GR
Translation of the original text in Greek: Panagiotis Seitanidis
On the occasion of International Museum Day, and within the framework of the health and wellness program “Ev Zin” (=well-being) of Piraeus Bank, an original guided tour of the Museum of Cycladic Art was organized on Saturday, May 28, 2023.
Piraeus Bank employees trusted the “Me Alla Matia” NPO and the visually impaired people to guide them through the Cycladic Culture.
Vaggelis Avgoulas and Juliana Bousi presented to the people who took part in the action, experientially and interactively, the thematic, tactile tour and the accessible informational material that has been created as a result of the collaboration of the Museum of Cycladic Art with NPO “Me Alla Matia”.
For the “IN TOUCH” program, the Museum of Cycladic Art has created a thematic route accessible to visually impaired people, creating a mobile showcase on the theme of Cycladic Culture. It was designed based on the equal inclusion of people with visual impairments, without excluding its use by any visitor who wants to enrich their tour experience using it.
The showcase consists of cases and includes a floor plan of the hall, tactile maps of Greece and the Cyclades, and replicas of exhibits made of either marble or resin. The route is complemented by suitably formatted, descriptive texts available in Braille (for blind people) and in large print (for partially sighted people), while an audio experience was also created with an audio tour of the Cycladic Art Collection in Greek and English. Audio recordings accompany the mobile showcase giving information and instructions about the tactile experience through the Clio Muse platform on a mobile phone available from the Museum. The route includes thirteen different stations within the exhibition, which are indicated on the floor plan of the hall. Each item has a number corresponding to the printed or audio texts.
In addition, the people participating from Piraeus Bank were given a demonstration of techniques for escorting blind people by sighted people. The closing of the activity took place in the Museum cafe with the resolution of questions related to the daily life of disabled people. In particular, the discussion focused on the accessibility problems encountered by people with visual impairments in their daily lives, as well as the need to expand the institution of guide dogs for blind people in Greece on the occasion of the presence of Uni, the trained Labrador who accompanied Mrs. Bousi to the Museum.
