Guided tours of archaeological sites for the blind

THE DEPARTMENT of Antiquities has launched a pilot project to provide guided tours for visually impaired persons at archaeological sites and monuments in Cyprus. 

The project was launched with a guided tour at the House of Dionysos in Kato Paphos on Saturday, according to a department press release.

“The objective of the Department of Antiquities is to provide access to all citizens to the archaeological heritage of Cyprus,” said the statement.

“In particular, it is the first time that an opportunity is given to visually impaired persons to get familiar with and understand, in a direct and tangible manner, the archaeological material and related aspects, such as a mosaic and its manufacture technology.”

In collaboration with the St Barnabas School for the Blind, bilingual informative panels have been produced in Braille and placed at the House of Dionysos, while a plan of the same house in stone, enables a direct understanding of the architectural organisation.

Bilingual guides in Greek and English have also been published in Braille, as part of efforts to provide accessibility to all available historic and archaeological information relating to the archaeological site and will be provided free of charge.

In addition, guards at the archaeological site have been trained by special trainers of the School for the Blind, so as to act as guides to visually impaired persons, in order to increase the benefits of their visit. The department notes that this pilot project will be soon applied to other monuments and archaeological sites.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.