Bristol, December 2005
An additional Antenna Audio tour is now available for registered blind and visual impaired visitors to Brunel’s ss Great Britain.
The audio tour is expected to set new standards in audio guides for the museum and heritage site sector. Supplied by Antenna Audio, the world leader in audio and multimedia interpretation, it is one of the most advanced systems in the UK, and is part of an ambitious initiative to help make Brunel’s ss Great Britain the world’s most exciting and accessible historic ships. Other facilities include lifts for wheelchair users and video guides for the Deaf and hard of hearing, which have been in place since the summer.
The new audio guide will be provided to registered blind and visually impaired visitors, as part of the admission charge. Accompanying sighted guides have free entry, and Brunel’s ss Great Britain welcomes guide and hearing dogs. Monoculars are also available to visitors free of charge.
Sighted visitors already have a choice of audio guide ‘companions’, ranging from First Class and Steerage Passengers, to Ship’s Expert, and ‘Sinbad the Cat’ for children. There are also adult and children’s audio companions in French and German.
Antenna Audio has worked closely with the ss Great Britain Trust’s interpretation and curatorial teams, registered blind, visually impaired and sighted experts and volunteers to ensure that the system provides a quality and safe experience. It has been important to all involved in producing the audio guide that the content included the right level of fascinating historic detail, taken from authentic original sources, as well as guidance on negotiating the entire site including the Dockyard Museum, the Dry Dock, and the ship.
Areas on board the Victorian ship have proved particularly challenging, as there are many narrow corridors, low doorways, dark spaces and uneven floors. The audio tour provides detailed directions throughout, giving graphic descriptions of the spaces, historical information and extracts from passenger diaries, to provide a memorable experience.
Visitors are invited to touch original artefacts and try out hands-on interactive displays in the museum, explore the cabins and spaces on board the ship, and touch the ship’s hull and propeller, and feel gusts of dehumidified air in the dry dock. There are even smells on board, ranging from freshly baked bread, to the stench of vomit coming from the seasick stewardess’s berth! Visitors can also choose the order in which they visit different areas, and are given directions to toilets and seating.
The ss Great Britain Trust Interpretation Assistant Felicia Smith said: 'The audio guides are an essential part of the visiting experience, allowing visitors to step back in time and hear the voices and stories of passengers who travelled on board this remarkable ship. It is really important that registered blind and visually impaired visitors have the same opportunity to access everything that Brunel’s ss Great Britain has to offer. The team, including registered blind, visually impaired and sighted experts and volunteers, has put a lot of work into getting the tour right. We are delighted with the result, and hope visitors will be too.'
The registered blind or visually impaired visitor and his or her accompanying guide can share one audio unit with a ‘splitter’ and two pairs of headphones, so they can enjoy the same information simultaneously.
Visual impairment consultant Mark Austen commented: “Since my first audit of the audio guide on the ss Great Britain, in September 2001, a great deal has changed. The team at the ss Great Britain Trust, Antenna Audio, and the visual impairment focus group have all worked very hard to set a new standard in audio tours at museums and heritage sites.
'The new visual impairment audio tour on Brunel’s ss Great Britain is one of the most interesting, informative and accessible tours for all visually impaired people, and it is certainly the one of the best I have experienced over the past four years working as an audio guide auditor.'
Antenna Audio leads the field of audio and multimedia interpretation in the cultural heritage sector and offers a number of solutions tailored for museums , galleries and visitor attractions to enable greater access to their collections and sites. Other Antenna Audio tours produced for Visually Impaired visitors this year include:
* Nelson and Napoleon, at the National Maritime Museum
* Impressionism Abroad at the Royal Academy
* Munch, at the Royal Academy
* Samuel Palmer at the British Museum
For more information visit:
www.ssgreatbritain.org
About Antenna Audio
For 20 years Antenna Audio has been the leader in the field of digital audio and multimedia interpretation, providing the highest quality programming, equipment solutions and service, with the goal of creating an emotionally and intellectually engaging experience for visitors to museums, historic sites, and attractions. Over 70 million people worldwide have experienced an Antenna Audio tour at more than 800 sites, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery, London, the Louvre, Edinburgh Castle, the Alcatraz Cellhouse, and Elvis Presley's Graceland.
For further details please contact:
Matthew Vines
Antenna Audio
J307/309 Tower Bridge
Business Complex
100 Clements Road
Bermondsey, London
SE16 4DG UK
t: +44 20 7740 1155
e:
An additional Antenna Audio tour is now available for registered blind and visual impaired visitors to Brunel’s ss Great Britain.
