The province of Antwerp is making a number of its tourist attractions more accessible for people with visual impairments, through adapting buildings and exhibits.
In cooperation with Symfoon, the Flemish platform for people with visual impairments, there will be changes at Bornem Abbey, Tabloo in Dessel, the Gasthuis Museum in Geel, Hidrodoe in Herentals, the Toy Museum and Technopolis in Mechelen and the Jakob Smits Museum in Mol.
Adaptations will include clearer signs and extra sound, to ensure all visitors receive the same information about the museum. Some of the sites will focus on more options for interaction and handling exhibits, and staff will be trained to offer better service to people with visual impairments.
“We want to give everyone the chance to enjoy the attractions. We want to remove not only financial but also practical obstacles,” says Mireille Colson, provincial deputy responsible for tourism.
A number of visitors were given a preview of the adapted museums this week. Among them was Brenda Vanvoorden, who is blind. “The experience was very good,” she says. “If the adaptations were not there, my partner would have a lot more work. He would have to be my eyes and he would have to tell everything in detail. I would miss a lot.”