This year we wanted to focus on making the Gateway to Himalayan Art exhibition more accessible for all visitors. One of the benefits of having a permanent exhibition at the Rubin Museum is that we are able to continue to develop educational resources.
Our first step was translating the audio tour into Spanish. We decided to go with Spanish because it was one of the most accessible languages that our internal staff could manage with regard to translation and maintaining consistency. Now, if visitors add the number 9 in front of any of our Gateway audio stops, they will be able to hear the stop en español. These stops are also available on iTunes U.
The second major addition is a new set of verbal description audio stops. We worked together as a large team to write, record, and produce 10 different stops in the museum. One stop gives an overview of the entire museum. Nine additional stops explore different paintings, sculptures, and the Tibetan shrine room in great detail. Each stop gives a verbal description of what the artwork contains. Though they are intended for visitors with low vision or who are blind, they are great for all visitors because they allow you to skim the surface of the art work and look for details. All of the Verbal Description stops are also available on iTunes U.
We also made one video illustrates the verbal description stop in great detail.