Musée national de la Marine has been named winner of the ICOM CECA International Committee for Education and Cultural Action Best Practice award for Universal Accessibility!

Accessibility was a key part of the brief and Casson Mann Ltd worked with the Museum to pioneer a new accessibility model that employs sensory augmentations and flexible displays to support accessibility across all age groups and abilities.

The design offers multiple ways for visitors to access the stories regardless of their physical, visual, hearing, or intellectual abilities. There are eight mediation tables across the various galleries, incorporating objects to touch, screens with audio descriptions and translation into FSL (French Sign Language), texts in braille and FALC (Easy to Read and Understand) texts. Displays are flexible to facilitate ‘toned-down’ time slots, during which sound and lighting are reduced for visitors’ comfort. Use of audio beacons, tactile orientation and guidance, and sensory augmentations helps to create a thoughtful and comfortable museum experience that is accessible for all.