The First Museum in Latvia to Offer a Video Guide for People with Hearing Impairments

On 1 July, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia became the first museum in Latvia to offer people with hearing impairments a special video guide that supports both Latvian and international sign languages. This significantly improves accessibility to our Museum's exhibitions, enabling deaf and hard of hearing visitors to fully appreciate them. This initiative was developed in close collaboration with the Latvian Union of the Deaf. Sign language: Elfa Kesenfelde.

"We are very happy with our ongoing collaboration with the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, which is dedicated to ensuring its facilities are accessible to people with hearing impairments," says Ivars Kalniņš, Vice-President of the Latvian Union of the Deaf. "We can now be proud that this museum is the first in Latvia to be included on the list of European and global museums offering video guides in Latvian and international sign languages. The Occupation Museum is also a great example for other Latvian museums."

"Ensuring access to the exhibition for people with hearing impairments is not expensive; it’s mainly a matter of goodwill. With a sign interpreter, video recording and technical equipment, we can create a tool that will significantly enhance the visiting experience of this group of visitors. Our Museum is planning to create a similar tool for the "History of the Cheka in Latvia" exhibition at the Corner House, as well as working on other accessibility improvements," says Solvita Vība, Director of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.

The use of this video guide is available free of charge.