Cover Rico Chan, founder of Beyond Vision International, an NGO specialised in designing tactile cards and materials for the visually impaired to visit museums and galleries (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
Rico Chan, founder of Beyond Vision International, an NGO specialised in designing tactile cards and materials for the visually impaired to visit museums and galleries (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
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By translating visual masterpieces into multi-sensory experiences, Hong Kong-based NGO Beyond Vision International is bridging a historical accessibility gap and fostering cultural equity
On one fine sunny day in early June, French May’s Mona Lisa and Renaissance Masterpieces exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin welcomed 11 students from Ebenezer School & Home for the Visually Impaired. It might seem bizarre for a group whose members were either blind or possessed pinhole vision to visit an art showcase—after all, how would they be able to appreciate Leonardo da Vinci’s delicate brushstrokes?
Former graphic designer Rico Chan wants to challenge the deep-seated assumption that art is an exclusively visual privilege. The founder of Hong Kong-based NGO Beyond Vision International (BVI) specialises in creating tactile cards that are embossed with carefully mapped outlines of classic paintings. Not only do the users feel shapes and textures, but they can also touch the individual tones of the original artworks. Chan names this innovation the Tactile Colour System: specific raised patterns are used to signify distinct colours. Crimson shades are represented by raised round dots, blue by flowing wavy lines and purple by sharp diagonal strokes. The darker or more saturated the colour, the more concentrated the geometric pattern becomes.
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Above A student with visual impairment using the tactile cards designed by Beyond Vision International at the ‘Mona Lisa and Renaissance Masterpieces’ exhibition (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
A student with visual impairment using the tactile cards designed by Beyond Vision International at the ‘Mona Lisa and Renaissance Masterpieces’ exhibition (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
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“Art is fundamentally about history, storytelling and individual expression,” says Chan. “To deny visually impaired individuals the opportunity to be curious about our shared global culture is wrong.”
He admits that the way people with visual impairment experience composition is structurally different from sighted individuals. However, he notes that the true purpose of his project is to ensure that everyone enjoys an opportunity to experience fine art in the same physical space as any other gallery visitor.
Chan, who has normal vision, came up with the idea for BVI in 2007 when he chanced upon an exhibition of images taken by visually impaired photographers. “I initially thought it was a marketing gimmick, but I was astounded by how beautiful the photographs were when I attended. Even if they were abstract or out of focus, I found the perspective unique and aesthetically pleasing,” he recalls. “In that moment, I realised how little I actually knew about the daily realities of people living with visual impairment.”
Above The tactile cards and materials developed by Beyond Vision International (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
The tactile cards and materials developed by Beyond Vision International (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
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This realisation motivated him to dedicate his postgraduate degree in design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to developing practical systems that help visually impaired individuals process complex visual content.
During his studies, Chan discovered that academic conversations surrounding museum integration for the visually impaired in the region date back to the 1960s. Yet, decades on, these insights remain buried in academic archives rather than being translated into active gallery programming. Now, whenever Chan visits a museum anywhere in the world, he tests its baseline inclusivity by asking the front desk for tactile or Braille materials.
“They invariably pull out a blank piece of paper and write down a generic email address, telling me to submit a formal request and wait several business days for a response,” Chan says. “It is completely backwards. Why force a visually impaired person to jump through institutional hurdles just to look at a public archive?”
Above Rico Chan, founder of Beyond Vision International, at L’ecole, School of Jewelry Arts’s exhibition, ‘Precious Coral’, which featured a set of tactile cards he designed (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
Rico Chan, founder of Beyond Vision International, at L’ecole, School of Jewelry Arts’s exhibition, ‘Precious Coral’, which featured a set of tactile cards he designed (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
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While organisations like the Hong Kong Society for the Blind have supported the community since the mid-20th century through Braille libraries, Chan felt more was needed for genuine social inclusion. Sensory experiences like Dialogue in the Dark offer excellent public education, but they take place in highly controlled, artificial environments. BVI’s tactile materials, easily understood by both sighted and non-sighted individuals, aim to bridge the communication gap in real-world settings.
The system is already yielding results during museum tours and creative workshops. “We have had parents tell us how moved they were when their children shared their workshop creations after a gallery visit,” Chan says. “Such meaningful interactions rarely happened before, either because the parents didn’t know Braille, or because they never imagined their children could ‘see’ art in this way.”
Above A student with visual impairment using the tactile cards designed by Beyond Vision International at the ‘Mona Lisa and Renaissance Masterpieces’ exhibition (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
A student with visual impairment using the tactile cards designed by Beyond Vision International at the ‘Mona Lisa and Renaissance Masterpieces’ exhibition (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
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Sophie Au-Yeung, French May’s exhibition and education manager, first encountered Chan’s work during a cultural seminar in 2022. “I was impressed by Rico’s passion and the sophisticated visual system he developed,” she says. When the opportunity arose ahead of this year’s French May, she eagerly integrated the system into the festival’s programming. “Art is for all. Our educational activities are designed for audiences of all backgrounds, including people of different abilities. BVI’s mission aligns perfectly with ours.”
French May is one of the latest additions to BVI’s expanding portfolio of collaborators. Since it was established in 2016, the NGO has collaborated on 72 exhibitions across the city and globally, designing accessible assets for the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Tai Kwun, M+, National Gallery Singapore, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and coming up, the Science Centre Singapore.
Above Students with visual impairment using the tactile cards designed by Beyond Vision International at the ‘Mona Lisa and Renaissance Masterpieces’ exhibition (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
Students with visual impairment using the tactile cards designed by Beyond Vision International at the ‘Mona Lisa and Renaissance Masterpieces’ exhibition (Photo: Beyond Vision International)
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And BVI’s impact reaches far beyond classrooms and galleries. Chan and his team regularly organise public community workshops, vocational talent training and monthly neighbourhood walking tours. These outdoor excursions are led by trained, visually impaired docents who are paid to guide sighted participants through the rich history of Hong Kong’s neighbourhoods. Chan hopes to shift the overarching narrative from charitable pity to professional empowerment.
Navigating an independent NGO within the city’s highly competitive non-profit landscape remains an ongoing challenge, yet, Chan remains fiercely motivated. “As long as our work impacts even a single person, I will continue doing what I am doing,” he says. “I refuse to let user-centric design research sit idly in a library archive. It must be applied to everyday life to truly empower the community.”
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
