This was an Arts Council England (ACE) funded project, done in collaboration between VocalEyes (a professional supplier of audio-descriptions for theatre etc.), a focus group of visually impaired people and the School of Architecture and Design, University of Brighton. Its aims were to design and then test pilot audio-descriptions of architecture and interiors with blind and partially sighted people. Two contrasting buildings were chosen, the Theatre Royal and the Jubilee Library in Brighton, and an audio-described live tour developed and then evaluated during Architecture Week 2007.

For design students, working with blind and partially sighted volunteers, the aim was that they would both improve their skills in close-looking and accurately describing buildings, whilst also learning about what disabled people already know about spaces. For VocalEyes, the aim was to develop an approach to providing audio-described tours of architecture for blind and partially sighted people; an approach that they then developed and now use frequently.

Find out more about VocalEyes architectural tours here.