The Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization (MCDR) in Deva has joined the list of Hunedoara County's cultural sites accessible to visually impaired visitors, after installing Braille information panels at the entrance of the Magna Curia Palace, which houses the said cultural institution.

Around 5,000 words of Braille text now offer basic information about the museum, local archaeological discoveries and other heritage sites in the county. The project was carried out with the support of the Hunedoara County Council and in partnership with the Romanian Association of the Visually Impaired, Hunedoara branch.

'As an institution, we aim to reach as many people as possible with information about the cultural heritage we manage. That is why we decided that we need to create more panels that are entirely dedicated to blind people. Basically, in 5,000 words, the visually impaired can learn, in broad outline, the entire history of the Magna Curia Palace, as well as important information related to the cultural heritage of Hunedoara County,' said MCDR manager Liliana Tolas.

Developing the panels required close cooperation between museographers, IT specialists and companies experienced in Braille printing. The texts were then verified by representatives of the Romanian Association of the Visually Impaired.

'We would not have been able to carry out this project, make it so easy to use, if we had not received the support of the Hunedoara County Association of the Visually Impaired. We worked together, we corrected each character. It is similar to the process of writing a book, after you have finished the manuscript, you take it to someone else to check it and do the proofreading. That is exactly what we did,' Tolas explained.

The panels are installed at the entrance to the Magna Curia Palace, and visitors can complement the information using the museum's audio guides. The first to read them was Professor Daniel Solonca, vice-president of the local branch of the Association of the Visually Impaired.

'The initiative represents an important step towards ensuring access to information and culture for all citizens. The panels are very well made, the information is very dense and consistent, and I am convinced that it will be useful to visitors with visual impairments,' Solonca said.

For visually impaired people, the Braille alphabet remains essential, alongside modern devices that reproduce text through synthetic voice.

'With the help of the synthetic voice, we get information from social networks or the online environment. On the other hand, the information published here, at the museum, in Braille, is very easy to access for those who cannot see. The dots are well highlighted. The information is correct and helpful. Braille remains basic, because without knowing it you are a kind of illiterate,' said Viorel Serban, honorary president of the Association.

MCDR Deva plans to continue the initiative by presenting other major heritage sites in the county in Braille. The next project concerns Nopcsa Castle in Sacel, the former residence of Baron Francz Nopcsa, pioneer of dwarf dinosaur research. The castle, rehabilitated by the Hunedoara County Council between 2019 and 2024, has recently been opened to visitors. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Sorin Blada; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)