessary and letting the individual
proceed at his own pace. The message may also include a description of the next portion
of the trail to be covered, possible hazards along the trial, or the number of feet to the
next station. The use of cassette players also allows a more complete use of the auditory
sense. Sounds which may not be present at all times of the year, bird calls, or the sounds
of wind or rain may be included to either supplement the sensory input or cue the listener
to what sounds may be heard along the trial. The use of cassette players will be beneficial
not only to the visually impaired user but to the sighted user as well. A study recently
concluded by the U.S. Forest Service (Wagar, 1976) on the use of cassette tapes in
interpretation concluded that , Cassette tapes in portable players can provide
substantially greater enjoyment and understanding on an interpretive trail that can be
expected, on the average, from either trail signs or trail leaflets .Any adaption which will
benefit both non-sighted users should be incorporated into the program.
We should design all facilities for all people. With the extra attention paid to designing
for use all senses the facilities will be more satisfying to all visitors and will result in
more effective interpretation.(Beechel, 1976)

The museum today/The modern museum

In 1974, ICOM, according to the Statute, article 2, paragraph 1, 1974 & Code of
Professional Ethics 1986, defines a museum as permanent Organization, nonprofit
-making, submissive to the service of the society and its development and open to the
public, who acquires, conserves, studies, publishes and exposes material testimonies of
the man and his environment for the purpose of study, education and entertainment.
In the 20th century, museums began to change their orientation and displaced their focus
from the items they host, to the people who visit them. So, the museums have started to
become anthropocentric and to acknowledge that communication is one of their most
primary functions.There is a number of museums which try to change the image of a
temple museum and to approach all the castes and not only the educated elite.
(Oikonomou,2003:49).In fact, the museums which nowadays do not redefine their role
and their function and as a result fall/stay behind the developments and do not attract the
public the way they should, are being highly criticized. According to N.Kotler, the
museums have evolved from collection spaces to spaces of education and afterwards to
spaces of experience, as each stage of development broadens the field of the previous.
Currently, the publics experience in most museums goes beyond the limits of visiting, of
simple viewing or of collecting information. It involves more elements, which require: 1)
an active participation (direct observation or involvement), 2) a possibility of
experiencing the place in multiple levels (spiritual, psychological, physical) and 3) a
possibility of knowledge absorbing through direct triggers of the consciousness.The
evolution of the museums major function to spaces of experience was accompanied by
a similar transition from the dominant post of the experts (prefects, people responsible
for educational programs, scientific associates) to the equally important, for the
museums function, role held by the public.(Athanasopoulou, 2003, pp.114-115).
The contemporary museum perception requires that a museum item should not be foreign
or incomprehensible for the visitor, on the opposite it should provide him information

about the environment, the economy, the social organization, the ethics and aesthetics of
its origin era and society.
The museum, besides that it is a place multivalent and multidimensional, it also depends
its existence and its effectiveness absolutely on the interactive relationship born between
it and its visitors, for and thanks to whom it exists as a living cultural organization. The
modern museum looks for ways to communicate with the public, a public varied and
multivalent, of different age, level of education, social background and cultural identity.
Moreover, the modern museum rejects traditional models and practices and explores
ways of communication, closer to the model suggested by Hooper-Greenhill (1991). The
latter recognizes that communication within the museum is a social work and that people
create their meanings and messages in different ways. That effort is the reason why they
use a variety of means of communication, they benefit from/by the new technologies,
they emphasize on learning theories within the museums and they try to approach the
audiences which they did not approach in the past.
Many museums pursue organized guided tours, events, tributes, educational exhibitions,
permanents or touring ones. In addition, they process and publish leaflets, books, guides,
they apply educational programs for children or adults, for people with disabilities,
experimental programs whose character is anniversary,they cooperate ,as mentioned, with
schools and other institutions, they organize educational seminars for educators etc. As a
result, the current museum has a particularly rich educational character. It has
transformed into a new museum, functional, pleasant, tempting, which provides
motives for consideration and action and which urges the child or the grown up to obtain
information, specific data and to study tendencies and developments. So, the current
museum, wants the visitor to participate actively in the museum experience and not to be
just a passive receiver. Through various activities and by the contribution of digital
technology, which enforces the interactivity, the visitor should be able to activate his
learning skills, to experiment and to manage these incentives, so as to develop his
confidence.
The theory of the museum experience

