Hello,

This is an initial ‘save the date’ email to share news of a forthcoming training day that I hope will be of interest.

The Council for British Archaeology recently ran a training day on visual impairment awareness for the historic environment in Worcestershire. We received such good feedback and requests for the training to be rolled out further north that I am currently planning a follow-up workshop to be held in York on Friday 19^th September.

The aim of the training is to widen access to the historic environment for individuals with visual impairment. 

The event will be FREE to attendees and run in collaboration with The Wilberforce Trust (a leading charity for the visually impaired) and the National Trust, who are kindly hosting the event at The Treasurer’s House in York. Importantly, individuals with visual impairment will also be involved in the workshop.

Attendees will develop:

·         understanding of the difficulties and challenges faced by visually impaired people

·         skills and confidence in communicating effectively with visually impaired people

·         knowledge of how visual and audio aids can be used to immerse a person in an exhibition

·         understanding of how to effectively use tactile installations to enrich engagement

The workshop will comprise a range of interactive and experiential activities:

·         use of simulation spectacles to experience a range of visual impairments

·         sight-guiding to explore accessibility issues

·         introduction to and discussion of a range of visual and audio aids

·         use and discussion of handling collections

·         introduction to and critique of tactile models

Discussion is a key part of the training day and participants will be encouraged to share experiences and observation of best practice, providing a peer-to-peer learning opportunity. It is hoped that attendees from both the York and Worcester courses will develop contacts for future collaboration.

In order to tailor the training to the needs of attendees it would be most helpful, at this stage, to receive a) expressions of interest to participate, and b) indication of your requirements for the workshop.  

Do please share details with friends and colleagues. Further details, including timings, will be circulated shortly and advertised on the CBA website: http://new.archaeologyuk.org/

Many thanks.

Best wishes,

Tara

Tara-Jane Sutcliffe, MIfA

Community Archaeology Training Coordinator

twitter @tj_sutcliffe