Accessible audio guides and ‘Design for All’
Making buildings, infrastructure and information services as accessible and easy to use as possible is now known by the terms ‘accessibility’ and ‘Design for All’ or ‘Universal Design’. The key difference between these terms lies in the target audience. ‘Accessibility’ is aimed at people with special needs, whilst ‘Universal Design’ benefits everyone. Accessible audio guides, combined with the capabilities of smartphones, can provide everyone with unrestricted access to information.
Claudia and Peter Grundmann, founders and managing directors of Hearonymus: “Design for All is the right approach. We offer a wide range of options for our audio guides, which make it very easy to ensure your content is accessible to everyone who is interested.”
Our close ally and helper in ‘Design for All’ is the smartphone. Thanks to good programming, it can open up a whole host of opportunities and ensure unrestricted accessibility. Below are some specific examples of how information on art, culture, architecture and tourism can be accessed by everyone:
VISUAL: The ‘Dynamic Text’ feature allows visitors with visual impairments to adjust the font size on their smartphone to whatever size they prefer. With the help of colour settings and grey scale options, the screen can also be perfectly adapted for people with colour blindness. ‘Voice Over’ and ‘Talk Back’ enable blind people to use their smartphones with ease.
HEARING: As the latest smartphones can be connected to modern hearing aids, people with hearing impairments can also enjoy audio information to the full. Videos in sign language bring our guided tours to life for deaf people, either in a German-language version (DGS or ÖGS) or in International Sign Language (ISL) for foreign-language guests.
UNDERSTANDING: Plain language originated in the field of support for people with disabilities and is intended for people with reading difficulties. The text is specially adapted. The main target groups for audio guides in plain language are people with an intellectual disability, people with functional illiteracy, or people living with dementia. Simple language, on the other hand, is aimed at a slightly higher language level than plain language and is intended for people with little reading experience, those whose first language is not German, those without a school-leaving qualification, or those with a low level of education.
ACCESSIBILITY: Our audio guides are available worldwide and at any time. In this way, we ensure that art and culture reach everyone who is interested, right in their own homes. This applies first and foremost to people with physical disabilities or those who are bedridden. However, it also applies to people who wish to find out more before visiting or who are inspired by audio guides to pay a visit – in other words, to new and additional visitors.
With Hearonymus’s accessible audio guides and the capabilities of smartphones, everyone can effortlessly enjoy your visitor-friendly offering. We offer bespoke solutions for all the areas covered, both indoors and outdoors.