Museum Sign Language Guide
As part of the Museum Sign Language Guide project, Schloß Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H. has been involved in the development of a high-quality guide system for deaf visitors. This involves the presentation of background information in the form of a specially produced sign language video. Following months of testing and ongoing improvements, the Museum Sign Language Guide is now available as a permanent service and constitutes a further important step towards making the museum area barrier-free.
The deaf face considerable access barriers to information every day. There is hardly any material available in their first language, sign language. Texts are often provided that are unsuited to the purpose of information communication. This is due to the fact that the sign language acquired has a grammar of its own that cannot be reproduced in writing. Written texts are therefore also difficult for the deaf to understand.
In the field of museums and exhibitions, the best solution has proven to be the provision of sign language videos that can be played back on suitable multimedia devices. The particular challenge in the development and implementation of such a guide system is to ensure the accuracy of the contents and the linguistic quality of the videos.
Schönbrunn Palace, in collaboration with sign language experts at equalizent Schulungs- und BeratungsgesmbH, has developed an optimised guide system . “The essential aspect in the development was to develop tests to ensure that the videos could be understood,” according to Petra Plicka of equalizent and one of the collaborators in the project. The sign language videos aim to take account of the latest knowledge about sign language. “For this reason, months of testing were used to gather comments by ‘native speakers’, i.e. people whose first language is sign language, and to integrate these comments so as to ensure across-the-board quality control,” continued Plicka.
In addition, the size of Schönbrunn Palace and hence the area for which guiding is provided, together with the international nature of the public constituted further specific requirements that had to be implemented. The Museum Sign Language Guide that is now permanently available, provides for instance the possibility of choosing the Imperial Tour with 22 rooms or the Grand Tour with 40 rooms. In the light of the international nature of the visitors, videos are available both in Austrian sign language and, for the first time, in the international sign language International Sign. The currently best technical solution is to use the Apple iPod touch© player. The technical implementation and software programming was the responsibility of NOUS Wissensmanagement GmbH.
The implementation of the Museum Sign Language Guide as a permanent service makes Schönbrunn Palace one of the few cultural institutions in Austria to make use of such a guide system. In terms of the quality of the videos and the provision of guides in International Sign, the service is as yet unique. “This pilot project is not only intended as a means of minimising the barriers to access to the cultural sites we manage, but will also provide an important basis for the further spread of high-quality sign language guides at national and international level,” explained Schönbrunn managing director Franz Sattlecker.
The Museum of Recent History (Celje, Slovenia) and Veste Coburg (Germany) are other museums involved in the project, which was carried out within the framework of the EU Grundtvig funding programme, the European programme for adult education.
For Schönbrunn Palace, the Museum Sign Language Guide constitutes a major addition to the existing facilities aimed at reducing access barriers, which include special tours for the blind and the visually impaired, or barrier-free wheelchair access to the display rooms.
As a backup measure, the display room staff have also undergone specific training and an introduction to sign language. The essential information on the website is also available in the form of a sign language video.
The use of the Museum Sign Language Guide is free of charge. The normal and reduced admission fees apply.
Further information about the Sign Language Guide (in ÖGS/IS).
