The Imperial War Museum in Duxford, UK, has won a prestigious award for its accessible digital culture.

Sharing the award with equipment supplier Antenna Audio, the Jodi Award was given by the Jodi Mattes Trust to the museum in recognition of the innovative audio guide that is offered to blind and partially sighted visitors.

The potential for this audio guide was identified at the concept design stage for AirSpace - the museum's exhibition gallery that tells the story of British and Commonwealth aviation – as the exhibition itself contains many opportunities for tactile and sensory engagement, which the audio guide enhances and complements the visitor experience.

Designed specifically for blind and partially-sighted people, the guide was created with support from focus groups consisting of visually impaired people who were actively involved in the project from conception to completion. The groups included the Support 4 Sight charity and Fighting Blindness - the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society.

The guide empowers blind and partially-sighted people to visit IWM Duxford with their family and friends on equal terms and integrates with a full range of access provision at IWM Duxford, including the RNIB Map for All, designed for sight and touch in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

All the museum’s access facilities are available free of charge.