QAC Sight Village - Edinburgh 2010

QAC Sight Village exhibitions, organised by Queen Alexandra College Birmingham, are billed as the UK's leading exhibitions of technology, equipment and support services for people who are blind or partially sighted.
The Assembly Rooms, 54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR
2 March 10.30 - 4.30 and 3 March 10.30 - 3.30;
admission free.

In The Frame : Descriptive gallery events organised by Artlink:

Toby Paterson : Fruitmarket Gallery:

Descriptive tour and discussion led by artist Juliana Capes.
Toby Paterson makes paintings, wall paintings, reliefs and constructions. Some works are almost understandable as architecture, while others are expressions of purely abstract form. Fruitmarket Gallery:
Wednesday 10th March 6.30 - 8:00pm;
Free; refreshments provided.
To book or for further information contact Susan at Artlink 0131 229 3555.

National Galleries of Scotland

Sessions for people who are Visually Impaired.

The Galleries have offered education events for people who are visually impaired, since 2001. We offer descriptive tours conducted in small groups, followed by relevant hands-on workshops. During 2005-6 the scale of this programme was increased with support of the Miss Agnes H. Hunter Trust.
To read more about this programme click here, or for more information on current events contact 0131 624 6428.

National Gallery Collection for the Visually Impaired:

National Gallery (National Gallery Complex);
Wednesday 24 February 2010, 10am-3.30pm;
A descriptive tour and practical workshop led by Juliana Capes, looking at the permanent collection at the National Gallery;
Meet at the rear entrance. - National Gallery (National Gallery Complex).
Free: Please book a place in advance either in person at the Weston Link Info Desk or by phone 0131 624 6560.

Click here to read more about the National Gallery Complex and Collection.

To visit the National Galleries web site

click National Galleries of Scotland

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The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse

How to find it:

The Gallery is at the foot of the Royal Mile, to the south of the Palace gates and directly facing the Scottish Parliament.
Buses: Numbers 35 and 36, and open-top buses.
Nearest railway station: Edinburgh Waverley.
There is free coach parking beside the Palace, and metered car parking just inside the Queen's Park.

Exhibitions and Tours.

The current exhibition (27 March - 20 September 2009) is
The Conversation Piece: Scenes of Fashionable Life
This exhibition will explore the tradition of the 'Conversation Piece', group portraits of high-society sitters in strikingly informal situations. With its roots in 17th-century Dutch painting, the genre is best known through the work of the English artists William Hogarth and George Stubbs in the 18th century and Sir Edwin Landseer in the 19th century. The greatest exponent of the Conversation Piece was Johan Zoffany, and the exhibition will include a remarkable series of portraits produced by the artist for his royal patron George III. The Conversation Piece depicts sitters going about their daily lives and thus provides a fascinating insight into the fashions, interiors and manners of the age.

The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton and Antarctic Photography
2 October 2009 - 11 April 2010
This exhibition of remarkable Antarctic photography by George Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley marks the 100th anniversary of Captain Scott's ill-fated journey to the South Pole. Ponting's dramatic images record Scott's Terra Nova expedition of 1910-12, which led to the tragic death of five of the team on their return from the South Pole. Hurley's extraordinary icescapes were taken during Ernest Shackleton's Polar expedition on Endurance in 1914-17, which ended with the heroic sea journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia. Both collections of photographs were presented to King George V and are today part of the Royal Photograph Collection.

Verbal description tours are available for blind and partially-sighted visitors, by contacting the Specialist Sales team.
Telephone 020 7766 7324 or email: specialistsales@royalcollection.org.uk

The National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland:
Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF.
Telephone 0131 247 4422.

Opening hours - Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Tuesday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 12noon to 5pm. Admission is free, but there is a charge for special exhibitions. See below for directions and access details.

How to get there:

The National Museum of Scotland is situated in Chambers Street, in the heart of the Old Town, a few minutes walk from Princes Street and the Royal Mile. Chambers Street links George IV Bridge and North Bridge.
By bus - service numbers 23, 27, 35, 41, 42 and 45 (Lothian Buses) go via the city centre and stop at George IV Bridge. Service numbers 3,3A,5,7,8,14,29,30,31,33,37A,37,49,X31,X37,X47 (Lothian Buses) and 77/X77, X78, X81, 86/86A/86B/X86 (First Bus) stop on South Bridge.
By train - the nearest train station is Edinburgh Waverley. Chambers Street is a few minutes walk from here up Market Street to The Mound and down George IV Bridge. The road is quite steep - visitors with mobility difficulties may wish to use the taxi rank at the station.
By car - head for Edinburgh City Centre. There is pay and display parking nearby on Chambers Street and a number of off-street car parks are signposted elsewhere in the city centre.

Access for the disabled:

Four designated public parking spaces are available for disabled visitors in Chambers Street. There is no charge for these spaces. However, please note that they are not bookable. There is a level entrance to both museums from Chambers Street via the Tower entrance of the Museum of Scotland. There is also a ramped entrance, which is locked, at the back of the Royal Museum, in Lothian Street. It has an intercom for requesting admission and can be used for entrance to The Lumiere/Lecture Theatre. Wheelchairs are available for loan at no charge at both of these entrances. Public lifts are available to all floors.

Full information about disability access to the museums can be found at National Museums Scotland: Access for people with disabilities and The DisabledGo website.

Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other recognised assistance dogs are admitted.

Free sound guides are available for the Museum of Scotland. Some Royal Museum exhibits have large-print and Braille labels. For those who have difficulty seeing the exhibits or reading the information about them, a Personal Access Guide can be booked by telephoning 0131 247 4206. There is no charge for this service. At least two weeks' notice is appreciated.

Touch Tours

To arrange a special tour with handling sessions for visitors with visual impairments, call Caroline White on 0131 246 4041. Please give two weeks' notice.

This page is currently under review

Prospective visitors are advised to phone ahead to get up-to-date information on what exhibitions and activities are available. Ring 0131 246 4206.

For further information or to add your name to the mailing list, please contact

National Museum of Scotland,
Chambers Street,
Edinburgh EH1 1JF.
Telephone: +44 (0) 131 247 4422
Typetalk: 18001 0131 247 4422
Fax: +44 (0) 131 220 4819
Email: info@nms.ac.uk
Web site: www.nms.ac.uk

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Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum,
Argyle Street,
Glasgow G3 8AG
Phone 0141 276 9599.

Braille booklets are available, as well as cassette tapes for your own casette player.
To arrange tours, phone Nicola on 0141 276 9541.

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Glasgow Museum of Transport

Glasgow Museum of Transport,
1 Bunhouse Road, Kelvinhall,
Glasgow G3 8DP
Phone 0141 287 2692.

To arrange a tactile tour, phone Ian Simpson on 0141 287 2651.

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