- Title: Initiative lends sight to the blind in Lebanese museum
- Date: 5th November 2018
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RED OAK ORGANISATION, NADINE ABOU ZAKI, SAYING: "Some main museums in Lebanon, such as the National Museum in Beirut, Sursock Museum and MACAM Museum, have committed to putting their exhibits on display for blind and visually-impaired people. The museum will be for everybody, it's necessary, because it's a right for everyone to take part in the cultural life and to enjoy works of art." VARIOUS OF GRASSINI TOUCHING SARCOPHAGUS (SOUNDBITE) (French) PRESIDENT OF OMERO TACTILE MUSEUM IN ITALY, ALDO GRASSINI, SAYING: "We had contacts with an organisation in Lebanon, and it was very interesting for us to be able to talk about our experience in a country where thinking about blind people having effective accessibility to art had probably not yet started." VARIOUS OF BLIND WOMAN TOUCHING SARCOPHAGUS ACCOMPANIED BY DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS AT OMERO TACTILE MUSEUM IN ITALY, ANDREA SOCRATI (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS AT OMERO TACTILE MUSEUM IN ITALY, ANDREA SOCRATI, SAYING: "Today is a very important day for us, because (we are) starting a new project in Lebanon about the accessibility to the art and culture for people with disabilities, in particular blind people. And today at the national museum, blind people can - I think, perhaps, maybe, for the first time - see masterpiece of art and when I say to see, I mean to touch the work of art." VARIOUS OF VISUALLY-IMPAIRED MAN TOUCHING SARCOPHAGUS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VISUALLY-IMPAIRED WOMAN VISITING MUSEUM, ANNY, SAYING: "It's a beautiful experience especially for us, the blind people, because earlier we were here but there was no writing Braille or so. Now it's beautiful, a person can know more as long as he can read and can know what he's seeing and touching." VARIOUS OF VISUALLY-IMPAIRED WOMAN TOUCHING EXHIBIT VARIOUS OF GRASSINI TOUCHING SARCOPHAGUS VARIOUS OF SIGN SHOWING INFORMATION IN ARABIC, FRENCH, ENGLISH AND BRAILLE PEOPLE GATHERING AT MUSEUM
- Embargoed: 19th November 2018 13:34
- Keywords: Museums opened for the visually-impaired in Lebanon The National Museum in Beirut People with Disabilities in Lebanon Lebanese art
- Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON
- City: BEIRUT, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Art,Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA003958BGID
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: While museums typically urge people not to touch artifacts, an initiative in Lebanon is urging some to do just the opposite in order to allow visually impaired people to fully experience museums.
With the launch of the new "Doors: Please Touch" initiative last week, dozens of blind and visually impaired people came to the National Museum of Beirut and ran their fingers across the surfaces of exhibits.
Visually impaired visitors are touching the original works but at a later stage they will be touching replicas in order to protect the antiquities.
Signs detailing information about the antiquities now carry Braille, next to Arabic, English and French.
"The museum will be for everybody, it's necessary, because it's a right for everyone to take part in the cultural life and to enjoy works of art," said Nadina Abou Zaki, the founder and executive director of Red Oak Organisation which is leading the initiative locally.
The initiative was launched by the local Red Oak Organisation, in cooperation with Italy's Omero Tactile Museum, whose president is himself visually-impaired.
"It was very interesting for us to be able to talk about our experience in a country where thinking about blind people having effective accessibility to art had probably not yet started," Aldo Grassini said.
In addition to the National Museum of Beirut, a number of museums will welcome visually-impaired people as part of the initiative, including Sursock Museum and MACAM Museum.
Representatives of Omero Tactile Museum, which is said to be Italy's only museum offering tactile vision of artworks, will organise training workshops on how to help visitors with disabilities.
For museum visitor Anny, being included in the museum through the initiative has been a beautiful experience, she said.
"Earlier we were here but there was no writing Braille or so. Now it's beautiful," she said.
The multi-sensory experience that blind visitors will have also relies on audio-guides, as well as Braille and touching exhibits. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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