The audio tour is expected to set new standards in audio guides for the museum and heritage site sector. Supplied by Antenna Audio, the world leader in audio and multimedia interpretation, it is one of the most advanced systems in the UK, and is part of an ambitious initiative to help make Brunel’s ss Great Britain the world’s most exciting and accessible historic ships. Other facilities include lifts for wheelchair users and video guides for the Deaf and hard of hearing, which have been in place since the summer.
The new audio guide will be provided to registered blind and visually impaired visitors, as part of the admission charge. Accompanying sighted guides have free entry, and Brunel’s ss Great Britain welcomes guide and hearing dogs. Monoculars are also available to visitors free of charge.
Sighted visitors already have a choice of audio guide ‘companions’, ranging from First Class and Steerage Passengers, to Ship’s Expert, and ‘Sinbad the Cat’ for children. There are also adult and children’s audio companions in French and German.
Antenna Audio has worked closely with the ss Great Britain Trust’s interpretation and curatorial teams, registered blind, visually impaired and sighted experts and volunteers to ensure that the system provides a quality and safe experience. It has been important to all involved in producing the audio guide that the content included the right level of fascinating historic detail, taken from authentic original sources, as well as guidance on negotiating the entire site including the Dockyard Museum, the Dry Dock, and the ship.
Areas on board the Victorian ship have proved particularly challenging, as there are many narrow corridors, low doorways, dark spaces and uneven floors. The audio tour provides detailed directions throughout, giving graphic descriptions of the spaces, historical information and extracts from passenger diaries, to provide a memorable experience.
Visitors are invited to touch original artefacts and try out hands-on interactive displays in the museum, explore the cabins and spaces on board the ship, and touch the ship’s hull and propeller, and feel gusts of dehumidified air in the dry dock. There are even smells on board, ranging from freshly baked bread, to the stench of vomit coming from the seasick stewardess’s berth! Visitors can also choose the order in which they visit different areas, and are given directions to toilets and seating.
The ss Great Britain Trust Interpretation Assistant Felicia Smith said: 'The audio guides are an essential part of the visiting experience, allowing visitors to step back in time and hear the voices and stories of passengers who travelled on board this remarkable ship. It is really important that registered blind and visually impaired visitors have the same opportunity to access everything that Brunel’s ss Great Britain has to offer. The team, including registered blind, visually impaired and sighted experts and volunteers, has put a lot of work into getting the tour right. We are delighted with the result, and hope visitors will be too.'
The registered blind or visually impaired visitor and his or her accompanying guide can share one audio unit with a ‘splitter’ and two pairs of headphones, so they can enjoy the same information simultaneously.
Visual impairment consultant Mark Austen commented: “Since my first audit of the audio guide on the ss Great Britain, in September 2001, a great deal has changed. The team at the ss Great Britain Trust, Antenna Audio, and the visual impairment focus group have all worked very hard to set a new standard in audio tours at museums and heritage sites.
'The new visual impairment audio tour on Brunel’s ss Great Britain is one of the most interesting, informative and accessible tours for all visually impaired people, and it is certainly the one of the best I have experienced over the past four years working as an audio guide auditor.'
Antenna Audio leads the field of audio and multimedia interpretation in the cultural heritage sector and offers a number of solutions tailored for museums , galleries and visitor attractions to enable greater access to their collections and sites. Other Antenna Audio tours produced for Visually Impaired visitors this year include:
* Nelson and Napoleon, at the National Maritime Museum
* Impressionism Abroad at the Royal Academy
* Munch, at the Royal Academy
* Samuel Palmer at the British Museum
For more information visit:
www.ssgreatbritain.org
About Antenna Audio
For 20 years Antenna Audio has been the leader in the field of digital audio and multimedia interpretation, providing the highest quality programming, equipment solutions and service, with the goal of creating an emotionally and intellectually engaging experience for visitors to museums, historic sites, and attractions. Over 70 million people worldwide have experienced an Antenna Audio tour at more than 800 sites, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery, London, the Louvre, Edinburgh Castle, the Alcatraz Cellhouse, and Elvis Presley's Graceland.
For further details please contact:
Matthew Vines
Antenna Audio
J307/309 Tower Bridge
Business Complex
100 Clements Road
Bermondsey, London
SE16 4DG UK
t: +44 20 7740 1155
e:
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