From Passion to Posse: How Dr. Stanley Yarnell is Transforming Art Access for People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

Dr. Stanley Yarnell is many things—a retired physician, lifelong lover of art, and founder of the Blind Posse, a passionate collective working to make museums more inclusive for people who are blind or have low vision.

While he once spent his career helping others heal, Stanley now devotes his time to helping art institutions open their doors to everyone, no matter their level of sight.

Rediscovering the Joy of Art—Without Sight

Stanley’s story took a major turn when he began to lose his vision in his 20s due to optic neuritis. By age 50, he had lost his sight entirely. But even without vision, his love for art endured.

He fondly recalls his first experience with an audio-described tour at the Taft Museum in Cincinnati. For the first time, words brought paintings vividly to life in his mind. It was a game-changer—not just for Stanley, but also for his partner, who no longer had to provide spontaneous descriptions.

Yet despite travelling widely, from New York to Tokyo, Stanley found few museums offering consistent audio description. Frustrated but inspired, he decided to do something about it.

The Birth of the Blind Posse

Urged by a friend to take action, Stanley formed the Blind Posse—a small, informal but deeply committed group of art enthusiasts and accessibility advocates.

They chose to remain grassroots and independent, avoiding the overhead of nonprofit administration so they could move quickly and focus on what really mattered: making museums more accessible.

Over time, the Blind Posse has become a trusted partner to museums across the San Francisco Bay Area and to Envision as the company develops a version of its accessible AI assistant, ally, especially for museums. The Blind Posse's support falls into four main categories:

• Advocating for accessible design and services.
  
• Promoting accessible art events.
  
• Educating museum teams through training and resources.
  
• Collaborating on practical solutions to improve access.
  

At the heart of this work are their Six Basic Access Objectives, created through lived experience and refined with input from a growing community of museum-goers who are blind or have low vision.

Six Essentials for an Accessible Museum Experience

1. Audio Descriptions
   Museums should offer vivid, high-quality audio descriptions of selected artworks, both permanent and temporary. These should be easily accessible through mobile devices, QR codes, or apps. For example, ally, Envision’s accessible AI assistant, is a powerful tool being developed with museums to provide not only vivid descriptions of artworks but also added insights, such as context, meanings, and backstories.
   
2. Tactile Access
   Visitors should have the opportunity to explore 3D artworks through touch, either directly or using 3d-printed replicas, with orientation guidance to enhance understanding.
   
3. Close Viewing
   People with partial vision benefit from policies that let them get up close to exhibits without being challenged by security. This helps them see fine details like texture and brushwork.
   
4. Website Accessibility
   Museum websites should work seamlessly with screen readers and other assistive tools. Ally again plays a crucial role here, helping visitors navigate websites when booking tickets or checking exhibit information, using conversational voice or text commands to simplify the entire process.
   
5. Wayfinding and Signage
   Clear wayfinding tools such as tactile maps and large print labels are essential. Ally also supports visitors during their journey to, around, and from the museum—helping plan routes, find facilities, and orient themselves throughout the building.
   
6. Staff Training
   Museum staff and security teams should be trained in basic disability etiquette to offer a welcoming, respectful experience for every visitor. Ally can even come into its own here to create training programs, quizzes and useful tips for staff members on how to make everyone’s museum visit as enjoyable as possible, irrespective of their accessibility needs.
   

“These aren’t luxuries,” Stanley notes. “They’re the minimum of what’s needed to make a museum truly inclusive.”

What Makes a Great Audio Description?

As part of the Blind Posse’s outreach, Stanley helped develop a study guide for audio describers and museum curators. His core advice? Focus on clarity, perspective, and vivid comparisons:

• Orientation: Is the artwork in portrait or landscape?
  
• Perspective: Are we looking down at it, up at it, or straight on?
  
• Lighting: Where is the light source, and how does it affect the piece?
  

Color: Use real-world references—like food or nature—to describe shades (e.g., "vanilla ice cream" for a pale skin tone or "blueberry blue").

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Making the Museum Experience Equal for All

Thanks to Stanley and the Blind Posse, art lovers who are blind or have low vision can now experience more than just the structure of a painting—they can appreciate its full emotional and historical context. 

Because in the end, as Stanley puts it, “People who are blind or have low vision want to visit a museum on their schedule—just like everyone else.”

For more information on ally for Museums, please email Bhagya at Envision - Bhagya@letsenvision.com. Hear Dr. Stanley Yarnell talk about the Blind Posse and his mission to make museums accessible in the Envision podcast.