Digitisation & Accessibility: Prisons Memory Archive Case Study

Description

The Prisons Memory Archive (www.prisonsmemoryarchive.com) holds a collection of 160 walk-and-talk recordings with those who had a connection with Armagh Gaol and Maze and Long Kesh during the conflict in Northern Ireland / the North of Ireland. In addition to the walk and talk recordings, the PMA also has a collection of video tours of the Maze and Long Kesh Prison. Given the ongoing contention over the meaning and significance of the Maze and Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland, contextual information about the spaces in each video tour is kept minimal, with the absence of any spoken narration or voiceover. This allows the viewer to interpret the Maze and Long Kesh prison on their own terms (McLaughlin, 2014). However, this approach privileges those who can see, which places blind and partially sighted people at a significant disadvantage. Taking this as its starting point, this presentation explores some of the challenges of creating access to this digital archive for audiences with additional access needs, arguing the case for collaborative and inclusive design in the creation and dissemination of digitised collections.

Period	13 May 2021
Event title	Digitising Ireland: Irish Studies PGR Symposium 2021
Event type	Conference
Location	Belfast
Degree of Recognition	Regional