Many educators agree that learning is achieved only through active participation and that
experience is an integral part of knowledge, which is acquired through the childs contact
with the world and the things. (Kakourou, 2006). The meaning of experience mainly
refers to feelings and it opposes to rationalism. It includes the personal element and it is
essentially based on the impressions of the senses and of personal feelings. The
processing of the above leads to experience. The museum education supports its
application on experience, but not all experiences can be characterized as educational.
For that to happen, all new experiences should be connected to former ones and should
constitute the base for future ones.
Falk and Dierking formulated a model for the experience of visiting a museum, which is
complex and affected by many factors such as a) the personal factor, which is the unique
combination of experiences, interests and knowledge, b) the social factor, which concerns
the relations between people of the same team, with other visitors and the museums
personnel, c) the physical factor, which concerns the architecture, the buildings
atmosphere and the collections natural characteristics. These three factors have direct
impact on the way that the visitors will experience the museum. The model of museum
visitingcontributes by affecting the experiences and the interactivity, which the children
might have with the museum items and they acquire knowledge, which is composed by
personal, social and physical dimension. (Dierking, 2002). For example, interpretive
tools good planning allows the teams participation and communication, by
acknowledging its very important social character. The relationships with friends, other
members of the family or the classroom play a decisive role on the visiting experience
and on what each member will earn from it. (Oikonomou, 2003).
The museum experience is the total of these three parameters, which define and
characterize the museum experience. Of course, it is understood that each of the above
parameters affects a visitors entire museum experience in a positive or negative way.
Education in the museums

The past few years progress has made the public institutions characteristics planning
possible and these could facilitate the voluntary learning of multiple cognitive skills. The
experience provided by museums can affect someones attitude and offer unique chances,
not only for the study of the mode of learning during free time activities, but also for the
offering of alternative methods. (Screven,1993).
The procedure of creating a museum educational programis mainly referred to planning,
goal setting, methodology, formative and final evaluation. Its activities content has to be
connected and to respond to the specific activities (cognitive, psychological, social) of the
teams which aims to approach. It is, also, necessary that emphasis should be placedon the
variety and differentiation regarding the specie, the methods and the topics/subjects
which the museum educational program will address, in order to ensure the greatest
possible range of alternative presentations offered so that the common goal will be
achieved. All the above constitute the way a cultural institution

Articulates,

Wishes to be perceptible and understandable/comprehensible,

Promotes its image and communicates with its audience.

It is, therefore, clear that the institutions ideology affects the choice of interpretive means
and that these lead the museum to the renegotiation of its role and ideology. (Mpounia,
Nikonanou, 2006).
Museums have plenty of advantages, which they can use to enforce their educational role.

They possess original material and they constitute an appropriate place/venue for
the acquisition of historical knowledge

They foster/cultivate critical thinking with wider extension leads to the cultural
and natural environment

They present the items in a three-dimensional shape, which is more appealing that
the written sources, the oral testimonies or the acoustic means.

They enable communication between the items and the public, by giving the
visitors a chance to participate actively in programs with specific content and
specific goals or problem solving exhibitions, where the items are used as
pretenses or explanations (Xanthakou, Nahopoulos, 2003).

Thereby, within the museums space, knowledge will be built through self-experiencing,
which shall be achieved through the persons involvementinto tangible objects and
practical activities, through the interaction to the exhibits and the conciliation to them.
The planning and implementation of educational actions and programs is now considered
a Cultural Units self-evident obligation. In recent years, the museums began to realize
their educational and entertaining role and to try to become more accessible and pleasant,
by offering tour guides, educational programs, printed informative material, information
via internet, workshops etc. and by organizing educational exhibitions and seminars. The
museum, by realizing its role, tries to be an educational institution itself, which will offer
to its visitors knowledge, experiences and incentives through its polymorphic nature and
its original material. This is how it creates interaction with the items potentials and it
develops cultural and aesthetic sensitivity, by defining the items historicity and the sociopolitical context, within which they were created. The Greek museums educational
activities are:

Exhibitions

Tour guides

Printed informative material

Seminars

Workshops

Educational kits

Performances (musical, theatrical etc.)

