// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Bayeux tour to include audio account of tapestry
The tapestry is on loan at the British Museum until July
The British Museum says it will provide an audio-described tour of the Bayeux Tapestry after a blind man threatened legal action over a lack of access for visually impaired visitors.
Dr Yusuf Ali Osman, from Croydon, says the museum breached the Equality Act by not offering such tours of the exhibition.
His lawyers, Leigh Day, sent the museum a pre-action letter on 24 September.
On Wednesday, the central London museum said an in-person audio-described tour would be held during the exhibition's run. It said it was also exploring adding an audio-described tour to the exhibition's app.
Osman, who has no sight in either eye, contacted the museum in July to ask whether audio-described tours would be available, according to Leigh Day.
The law firm said the museum told him self-guided visits would be prioritised over tours and events. The museum said this was because limits on how many hours of light the tapestry can be exposed to each week restricted visitor numbers.
Osman is seeking damages and a declaration that he was discriminated against. He also wants an order requiring the museum to change its policies and give relevant staff disability awareness training.
"I hope that this legal action will help make sure that blind and partially sighted people are properly considered when major exhibitions are planned, so that we can enjoy and engage with our national cultural institutions on a more equal footing," he said.
His solicitor, Kate Egerton, said: "The Equality Act places obligations on service providers to anticipate the needs of disabled people and take reasonable steps to avoid substantial disadvantage.