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Visiting the KBR museum with a visual impairment

A sensory experience

The KBR museum does not yet have Braille signage, but it strives to offer an inclusive museum experience.

A significant part of the exhibition has been deliberately designed to engage senses other than sight:

  • You can listen to stories from the late Middle Ages through listening horns.
  • You can hear polyphonic music from the 15th and 16th centuries.
  • You can smell saffron, ink, and tooled leather.
  • You can feel materials that evoke craftsmanship and manuscript production.

These elements make it possible to connect with the exhibited works and the story the museum tells, even without or with limited vision.

Building accessibility

The main entrance of KBR is located at Mont des Arts 28. You can reach it via an accessible ramp with automatic doors. The reception desk is directly opposite the entrance. Staff can see visitors entering and are happy to provide assistance if needed.

Please note: the stairs around the Mont des Arts are not equipped with guiding lines or step-edge markings. Crosswalks are also not fitted with tactile paving. For visitors with a visual impairment, using a white cane can help make movement easier and safer.

The museum route is obstacle-free and logically laid out. Glass doors are marked with visual contrast. Both horizontal and vertical circulation are well organized:

  • The glass elevator that takes visitors from the reception level (-2) to the museum level (0) provides audio guidance when activated.
  • An elevator is available to reach the upper floor of the museum.
  • Stairs are equipped with at least one handrail and secured with tactile warning tiles at the edges for visual and tactile cues.

Lighting

The lighting in the museum is intentionally dimmed to protect the fragile manuscripts. As a result, it may be difficult to read information panels or see object details if you are visually impaired.

Tactile panel

On the ground floor of the KBR museum, you will find a tactile panel that allows you to explore the structure of a medieval manuscript page.

You can feel:

  • the layout of the page
  • the shape of Gothic letters
  • the decorated initials
  • a miniature from the manuscript La vraie ystoire dou bon roi Alexandre

This tactile panel offers a way to experience medieval book art through touch.

New audio feature

The museum texts on the digital screens include QR codes. Visitors can scan these with their own smartphone or tablet, after which the text is played aloud. In this way, we make the museum experience more accessible for those who are visually impaired or prefer listening over reading.

Assistance or support

There is currently no specific guided tour available for blind or visually impaired visitors.

However, thanks to a grant from the King Baudouin Foundation, we are developing an adapted visitor experience. In the near future, it will be possible to take part in a guided tour specially designed for blind and visually impaired visitors.

Visitors with a disability have free access to the museum. Anyone accompanying them is also admitted free of charge.

Although animals are generally not allowed in KBR, assistance dogs are, of course, welcome.