Festivities

Educational programs

A museums educational program is nothing else than an educational procedure, which is

based on active learning methods, under the publics needs and potentials, the schools
spatial possibilities and detailed schedule, regarding the students.
Consequently, when we refer to Education in Museums, we mean:

Education for everyone, despite the sex, the age, the origin and any other
discrimination,

Education in groups, school or adult, elders groups, groups of people with

disability, visitors groups etc.

Education through the exhibition, the collections presentation, the signs texts ,
the spaces signage,

Education through the publication of informative forms, catalogues, books, CDROM etc.

Education through teachings, tour guides, educational programs, workshops and

activities (Hortarea, 2002).

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

MUSEUMS AND PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
The Declaration of Human Rights under the Article 27.1 indicates that everyone has
the right to participate freely and to enjoy the artistic and cultural life of the Community.
This right can function only if the Community itself sets aside the obstacles of
accessibility to the places where artistic and cultural activities take place. The modern
perceptions main demand for social providence, concerning People with Disability, is the
development of their personality and theconquest of a respectable living standard. This
demand integrates the care for People with Disability and the Special Social Groups to
the contextual space of social policy. (Tsaousis, 2004).

Taking advantage ofthe existing legislation, the planning standards, the museum
principles and the new technological means, several museums internationally redefine
their attitude towards visitors with disability. Their goals are the physical access to the
museum building and the participation of People with Special Needs in the museum
experience. Besides, a museums success is not calculated by the number of visitors it
receives, but by the number of visitors who were actually taught something by that
particular museum. It is not calculated by the number of items which are being exposed,
but by the number of items that managed to become perceptible by the visitors within a
human environment. It is not calculated by the size, but by the extent that the public
mentally crossed, truly benefiting from the things it saw. (I.Poludwrou Mpenaki, 2000).
Naturally, many restrictions are set, but the buildings spatial organization especially in
the case of preserved buildings-, the exhibits presentation mode, which often confounds
or repels the visitor, the items safety, the lack of funds and the absence of qualified
personnel for the proper service of People with Special Needs. The motto/slogan of the
European Disability Forum nothing for us without us indicates in a vivid waythe
importance of the cooperation between the museum and the representatives of People
with Special Needs, in order for each new planning or infrastructures and services
adjustment to be essentially orientated towards the users needs. (Tsitouri, 2005, p.38).
The accessibility and the integration of People with Disability in the museums is part of
the tenet To live with the others, regardless the differences, yet to recognize the right to
difference. The adjustments which will be made, should be such so that the people with
disability will not feel excluded from life and its pleasures.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Through organizing and applying the Educational Programs, which refer mainly to
preschool children, the problem of dealing with children with disabilities has emerged
sharply. (Veliwti-Gewrgopoulou M. Toudasaki E., 2004). As a result, the educational
programs for people with special needs do not admeasure many life years, as the planning

and the elaboration of such an educational program involves many difficulties. Generally,
these programs require both the cultural institutions and the people with special needs
escorts-teachers special and long-term preparation.
As far as their structure is concerned, this is usually articulated through people with
special needs guided tour around the institutions exhibitions, through the narrations of
museum educators and the discussions they try to have with the public, but also through
the activities which require their visitors active participation. Among thoseactivities are
games, skills development workshops, dancing and mimic exercises at which people
with special needs are encouraged by the dancers to participate in the events, as well as
dramatizations, at which museum educators and professional actors, dressed with period
costumes, incarnate historical roles.(Pikopoulou Tsolaki and Glutsi, 2002, pp. 223-236).
Art can have a supportive effect on students, because it underlines what the children can
do, instead of dealing with what they cannot. It promotes new experiences that lead to
learning, acts remedially from tensions, reconstructs the identification and enforces the
self-esteem. Arts can become the vehicle of new pedagogy. Through experiencing
cultural events and through human life experiences, a feeling of trust towards himself and
despite personal specificity is possible to be created. (Kontogianni, 2000).

EDUCATIONAL VISIT
During the planning of an educational visit to a museum, whether this is a tour guide or
an educational program, it is possible for the following steps to be followed:

Definition of subject (museum and collection choice according to the visiting

teams goals, short time tour).

Choice of goal (skills development, cognitive, aesthetic etc. goals according to the
age, the specificities, the students needs, the knowledge and their previous
experiences, as well as the detailed schedule).

