Booklets to aid visitors in Braille and large print

Those in charge of managing the heritage of the town ofBriançonwere repeatedly requested to organise specific visits on behalf of associations for people with visual handicaps. On this occasion, the department considered the problem in-house. The success of the European Heritage Days in 2009, the theme of which was “a heritage accessible to all“, confirmed the interest of setting up visits for those with total or partial loss of sight and allowed us to refine our approach and develop our contacts.

Speaking guides were mobilised to take part in training on handicapped work (training of “Villes et Pays d’art et d’histoire” in Menton, a seminar on culture and handicap inVienna).

The creation of a tactile booklet seemed a relevant task to us in order to extend and capture these experiences.
This realisation comes in the form of two A4 booklets, one of which containing text in Braille and touch plates in relief. Texts, cutaways, plans, elevations and sketches facilitate comprehension and help to bring home the key points of the fortified heritage of Vauban in Briançon. The second booklet in large print, with plates in bold colours, contains the same information - text, cutaway drawings, maps, elevations – covering the fortified town, the collegiate church and the fortifications.
Designed as an aid to guided visits, for adults and children, they are made available for people in search of personal discovery.

The project reflects the willingness of Briançon, along with that of the Vauban Network, to ensure that as many of the public as possible can be made familiar with the work of Vauban.