Digital projects from the National Trust, the British Museum and an innovative scheme to open up the collections of the V&A to people with learning difficulties were rewarded with Jodi Awards at a ceremony at the British Museum on Friday December 5.

Named in memory of Jodi Mattes (1973-2001), who worked as part of the British Museum's web team and later at the RNIB, the awards honour Jodi's efforts to ensure the British Museum's COMPASS website was as accessible as possible.

They were presented by Kevin Carey, Vice Chair of the Royal National Institute of Blind People and included an award for the hosts of the evening, the British Museum, who won an Excellence in Web Accessibility Award for their BSL Schools Web Project.

Working in partnership with Frank Barnes School in London, the project involved a group of young deaf people who produced signed curriculum resources based on British Museum collections.

Judges said the project represented “a high profile international museum setting new standards for itself in what should routinely be in place in our online sectoral provision.”

Watching a clip from the British Museum's award winning BSL Schools Web Project. Photo © Richard Moss / Culture24

The National Trust scooped the Excellence in Accessible Digital Media Award for a new string of 12 virtual tours, developed by the small Kent based company, Corvidae Ltd.

Designed to improve the experiences of some of the Trust's disabled visitors, 14 of the virtual tours are now in place with a further eight in production. More commissions have been booked with Cordivae for next year.

Judges felt the Trust and Cordivae Ltd had developed a project that had "outstanding potential for national rollout and is cost effective.”

An award for Excellence for People with a Learning Disability went to a project called Outside in Pathways. Now in its third year, the scheme has seen a group of people with learning disabilities produce films at the V&A in London using digital technology.

The group used digital cameras and editing equipment to produce a DVD of their thoughts and reactions to the museum.

Speaking after the awards Deborah Evans of Outside in Pathways said: “I think it’s critically important to get this recognition. We have to think about civilization belonging to everybody and we can’t afford to even think about excluding people on the grounds of disability.”

Earlier during his keynote speech at the awards, Kevin Carey, Vice Chair of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), called for renewed effort to make UK digital culture accessible for all.

He called for culture creators, publishers and producers to set up a national Centre for Excellence for Accessible Media funded by the public, commercial and third sectors.

“If we go on training disadvantaged people, including those with impairments, in a fragmented accessibility and usability ecology, to acquire what are called 'basic' skills in accessing and processing information, we will doom them to be poor,” said the campaigning Carey.

He also revealed that one of his credentials as a keynote speaker for the awards was the fact he was once “severely reprimanded” by a Tate Gallery attendant in 1974 for climbing a Rodin sculpture.

The awards also included a special commendation for the Thackray Museum's website redevelopment project, which had an inbuilt commitment to accessible media and resources.

Jodi Matte’s parents, Harry and Esther Mattes, and sister Sara, also attended the awards, which are sponsored by RNIB and supported by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Culture24.

The Jodi Awards are for museums, galleries, libraries, archives and heritage venues that use technology to provide access to collections and learning for disabled people, e.g. websites, interactive objects, audio-guides, PDAs and virtual reality shows.

The 2008 awards criteria can be downloaded here

The Press Release for the 2008 Jodi Awards can be downloaded here

Kevin Carey's Keynote Speech for the Jodi Awards can be downloaded here

The 2008 Jodi Awards were preceded by a Designing for Disability Seminar at the British Museum on the afternoon of December 5. Read a talk from the seminar by Marcus Weisen, independent consultant and Manager, Jodi Awards here.

Further information and sponsorship enquiries: contact the Jodi Awards manager, marcus.weisen@gmail.com