Choice of method (questions and answers and conversation, observation and

enrichment of new knowledge according to each students cognitive and cultural
background, participation in workshops, competitions, art activities, etc.)

Providence for practical issues (route, ticket, spaces, bus shelter, capability for the
students to rest, etc.)

Class preparation (reference of information connected to the detailed schedule and

the teams concerns, in order for the interest to be activated, reason for visiting the
museum which is relevant to the originals value, update about the significance of
the museum and the necessary internal behavior code).

Procedure of visiting the museum (entertaining, aesthetic and educational

experience, encouragement of the children to carefully observe the items and to
express judgments and questions, conversation).

Post visiting activities (art activities, leaflets completion, role games, panel with
text and photographs, painting, text for the schools newspaper etc.).

Adjustment of schedule to the teams special characteristics (students cognitive

level, previous experiences of museum visiting, teams conformity concerning
religion, nationality, language, specificities).

Linkage of visiting with the class detailed schedule and the students school life
(relation between the educational program and the students concerns).

Capability of the programs substantive evaluation (verification if the programs

goals were achieved) (Halkia, 2002).

Taking the expanded significance of a museum as granted through its social role and
within the framing of museum education, the museum obtains a special meaning in
relation to the socially excluded groups such as People with Disability. The museums
educational role in general and particularly, concerning People with Disability, relies on
the knowledge within the museum. That, in its turn, means an active approach of learning
within the museum space and educational programs of social participation, aiming to the
deterrence ofphenomena of social exclusion. The main parameters which are usually

being taken into consideration in order for the modification of educational material and
the adjustment of programs to each publics needs to happen are the following:
1. The limited social experiences of People with Disability, which in some cases is
observed.
2. The publics educational attainment and mental age, if and when this is different
to the real age.
3. The insecurity and lack of trust, which they may feel in front of new experiences
or within a new environment.
4. Their need for a special relation to the adult, who will welcome them to the
museum and guide them.
5. The necessary transcription of the information which will be reported through
vision and hearing, as well as the simplification of the meanings and the
knowledge which are provided by the general educational program. (Chrysoulaki
S., 2004).
By extension, goals of programs in museums for People with Disability are:

The integration of People with Disability to the community.

The approach of the museums as spaces of education and entertainment.

The usage of the exhibits on the level of cultivation of the imagination and the
observation, as well as the comparison between informations discovery and
evaluation.

The attainment of an educational program requires:

1. Meetings with the person who is responsible for the children and updating
concerning the programs learning material and educational procedure,
procurement of supervisory material, educational envelops, brochures as well as
modification and specialization of the general program according to the students
special needs.

2. Acquaintance and updating of the children by the museum educators about the
spaces of the museum and introductory to the learning material exercises.
3. Predetermined museum visiting day and hour, when it is ensured that there will
not be any other school at the museum at the same time. Even though that in
permanent programs the visiting time does not exceed to more than two hours, the
groups of People with Special Needs are entitled of an extra hour stay.
4. Evaluation of the program through the childrens essays, letters and drawings as
well as through the educators and the persons who is responsible for the
educational program, written reports. (Chrysoulaki S.,2004).
It is true that the demand for a democratic and open museum gains special significance
when it refers to People with Disabilities, including the cultural institutions obligation to
plan and implement programs of education or further training for different types of
visitors.

MUSEUM AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE

The various types of defective vision
There are many stages of defective vision which range between complete blindness by
birth and vision which deviates slightly from normal. Each level of disability has each
own cause and is a result of various deformities or illnesses. As a result, each case has its
own specificity and has to be dealt as a special disability type.
Moreover, it is should be noted that there is a great difference between a person who is
blind by birth and a person who for some reason lost his vision later on. The first one has
already formed habits and has sufficiently developed the rest of his senses.
However, the person who loses his vision later on his life has a much more reduced sense
of touch, which makes it difficult for him to read the signs in the museums and in other

cultural spaces. That is the reason why he relies completely and solely on the museums
recorded guided tours.
As far as a different type of defective vision is concerned, in referrence to the people who
for some reason have a reduced sense of vision but do not suffer from total blindness, we
could say that even here there are subcategories. For example, there are people who
have peripheral and not central vision, people who are able to see nearby and not in
distance, people who can read but they cannot realize what happens 20 meters away from
them and vice versa, people who can distinguish up to a certain level colors and can only
see in gray, others with a very limited field of vision etc. (Benoist,1991:89). Thus,
each case requires different treatment and different measures should be taken within
museums and cultural spaces, concerning the accessibility and their service in the
demands of everyday life. So, this is a factor with decisive influence in both types of
people with defective vision cultural lives. A person who is blind by birth can learn early
on to read perfectly in Braille, in exactly the same speed a person who does not suffer by
blindness reads. However, the person who loses his vision later on his life depends totally
on the museums recorded guided tours.

