The idea was to get visually impaired people to help with the audio description of items being displayed.
Dr Sam Goldstone-Brady from Paralympics Heritage Trust arranged a number of workshops at Warwick Museum where exhibits were available to be handled and discussed.
WVS’s Community Engagement Officer, Martyn Parker, attended the workshops, along with several of our service beneficiaries.
Martyn explained “We were given several items to examine, including a goalball ball, Team GB shirt and skiing gloves.
"The items provoked some lively conversation. Apart from describing them physically, we talked about the emotional impacts and personal memories they triggered in us. We also had a thought provoking discussion around the positive effects of taking part in sport on mental and physical wellbeing.
"Sam recorded the sessions and used the results to write the scripts for the audio description on each item. We then had an opportunity to review them and suggest changes before their recording.
"This was a really useful exercise; it helped the organisers to give the audio description more context and genuineness, it allowed WVS to be involved in a project outside our normal activities, raising our profile, and highlighted the importance of using audio description."
Sam commented on the workshops “Running the Inclusive Co-Created Audio Description workshops with Warwickshire Vision Support members this summer was a great experience.
"It is key to the National Paralympic Heritage Trust’s mission to work directly with disabled people to help make museums more accessible and inclusive spaces. We are very excited to share British Blind Sport’s local and national histories, supported by local blind and partially sighted people.”
