04:15PM, Monday 24 April 2023
During the Easter Holidays, a group of visually impaired children, their parents and siblings and Berkshire Vision staff were invited to Windsor Castle for a coronation-themed touch tour.
This gives visually impaired children the chance to explore the world and learn through touch.
Berkshire Vision is a sight loss charity that provides vital and practical support to visually impaired children, adults, and their families in Berkshire.
The Windsor Castle Access and Inclusion team taught the children about the coronation and the castle, and the children had an opportunity to try on and feel crowns, cloaks, and helmets and a get their hands on a tactile model of the castle.
They then went on tours of St George’s Chapel and the State Rooms.
Sammy Eldred, parent attendee, said: “It can be very difficult going out for the day with a child with additional needs.
“There is a lot of planning ahead and sometimes it is easier just to stay in.
“The staff were absolutely amazing, so polite and so helpful.
“We were escorted through the disabled access by knowledgeable friendly staff putting ramps down and helping us through the crowds giving us information as we walked through each part.
“Nothing was too much.”
Touch tours are especially important for people with a visual impairment as they allow them to feel what an object looks like.
Quite often museum items have a 'don’t touch' sign making it difficult for a visually impaired person to experience the displays.
These touch tours provide important opportunities for inclusive educational experiences.
The Berkshire Vision charity supports over 1,000 people, with 100 of these being children.
Children’s activities include a wide range of adapted and accessible activities from boating, playground, and theatre trips; sports and craft sessions, and museum touch tours.
The sessions are inclusive for the whole family with siblings welcome to join in as well.
More information about the support and services Berkshire Vision provide can be found at
www.berkshirevision.org.uk or by calling 0118 987 2803.
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