Vision problems and museum accessibility

Research held in 2001 by the European Blind Union concerning the accessibility of
people with vision problems in the exhibits, the museums have been divided into three
categories:

Conventional: they offer partial accessibility in their collections through special

guided tours on predetermined dates (when palpation is allowed it happens with
gloves and there are not adjusted plans and maps of touch).

Conventional with permanent exhibitions: exhibitions take place on a regular

basis in showrooms equipped with orientation systems (Tactual Department,
Louvre Museum). These spaces are limited both in extent and in subject.

Specialized: they have been created by organizations of the blind or in relation to

them and offer full and multilateral accessibility to their exhibits. (Boussaid,
2003).

At a recent conference on Museums Without Barriers organized by the Foundation de

France and ICOM, it was suggested that approximately one in ten of the population of
Europe has a disability.
There are various measures the museums and galleries could take in order to help people
with visual impairment such as:

Braille texts are useful, although only a very small percentage, perhaps only 3 per
cent, of partially sighted people can read Braille. Panels with Braille labels should
be mounted at a convenient angle, on a slight upward slope rather than flat on the
top of a surface, which becomes very tiring to work with after a while.

Texts in large type are perhaps more useful, as a large proportion of the audience
will also find this helpful, including those with bi-focals, people with reading
difficulties and also those who are tired. Sound cassettes are helpful for those with
very little or no sight, as these can be used to structure the visit in addition to
giving information.

Catalogues or guides in large print and Braille could be considered. These are
very useful in that they can be taken home and if illustrated, can be studied after
the exhibition. A touch exhibition at the British Museum, Human Touch, used
linear illustrations of the sculpture displayed on the labels in the exhibition and
the same illustrations in the catalogue.

Workshops which enable handling, close looking, discussion and personal

expression are perhaps the most useful and if organized sensitively and over a
period of time, some workshops can offer new interests and involvement. In many
museums and galleries in Britain, this level of provision is rare because of the
resource implications.

Opportunities for handling are welcomed, especially when this is integral to the
exhibition or permanent display rather than provided as a special event. Although many
touch exhibitions have been organized in recent years, most visually impaired people
would prefer visits museums to be facilitated through on-going provision rather than to
have to wait for special exhibitions. A touch tour is possible in the Wolfson Galleries at
the British Museum.
Tactile thermoform images (raised images of part of paintings) are one way of enabling
people to gain an impression of a painting. The living Paintings Trust is a pioneering
development and recommendations are made that museums and galleries should have
tactile images of paintings and sculpture for sale, loan or reference. Thermoform images
in exhibitions need to be accompanied by a taped commentary.
A handrail can be useful, as is a rubber mat to indicate, the route through an exhibition
like the one used for Art of Tyneside. Where a special mat is not provided, level
flooring is recommended. Care should be taken to avoid overhanging or projecting
impediments.
Lighting should be bright, without glare, and uniform to help those with residual vision.
Sometimes lighting can be used experimentally, as for example at the Tate Gallery,
Liverpool, where a sculpture exhibition used light as a way to see, with switches that
could be used to change the lighting on a piece of sculpture, using front, back and sidelighting. The American foundation for the blind has published guidelines to help museum
guides work with blind and visually impaired people(Hooper,110).
What these people need is the capability of moving around the space with autonomy and
of being able to read the exhibits through touching and hearing. Of course, some
museums provide EPIDAPEDIOUS ODHGOUS ODEYSHS TYFLWN, handrails with
Braille elements, appliances with oral moving instructions, color contrasts and even the
possibility of using a guide dog. Especially, the planning of museum corridors is the
major factor, which defines a special publics accessibility to a museum. The floors
synthetic material should differ between the museums rooms, so that people will easily

orientate. Moreover, it is required special lighting, without shadows, capability of reading

