A blind man is suing the British Museum for not offering audio-described tours of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition

The British Museum is facing legal action brought by Dr Yusuf Ali Osman, a blind man who claims the institution discriminates against him by failing to offer live audio-described tours for the exhibition dedicated to the Bayeux Tapestry.

Osman asked the museum whether blind people would be able to take part in such tours, but representatives said they would not be organised. The British Museum maintains that strict restrictions on exposing the tapestry to light limit the number of visitors and require priority to be given to unguided access.

The claimant’s lawyers say this policy breaches British equality law, which requires service providers to anticipate the needs of people with disabilities and take reasonable steps to avoid disadvantaging them. Osman is seeking damages and a court order requiring the museum to change its policy.

The tapestry, an almost 1,000-year-old, 70-metre-long embroidery, depicts William I’s conquest of England in 1066. Loaned to the United Kingdom by France in July, it can be viewed by ticket holders for 40 minutes from a raised platform. Tickets sold out quickly, generating almost £2.5 million for the British Museum in a single day.