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Touch tours, materials in Braille, creative teachers’ packs, and innovative museum trails among schemes rolled out for Innovation Week on November 22-28.
SHARJAH, Nov 29, 2015: Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) is getting into the spirit of UAE Innovation Week with a range of new initiatives, including those that help visitors with disabilities make the most of their museum experience.
From November 22-28, SMD is introducing new “touch tours” for the visually impaired, consisting of replicas of a selection of objects from across Sharjah’s 16 museums in a first-of-its kind experience in the Arab region.
It will also provide educational materials in Braille and large print, making its entire line up of museums more accessible to visitors.
A new space-themed museum trail will also be launched encouraging students to take part in interactive activities via an app that delivers museum-related content.
Launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Innovation Week is a country-wide celebration of innovation across educational facilities, business institutions, and government and ministerial entities. It aims to establish a platform for the creation of a broad knowledge-based economy of which the UAE is a world leader.
Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the spirit and objectives of Innovation Week with a series of initiatives and activities that highlight the museum experience for all of our visitors, especially those with visual impairments.
“Not only do our initiatives support Innovation Week, but also they are in line with our ethos that Sharjah museums are open and accessible to all members of the community. Community involvement is absolutely crucial to us and we are constantly collaborating with local partners to achieve that.”
One of SMD’s initiatives – Museums beyond Sight – is a touch tour at Sharjah Maritime Museum aimed towards visually impaired visitors. Education specialists lead the tours through verbal descriptions and touchable objects that have been brought together at the Sharjah Maritime Museum in a small pilot exhibition to mark innovation week. The objects will later be displayed permanently at their respective museums, with plans to expand in the future. In addition, replicas of museum pieces will be used in SMD’s outreach programs. Meanwhile, SMD is distributing Creative Teachers’ Guidebooks that provide additional information for teachers about a variety of creative tours and workshops free of charge.
In addition, SMD has teamed up with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program in a project that aims to make education and resources more accessible to students in the UAE. The collaboration is supported by the Ministry of Education and Sharjah Education Council and follows the signing of an MOU between the two organisations to establish a framework for cooperative programs.
The first phase of the collaboration is taking place at the Sharjah Science Museum where two main activities are being launched during Innovation Week.
The first is a live webinar from the Sharjah Science Museum to students from 105 schools across the UAE. The webinar, which took place yesterday (Nov23), revolved around the theme of space and was led by Marwan Anwar Shwaiki, Director of the Sharjah Centre for Astronomy and Space Sciences. The second activity, starting from tomorrow (Nov24) at the Science Museum, will allow students and visitors to experience innovative museum trails through the use of proximity devices.
For more information about Sharjah Museums Department, visit: www.sharjahmuseums.ae
