 | AUDIO DESCRIPTION IN SCOTLAND |
| HOMEPAGE | NEWS | GALLERIES/MUSEUMS | CINEMAS/THEATRES | TV/RADIO | LINKS | CONTACT |
| AUDIO DESCRIPTION IN SCOTLAND |
| HOMEPAGE | NEWS | GALLERIES/MUSEUMS | CINEMAS/THEATRES | TV/RADIO | LINKS | CONTACT |
Following the lengthy hiatus in public performances due to the Corona Virus, and therefore audio descriptions, the question has arisen whether the maintenance of the Diary in the form it has had for almost 20 years is still worth the considerable effort involved, and given that the writer is now nearer 90 than 80, it seems the right time to enter semi retirement
The daily DIARY OF AUDIODESCRIBED TV broadcasts, which gives a Scottish version of the RNIB's TVhelp, has continued throughout the pandemic, and will continue for the foreseeable future.
CINEMA and THEATRE listings will be replaced by links to venues and other useful sources.
The MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES page will continue for the time being, dependent on supply of information.
Artlink works to open up the arts in Edinburgh for people with sight loss, people with hearing loss, people who are Deafblind and sign language users. See below for information on gallery tours - all free.
For more information on Artlink's accessible projects and events across Edinburgh, visit www.investigatecreate.co.uk
How to find it:
The Gallery is at the foot of the Royal Mile, to the south of the Palace gates and directly facing the
Scottish Parliament.
Buses: Numbers 35 and 36, and open-top buses.
Nearest railway station: Edinburgh Waverley.
There is free coach parking beside the Palace, and metered car parking just inside the Queen's Park.
Tickets purchased at the Queen's Gallery can be converted into a One-Year Pass, giving 12 months free admission to the Gallery. To reserve your place for all Queen's Gallery events, please e-mail the Learning Bookings team learning@royalcollection.org.uk or call 0131 557 2500.
Events for blind and partially sighted audiences April to October 2024.
Welcome to our guide to all upcoming events for visitors with a visual impairment.
1. General information and bookings
Join us for free, relaxed and sociable art sessions that take place either online or live in the gallery on the third Wednesday of every month. All sessions are free, and
booking is essential. To book a place, please follow the event links below to use online booking or contact us on 0131 624 6410 or learning@nationalgalleries.org
Live in-gallery Sessions
Our live, in-gallery sessions take place in the gallery spaces and our learning rooms from 10.15am until 3.30pm. In the morning, specialist artists lead a conversational,
descriptive tour. In the afternoon participants are invited to explore their creative responses to artworks in a supportive and friendly art-making workshop. We provide sighted
guides, but friends and supporters are also welcome. Simply pack a lunch (or you’re welcome to use the café) and we’ll provide the teas, coffees and artworks! Guide and
assistance dogs are welcome throughout the gallery, there are designated toileting areas for them, and we provide water bowls.
For sessions taking place at the Modern
Galleries, we can organise a free group taxi leaving from and returning to the National Gallery on the Mound. Please mention when booking if you would like to use this
service.
Online Zoom Sessions
Our online sessions take place via zoom and last for an hour and a half from 2pm until 3.30pm. In these relaxed meetings we explore art through visual description and
conversation. A telephone number, link and password will be sent out before each session. Pop the kettle on and join us!
2. Wednesday 16 October 2024, 2–3.30pm. Online via Zoom.
The Three Graces
Join us for an informal, sociable online session exploring art through audio-description and conversation for participants with a visual impairment. In this session, we will
discuss one of the most renowned sculptures in the collection, the Three Graces by Antonio Canova. We will also explore other examples of the same mythological theme, from
Albrecht Durer to Jane Brettle.
For more information please visit
this link:
3. Wednesday 20 November, 10.15am-3.30pm. National Gallery.
Dürer to Van Dyck | Drawings from Chatsworth House.
Join us for a free descriptive gallery tour followed by a practical workshop for visitors with a visual impairment. In this session we will explore the exhibition Dürer to
Van Dyck | Drawings from Chatsworth House which includes a spectacular group of drawings and watercolours by artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Hans Holbein the Younger, and
Sir Peter Paul Rubens, alongside no less than eleven works by Sir Anthony van Dyck, and nine by Rembrandt.
For more information please visit
this link:
4. Wednesday 18 December, 2-3.30pm. Online via Zoom.
Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Yarnwinder
With special guest, Chief Curator Aidan Weston-Lewis, join us for an informal, sociable online session exploring art through audio-description and conversation for
participants with a visual impairment. In this session we will discuss an artwork with a fascinating story, The Madonna of the Yarnwinder by Leonardo da Vinci.
For more information please visit
this link:
5. Wednesday 15 January 2025, 10.15am-3.30pm. National Gallery
A Scottish tradition: JMW Turner and the Vaughan Bequest.
