Visitors to the Araishi Archaeological Museum can now “see” the world in a new way by feeling it
with their fingertips. In November this year, our organisation Socentegra designed unusual
information boards for the museum that contain both visual and embossed information that is
readable to the touch.

Work on the project started in the autumn, when Socintegra activists organised a trip to the museum
for people with visual impairments. The museum staff conducted a nearly three-hour tour, showed all
the objects and arranged creative workshops. The group, which included a blindfolded sighted girl,
as part of the experiment, was able to touch and feel all kinds of antique items, smell herbal
remedies and even make their own oil, using antique tools. The second stage of the project was to
develop a special layout for information stands. The main objective was a universal design. The
stands should be user-friendly for ordinary people as well as for the visually impaired and blind. Here
is an example of how the information seen by an ordinary person and a blind person differs:

The relief information will help blind people get an idea of where the museum is located and
orientate themselves, while the relief photographs will allow them to enjoy the picturesque scenery.
The stands have already been installed on the museum grounds, but a grand opening is planned for
spring, during the traditional museum night.