S’émouVOIR autrement

Training for cultural and tourist guides to learn how to prepare specific guided tours and adapt them for the visually impaired public/people. This training is proposed by EQLA, a Belgian association that works on a daily basis with and for blind and partially-sighted people. Since 1922, Eqla has provided a range of local services to help blind and partially-sighted people integrate into society by working with them to develop their independence and self-fulfilment: comprehensive, personalised support, training in new technologies, access to cultural and leisure activities, etc.

Eqla also offers training courses and events on visual impairment, to raise awareness among the general public and professionals of the realities of visual impairment.

The training programme is as follows:

• Icebreakers and energizers in blindness situations
• Simulation of low vision for exercises in reading maps, posters, and navigating movement
• Role-playing on gestures for meeting and accompanying
• Workshop in the dark on mental images
• Introduction to audio description
• Introduction to the use of thermoformed relief diagrams
• Exhibition and debate on museum adaptation initiatives
• Equipment fair to help make a visit more accessible
• Mock adapted visit to practice and apply (your) knowledge

This training helps guides to understand and implement practices that make cultural visits accessible to visually impaired people, ensuring that art and culture are accessible to a wider audience, regardless of their visual abilities.

By training guides to welcome and accompany visually impaired people effectively, the initiative promotes greater social inclusion. This enables visually impaired people to participate fully in cultural and leisure activities, contributing to their personal development and social integration.

Guides who take part in this training develop specific skills to improve the accessibility of their tours, such as the use of audio description and thermoformed relief diagrams. These skills are not only useful when working with visually impaired people, but also enrich their general approach to guiding.

Practical workshops such as role-playing and simulated adapted tours allow guides to test and refine their methods in real-life conditions, encouraging the adoption of innovative and adaptive practices that can be applied in a variety of cultural contexts.

https://eqla.be/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/EQ_F9_e%CC%81mouvoirautrement.pdf

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French

Museum professionals

Paid (120 €)

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