Guatemalan museum makes exhibits accessible to visually impaired
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The Rafael Álvarez Ovalle Museum in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala, now offers information in braille and tactile exhibits for visitors who are blind or visually impaired.
Museum director Josué Perén worked with art students from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala on the “Inclusive Culture and Reach for All” project to translate museum labels and the national anthem into braille.
The students translated 19 informational cards detailing exhibited musical scores, as well as signs for the museum’s modules and entrance. The museum, dedicated to Rafael Álvarez Ovalle, composer of the Guatemalan national anthem, also provides an audio guide accessed via QR code and tactile representations of Álvarez Ovalle’s bust and a portrait of him at age 28. Perén stated that the museum has already welcomed visitors with disabilities and that the braille materials fulfilled a significant need.
Opened in 1984 in Álvarez Ovalle’s hometown of San Juan Comalapa, the museum displays original scores, instruments like a piano and cello, photographs, and personal items belonging to the composer. It also includes a civic altar, library, and art exhibition, and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 12 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM, and on Sundays from 9 AM to 12 PM.