information on doors, stairs and floors through touching, wall and floor decoration for the
reduction of visual confusion and unobstructed circulation along the corridors. (Noble
and sun.,2004:3). The museum designers should take into consideration the effects that
color or light have on visually impaired people. For example, orange and yellow are more
distinct than red or sometimes the way the light falls on glass display cases can twist the
exhibits image. Some museums provide the capability of touching original three
dimensioned items or when that is not possible, the capability of touching their accurate
copies, they also offer relief maps, explanatory signs, handouts in Braille, recorded tour
guides and other educational activities, which are implemented by specialized personnel.
What is very important is the human contact between the visitors and the personnel and
not its replacement with mechanical facilities.
In conclusion, gestures and suggestions should be made towards the great museums in
order to predict facilitations for the touching of selected items and inscriptions in Braille,
to offer magnified photographs with intense color contrasts and sufficiently lighted of the
most important exhibits with explanatory commentary in big, bold, lighted letters as well
as special tapes for the exhibits that are not allowed to be touched. A special office has
to exist within the museum for the prearrangement of a possible visit of people with
disabilities, in order for the people responsible for them to be prepared and if a group
visit is concerned, their educator or their escort to be able to visit the museum previously
for free and to cooperate for some issues with the experts.(Bone and SYN.,1993 :15).
Finally, the state and its most important private schools should try to utilize works and
items that lay in their storeroom, in order to create, if possible, a parallel permanent
exhibition in some room where visual contact is allowed. That already happens in many
great foreign museums.

TASKS OF THE INVESTIGATION

1. To Analyze special literature about access of visually impaired people to

environment
2. To analyze the access of visually impaired people to museums in Greece
3. To make typical conclusion about the improvement of access to museums in
Greece

Alternative methods and new technologies

The goal of a museums policy is the publics communication with the exhibits, its
fruitful tour and its cultural familiarization to art. According to statistical data, one in ten
people of the general population of Earth (8%-10% in our country) belong to the group of
People with Disabilities. A solution for the meeting of their requirements is given through
the use of modern technologys audiovisual means. (Janavara,2006). The appropriate
means choice should happen through cooperation with experts, so that it caters to each
persons needs and it facilitates the access to information through alternative ways. In
many European museums, we come across programs (Please Touch, Touch, Hear Hands
on) and specially arranged rooms, Handling Sessions in Discovery Rooms, which
constitute a great chance in order to explore the exhibits through touching, hearing,
smelling and for personalized, detailed, repeated access. Musee du quai Branly (http ://
www.quaibranly.fr/en/accessibilite/visiteurs - deficients - visuels.html) in Paris is that
kind of space, as it mostly addresses to People with Disabilities through activities that
excite all senses. Among the exhibition space there are audio messages and olfactory
routes and also the possibility to touch part of the exhibits. During the tour, several
remedies can be used that make the exhibits accessible to the visually impaired. Orpheo
Classic is a device that has keys with bold relief as well as incised signs for the
handlings orientation. Moreover, there is the possibility for the visitors position within

the space to be recognized (GPS), so that the device acts automatically.

(http://www.radianttech.gr/files/orpheo_neo_gr_06072008_L.pdf)
G.Ghiani, B.Leporini and F.Paterno created a museum navigation guide, especially for
the visually impaired, so that it provides them with easy orientation support and access to
semantic and descriptive information. Along an exhibitions area, labels are used as
detection foundation (each label is placed upon a work of art). The connection between
the works of art and the labels relies upon the museums data base. Each exhibits
position inside the room is stored and is essential to the users guide (through an
electronic compass) as it indicates the right direction to the user. For the guidance, there
are vocal instructions and acoustic signs (continuous sounds with variable frequency
which show the direction and repetitive sounds with variable frequency which highlight
the distance).(Ghiani, & al. .,2008)
It is understandable that the contribution of people with special needs to the programs
planning or to the factors research for their best possible access into museums is of great
importance, since those people have experienced the daily problems of everyday life and
thus they can help significantly. At this point, it is worth mentioning three programs that
have been planned and are already being applied:
1. Accessibility to the multimedia and library center. That program provides the
children or adults with special needs the possibility to read and consult with books
and magazines of scientific and technical matters from the libraries main
catalogue. In summary, this procedure takes place as follows: the letters decode
is done by special computer software where the visual typographical data are
analyzed and turned into data processing symbols. Afterwards, the computers
screen is decoded by temporary terms of braille writing and a special device
allows the access to these data. (Corvest,1991:114) At the reading room, which is
open to all categories of users, remotes are available for all those who are visually
impaired and which magnify the letters on the screens. Naturally, within the room
there will always be a group of librarians specially trained at handling the above

