This is an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO is a project funded by the European Union.
This video is made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.
This is Chris Taylor of the University of Trieste
with some information regarding audio description directions,
that is the guidance as to how move around a museum,
either assisted or autonomously
in order to see the relevant exhibits.
This is Unit 6 "AD Directions"
in Module 4 "Semi-live or recorded AD
for static arts and environments".
If a person with sight loss visits a museum,
he or she will need guidance as to how to navigate the building
and locate the points of interest.
If a human guide is available, he or she will guide
the person with sight loss from exhibit to exhibit.
The guide may be part of the museum staff
and therefore be knowledgeable about the exhibits.
Or he or she may be hired for the occasion
and may or may not be knowledgeable about the exhibits.
Similarly, the guide may come with the person with sight loss
and only be of directional assistance.
At this point the human gives over to the audio-guide
at each point of interest.
Without the assistance of a human guide,
a number of options are available:
the use of an audio-guide designed for sighted patrons,
a cord to follow through the museum,
specially created audio-guide with AD for people with sight loss,
or specially created audio-guide with directions incorporated.
An audio guide to exhibits can be very helpful but ideally
needs to be tailored to the needs of people with sight loss,
through AD criteria and through directions.
The provision of a cord to guide people with sight loss
through a museum can be found in some locations
for example, Miramare Castle in Trieste.
At intervals, objects of interest are signalled
either physically or acoustically.
This service can also be extended to outdoor sections.
An audio-guide can also have built-in directions.
But these must be accurate and user-friendly.
This is not a simple task!
The describer needs to research the route,
decide on the exhibits to stop at, time the route, etc.
The layout of a museum can range from one single room
to a building with several floors, mezzanine floors,
extensions, outdoor sections, etc.
A human guide or an audio-guide needs to provide a general view
of the layout of a museum at the beginning of the tour.
Small cramped rooms may be difficult to navigate
without knocking into exhibits.
Big rooms can create a lost sense of direction.
As well as the exhibits, the person with sight loss
needs to locate the ancillary facilities:
the information desk, toilets, the café, bookshop, etc.
These should be pointed out at the beginning of the tour
and also indicated en route.
Strategies for prioritizing and organizing information in AD
need to be implemented, that is,
what to see and how to get to it.
Firstly establish the points of departure and arrival
and explain the current positioning.
Decide whether to use measurements, for example, go ahead 10 metres,
or steps, take five steps to the right.
First follow the course yourself and with sighted people.
Make clear how the person with sight loss is positioned
before an exhibit, that is, from the front, the back, the side.
This is particularly important in the case of tactile explorations.
Be careful to be accurate when indicating changes of direction,
for example, after five metres, turn right,
or turn left as you enter Room 14.
Use objects such as handrails, benches, walls, etc.
Buildings with several floors need special attention:
take the lift to the fourth floor,
the stairs to the second floor are in front of you,
take the first flight of ten steps,
then turn right to take the second flight of fifteen steps, and so on.
In outside locations, manouevring can be even more tricky.
When outside, for example, in the park of a large museum,
the distances are greater and indications such as
‘go ahead 115 metres’ are not very helpful.
Use landmarks such as trees, waste paper baskets, etc.
The above considerations are valid guidelines for the creating
of audio-guides that can be used autonomously
by people with sight loss in many museum environments.
In small, little known museums, there is not usually
a congestion problem. You might be the only people present,
especially if a private visit has been organized.
However, in well-known, well-attended institutions
such as the British Museum, the enormous crowds
make it impossible for people with sight loss to navigate comfortably.
Here a human guide is essential.
In these cases, as indeed in the British Museum,
a human guide, even a friend or relation,
takes the person with sight loss in hand to visit
the pre-marked exhibits of interest and then the audio-guide takes over.
Help is also required in queues for the toilets,
for the information desk, etc. This is the final slide in Unit Six.
The preparation of this presentation
was supported by ADLAB PRO. Audio Description:
A Laboratory for the Development of a New Professional Profile
financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme,
Key Action 2, Strategic Partnerships.
Project number:
2016-1-IT02-KA203-024311.
The information and views set out in this presentation
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the official opinion of the European Union.
Neither the European Union institutions and bodies
nor any person acting on their behalf
may be held responsible for the use
which may be made of the information contained therein.
This was an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO partners are: University of Trieste,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,
University of Antwerp, Adam Mickiewicz University,
RTV Slovenia, Utopian Voices,
Soundfocus and Royal National Institute of Blind People.
ADLAB PRO was funded by the European Union.
This video was made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.