LONDON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – The British Museum is facing legal action over its Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, with lawyers representing a blind man alleging the museum is breaching equalities laws by not providing audio-described tours.
Dr Yusuf Ali Osman asked the museum whether live audio-described tours would be provided for the long-awaited exhibition of the nearly 1,000-year-old embroidery, which depicts the conquest of England by William I in 1066.
Osman’s lawyers say the British Museum’s decision to prioritise self-guided visits due to restrictions on the tapestry’s light exposure, which limit the number of visitors, was a breach of the Equality Act.
A spokesperson for the British Museum said, however, that it was planning dedicated tours which would feature “an in-person audio-described tour”.
“We are also exploring including a separate audio-described tour as part of the exhibition’s app-based audio guide,” the spokesperson added.
Osman said in a statement: “I want to be able to visit the Bayeux Tapestry and experience it for myself.
“I understand that there are important restrictions around how the tapestry is displayed, but it is disappointing to find that blind visitors are not being offered an audio-described way of experiencing it.”
His lawyer, Kate Egerton from the firm Leigh Day, said: “The Equality Act places obligations on service providers to anticipate the needs of disabled people and take reasonable steps to avoid substantial disadvantage.
“Our client is asking for the same opportunity as sighted visitors to experience this exhibition.”
The exhibition of the 70-metre-long tapestry, which allows ticket-holders 40 minutes to view it from an elevated platform, has been hugely popular. The first batch of tickets sold out and generated nearly £2.5 million ($3.32 million).
($1 = 0.7536 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Alex Richardson)