devices and accustomed to the problems of the visually impaired, so they could
help, if necessary.
2. Orientation system within the room. This is placed on huge buildings of 30,000
of exhibition space and 42m high. The inside of the building is designed to be
totally open both vertically and horizontally. That way, however, various sounds
and noises echo to all directions, without any flat surfaces to reflect them.
(Corvest, 1991:114). This is the reason why this system is used and it has two
characteristics: it is a system of paths which are planned on the ground through
the differences in material, colour and through touching designs. Moreover, vocal
signs that indicate the exact position inside the room are individually transmitted
through infrared electromagnetic waves.
3. Access to permanent exhibitions. Access to permanent exhibitions is provided
through interactive audiovisual methods. Diagrams, explanatory texts in braille,
three dimensional storyboards, multisentual devices etc. assist this cause. It is
fundamental from an aesthetic view, that the two types of writing expression, the
one reachable to the eye and the other to the ear, are harmonically coexisting. It is
already the object of architectural research and study. In addition, it is important
that braille is a permanent characteristic of all cultural institutions and that all
visitors are being daily accustomed to it, so it is not considered a symbol only for
the visually impaired and it does not divide the visitors.

TACTUAL MUSEUM
The Tactual Museum belongs to the Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece.It is one of 4-5
Museums of its kind in the world. The main difference between the Tactual Museum and
other Museums is the opportunity for all visitors to touch all the Exhibits that are copies
of the originals displayed in other museums of our country.The first artefacts were bought
by Lighthouse, followed by several donations by suppporting organizations and others.
At the same time it was realized that the ability to touch and feel the exhibits was an
excellent new way of approaching the ancient greek civilization not only for blind but for

sighted people, too. The exhibits in the Tactual Museum, - statues, vessels, sculptures and
useful artifacts -are exact replicas of the originals which are displayed in the Museums of
Greece, such as the National Archaeological museum, the Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia,
Heraklion Museums and the Museum of Cycladic Art, dated back to the Cycladic,
Minoan, Geometric, Archaic, Austere Rythm, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Visitors may touch and feel the statue ofAphrodite of Melos, Hermes of Praxiteles,
Poseidon of Artemision, Delphi Charioteer, the Kouros of Volamandra, model of Athena
on the Acropolis during the 5th century B.C. and others.To help visitors obtain the
information they require regarding the exhibits, an automatic tour guide has been created
in both Greek and English. There are also descriptive signs written in Braille and
enlarged letters for partially sighted individuals.
ducational programs for children can take place upon request. The children are urged to
touch and feel the exhibits and try to conceptualize the sculptures by touch. The use of
masks during the educational games help the sighted children have a better understanding
of the problems visually-impaired individuals encounter. ducational programs are also
available upon request on the weekends.The Museum is accessible to people with
mobility problems, via the ramp, next to the main entrance of the building Access to the
second floor by use of stair elevator, donated by the Bank of Greece.Tactual Museum is
the best place for visually impaired individuals, to come in touch with ancient greek
culture.To help visitors obtain the information they require regarding the exhibits, an
automatic tour guide has been created in both Greek and English. There are also
descriptive signs written in Braille and enlarged letters for partially sighted individuals.
With the Greek Parliament subsidy, foreign languages lists of exhibits will be printed in
BrailleBesides the Olympic Games Exhibition there exist information material printed in
Braille regarding the Olympic games and the Paraolympics, as well as relief maps of
Athens with the Olympic Facilities pointed out, made by the artist Maria Veropoulou.
actual Museam Web Site has been designed according to the recommendations and
standards for XHTML 1.0, CSS-2, developped by the World Wide Web Consortium
[W3C]For people using Screan Readers (Hal, Jaws etc), there exists an alternative set of
Tactual Museum webpages, with exactly the same content, that have been designed and

developped according the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines [WCAG-AAA]

produced by the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C].

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