Join us for a free descriptive gallery tour followed by a practical workshop for visitors with a visual impairment. In this session we will explore Turner’s watercolours
which have been exhibited in the gallery every January for over a century.
For more information please visit
this link:
6. Wednesday 19 February 2025, 2-3.30pm. Online via Zoom.
Surrealist books from the collection.
With special guest, Senior Archivist Kirstie Meehan, join us for an informal, sociable online session exploring art through audio-description and conversation for participants
with a visual impairment. In this session we will delve into the gallery archives to explore its world-renowned collection of rare, illustrated books created by surrealist
artists.
For more information please visit
this link:
7. Wednesday 19 March, 10.15am-3.30pm. Gallery Modern One.
Everlyn Nicodemus.
Join us for a free descriptive gallery tour followed by a practical workshop for visually impaired visitors. In this session, we will explore the joyful and powerful work of
Edinburgh-based contemporary artist, Everlyn Nicodemus who believes that creativity can be a form of healing.
For more information please visit
this link:
8. Website resources and audio tours.
Explore artworks in the collection and exhibitions through audio described tours. Listen to these audio tours from home or at the gallery using your own device.
For more information about the tours and the programme please visit
this link:
Get in touch
For more information, or to book a free place please contact us on 0131 624 6410 or
learning@nationalgalleries.org
The National Galleries comprise five galleries: The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in the midle of Princes Street; the Scottish National Gallery immediately behind the RSA, with an entrance also from East Princes Street Gardens; the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, on Queen Street; the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in two buildings: Modern One (MOD ONE) on the west side of Belford Road, and facing it on the east side of Belford Road, Modern Two (MOD TWO), the former Dean Gallery.
The National Galleries offer an extensive programme for visually impaired gallery visitors. The regular programme includes touch tours, verbal description and practical workshops. They have recently started to offer verbal description prior to monthly public drawing classes.
Booking Essential. If you are interested in attending any of these events, bookings are taken in person by the staff at the main information desk at the Gardens Entrance of
the Scottish National Gallery or by ringing 0131 624 6560. If you prefer to book by email, please contact: informationdesk@nationalgalleries.org
Please let us know in advance if you have any additional support needs so that we can arrange to assist you.
Transport: For participants taking part in sessions at the Gallery of Modern Art, we are pleased to arrange a free taxi leaving from the Scottish National Gallery on the
Mound. If you would like to use this service please let us know when you book.
Contact:
If you would like more information about the programme please contact Meg Faragher on 0131 624 6403 or email mfaragher@nationalgalleries.org
The following tours and workshops consist of a 90 minute tour in the morning, followed by a lunch break, and a 2 and a 1/2 hour practical workshop in the afternoon. Guides, chairs and refreshments will be provided. Please bring a packed lunch.
The Galleries have offered education events for people who are visually impaired, since 2001. They offer
descriptive tours conducted in small groups, followed by relevant hands-on workshops. From 2010 the scale
of this programme was increased with support of the Miss Agnes H Hunter Trust and the R S Macdonald
Charitable Trust.
To read more about this programme
Click here,
or for more information on current events contact 0131 624 6428.
Click National Galleries of Scotland
Drop in for tea, coffee and biscuits and learn more about the Library, our collections,
exhibitions and accessible events programme.
11:00 am - 12:00 pm Free, no need to book.
Multimedia Room:
The Issue Hall doors at the top of the main stairs are heavy and have to be kept closed
to maintain conditions for the collection material. We can help you with these doors if needed. Please let
Information Desk staff know if you would like assistance. We also have a card access wheelchair accessible door,
which is available for registered library users. Off the Issue Hall, to the right, is the Multimedia Room.
This has:
The library offers regular descriptive tours and handling opportunities for visitors with sight loss. A portable loop system will be available during this event and library staff are trained in verbal description.
Click National Library of Scotland
Tours at 11am and 2pm:
New for Disabled Access Day, developed for visitors with visual impairment, take
an introductory tour around two of the Scottish galleries in the National Museum of Scotland,
with an opportunity to touch objects from our handling collection.
Places are limited to six people.
How to book:
Phone: 0300 123 6789
The National Museum of Scotland:
Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF.
Telephone 0131 247 4422.
The new National Museum of Scotland is now open! Take a journey of discovery through Scottish history, the natural
world, world cultures, science and technology and art and design as our new museum brings the world to Scotland
and Scotland to the world.
Opening hours - Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Tuesday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 12noon to 5pm. Admission is free, but there
is a charge for special exhibitions. See below for directions and access details.
The National Museum of Scotland is situated in Chambers Street, in the heart of the Old Town, a few minutes
walk from Princes Street and the Royal Mile. Chambers Street links George IV Bridge and North Bridge.
