News Release

Audio Version of National Park Brochure Developed for Visually Impaired

News Release Date: November 24, 2021

The National Park Service has created an audio version of Indiana Dunes National Park’s official map and guide, making it accessible to visitors who have visual impairments and cannot read the printed version. This audio description can be accessed by visiting the Audio Described Brochure webpage on the park’s website, or by downloading the UniDescription mobile app on both Apple and Android devices. Audio files of the park’s brochure are available for download as well. The apps provide park brochures in acoustic media, designed for people who are blind, visually impaired, print dyslexic, or who prefer learning through sound. 

This project was facilitated through a combined effort of local and other park employees, one of which is legally blind, along with the help of a fully blind and experienced volunteer who has helped with other national park’s audio described brochures. The park employees were trained under the National Park Service’s Descriptathon program which helped give them the writing tools and database needed to make this possible. It was the 8^th installment of the Desriptathon program, run by UniD.

---

 www.nps.gov     

Indiana Dunes National Park is one of 423 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Located in Northwest Indiana, the park includes 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 15,000 acres of biodiverse beaches, woods, prairies, and wetlands. Up to 3 million visitors come to the Indiana Dunes each year.