The Missouri Historical Society partners with MindsEye to increase accessibility for patrons who are blind or visually impaired
The Missouri Historical Society (MHS) and MindsEye have recently partnered to provide audio description for the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum. An audio playlist of 50 tracks visually describes interior and exterior spaces, points of interest, the core exhibits, and general way-finding information for the Museum and Court of Honor. The 65 minutes of audio content are available on the MHS SoundCloud page and can be listened to at home or onsite using a smart device. The playlist was written by MindsEye Art and Culture Coordinator Magan Harms and recorded by volunteer Greg Conroy. Special assistance was provided by Soldiers Memorial Military and Firearms Curator Mike Venso and Soldiers Memorial Military Museum Director Mark Sundlov.
MHS shares the history of the St. Louis region through exhibitions, publications, and public programs. They operate three buildings that are free and open to all: the Missouri History Museum, located in Forest Park; the Library and Research Center, located across from Forest Park; and Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, located downtown. You can plan your trip at mohistory.org/welcome-back.
In their words, “Our mission is to serve as the confluence of historical perspectives and contemporary issues to inspire and engage audiences in the St. Louis region and beyond. We know we cannot achieve that mission without a commitment to ensuring that our buildings, collections, exhibits, programs, and services are accessible to all. Our commitment to accessibility is achieved through regular development of new accessible programs and features, evaluation of exhibits for barriers, training for staff and volunteers on best practices in accessibility, and more!”
The Soldiers Memorial Audio Description project was commissioned as part of a larger effort by MHS to provide accessibility enhancements for visitors who are blind or who have low vision. Audio description is also available at the Historical Society’s Library and Research Center and the Missouri History Museum. MindsEye provides training to MHS employees, who continually update the audio description as new exhibits are developed.
MHS has also been hard at work reproducing all special exhibition labels and key informational brochures into Braille and large print. Please visit the information desks at the Missouri History Museum and Soldiers Memorial Military Museum to check out these free resources. MHS thanks the Midwestern Braille Volunteers who printed these accessible materials.
To learn more, you can:
- Read about accessible features at mohistory.org/visit/accessibility.
- Subscribe to MHS eNewsletters, which are offered for a variety of interests, including accessibility!
- Follow MHSon Social Media – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
- Send questions, accommodation requests, and feedback about accessibility to access@mohistory.org