By bus - service numbers 23, 27, 35, 41, 42 and 45 (Lothian Buses) go via the city centre and stop at George IV Bridge.
Service numbers 3,3A,5,7,8,14,29,30,31,33,37A,37,49,X31,X37,X47 (Lothian Buses) and 77/X77, X78, X81, 86/86A/86B/X86
(First Bus) stop on South Bridge.
By train - the nearest train station is Edinburgh Waverley. Chambers Street is a few minutes walk from here up Market
Street to The Mound and down George IV Bridge. The road is quite steep - visitors with mobility difficulties may wish to
use the taxi rank at the station.
By car - head for Edinburgh City Centre. There is pay and display parking nearby on Chambers Street and a number of
off-street car parks are signposted elsewhere in the city centre.
Four designated public parking spaces are available for disabled visitors in Chambers Street. There is no charge for these spaces. However, please note that they are not bookable. There is a level entrance to the museum via the main entrance to the Entrance Hall on Chambers Street and the Tower entrance at the corner of Chambers Street. Wheelchairs are available for loan at no charge. On arrival, ask at the Information Desk. Wheelchairs are not bookable in advance. Public lifts are available to all floors.
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other recognised assistance dogs are admitted.
Free sound guides are available for the Museum of Scotland. Some Royal Museum exhibits have large-print and Braille labels. For those who have difficulty seeing the exhibits or reading the information about them, a Personal Access Guide can be booked by telephoning 0131 247 4206. There is no charge for this service. At least two weeks' notice is appreciated.
To arrange a special tour with handling sessions for visitors with visual impairments please email tours@nms.ac.uk or call 0131 247 4041. Please give two weeks' notice.
Prospective visitors are advised to phone ahead to get up-to-date information on what exhibitions and activities are available. Ring 0131 246 4206.
For further information or to add your name to the mailing list, please contact
National Museum of Scotland,
Chambers Street,
Edinburgh EH1 1JF.
Telephone: +44 (0) 131 247 4422
Typetalk: 18001 0131 247 4422
Fax: +44 (0) 131 220 4819
Email: info@nms.ac.uk.
The National Museum of Scotland web site.
Click here for Talbot Rice web site.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum,
Argyle Street,
Glasgow G3 8AG
Phone 0141 276 9599.
First Bus services 9, 16, 23, 42 and 62 all stop directly outside Kelvingrove. There is pay and display car parking at
the venue, but space is limited. The car park has 10 spaces reserved for blue badge holders. These spaces are
free of charge and there is no time restriction.
Guide and Assistance dogs are welcome in Kelvingrove, and dog bowls and water are available.
Volunteer guides receive Disability Awareness training. Learning Assistants are trained in Visual Impairment
Awareness. Large print books, labels and graphics are available in the Early Settlers gallery. Braille museum
maps are available from reception on request.Braille booklets are available, as well as cassette tapes for your
own casette player.
There are opportunities to touch or handle objects within the galleries - these will be clearly signed.
The Discovery Centres will allow visitors to investigate and explore objects further, with more handling
opportunities - you may be asked to wear gloves.
To arrange tours, phone Nicola on 0141 276 9541.
Click here for Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum web site.
The best bus service to the museum is the The Riversider, service 100, departing the city centre every 30 minutes.
Visit www.firstgroup.com/glasgow for the full timetable.
From 23 October 2011, the Winter Timetable will come into effect and the Riversider will depart from the City
Centre every 30 minutes.
Bus Stops:
George Square (North side);
George Square (South side, outside Visit Scotland);
St Vincent Place at Buchanan Street;
Union Street (outside Poundland);
Argyle Street (at SAS Radisson);
SECC;
Riverside Museum;
Partick Interchange (Beith Street);
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Parking:
There is a limited Pay & Display car park at the Museum - at £1 for 3 hours - maximum stay allowed. The car park
will have 12 spaces reserved for blue badge holders and these spaces are free of charge with no time restrictions.
There is also a Pay & Display car park at Kelvin Hall, Bunhouse Road (the previous home of the Museum of Transport)
that's only a 10-minute signposted walk to Riverside. Alternatively at the Kelvingrove bus stop you can catch
the Riversider bus, service 100, that will drop off at Riverside Museum.
Parking at Bunhouse means easy access for also visiting Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Visitors may also use
the SECC parking lot - charges apply - then it's just a short walk to the museum or catch the Riversider bus,
service 100, that will drop you off directly at the museum - the bus stop is at the Clyde Auditorium (The Armadillo).
There will be specific provision for sensory-impaired visitors,
including 10% of displays designed specifically for people with a sensory impairment.
Guide and Assistance dogs are welcome in Riverside Museum, and dog bowls and water are available. Please
contact a member of staff.
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