The Caesarea Harbour Visitor Centre on Israel’s Mediterranean coast welcomes visitors inside four ancient vaults where history comes alive through archaeological treasures, immersive displays, and large-scale video projections.
In 2024, the Caesarea Development Company launched a major accessibility initiative, aiming to make the site one of Israel’s most inclusive heritage centres.
While physical improvements such as ramps and elevators were essential, the greater challenge was digital: how could all visitors, regardless of ability, fully experience a multimedia exhibition designed primarily for sighted and hearing audiences?
The accessibility challenge
Large-scale videos are captivating for many but exclude blind and visually impaired visitors. Traditional audio guides cannot keep pace with rapidly changing visual content, leaving audiences with fragmented or delayed descriptions. Neurodivergent and hearing-impaired visitors also face barriers, from overwhelming sensory input to inaccessible soundtracks.
The Nubart Sync solution
To solve this, the project adopted Nubart Sync, our patented technology that synchronises audio guides with video installations in real time. By simply scanning a QR code, blind visitors at Caesarea can receive perfectly timed audio descriptions on their own smartphones, without needing apps, special devices, or an internet connection. This seamless synchronisation — unique to Nubart — ensures no moment of visual storytelling is lost.
At Caesarea, Nubart Sync drives accessibility for four different videos within the Visitor Centre:
- A large central film introducing the history of the harbour, shown in a mini theatre and triggered when visitors enter.
- A film about the Main Temple and the site’s broader history, activated occasionally during the visit.
- Two looping videos that provide complementary perspectives, one with aerial map views and another showcasing underwater archaeological finds.
Whenever one of these videos starts to play in Hebrew for the general audience, the corresponding audio description begins automatically in the background for blind visitors, streamed directly to their smartphones. Even if a visitor joins partway through, Nubart Sync instantly locates the correct position and delivers the narration in perfect sync.
This flexibility is one of Nubart Sync’s key innovations: it can adapt to both looping videos and occasionally triggered content with no manual intervention required. Behind the scenes, the site’s AV integrator has access to a secure customer dashboard where they can monitor functionality, adjust settings, or update parameters whenever a film is replaced or re-edited. This ensures long-term reliability without creating additional workload for staff.
Accessible delivery through tactile cards
Nubart’s system is delivered via physical cards with unique codes, which each visitor receives at the entrance. For the Caesarea project, these cards were further adapted for accessibility: the QR code is printed using a special embossing technique, creating a slight relief that blind visitors can detect with their fingertips. This tactile design makes it far easier to position a smartphone camera for scanning.
Equally important, the use of individual cards ensures discretion. Instead of having to search for wall-mounted codes — an action that might single them out in public — blind visitors can access the guide privately, just like any other guest. Accessibility here is not only functional but also respectful.
Additional inclusive features
Beyond Nubart Sync for blind visitors, the guide also incorporates:
- A dedicated neurodivergent mode with simplified explanations and calmer narration.
- Hearing-impaired support through synchronised text and audio tracks with clear, accessible language.
Impact and innovation
The result is one of Israel’s most inclusive heritage sites, with Nubart Sync at its core. Unlike conventional accessibility tools, Nubart Sync requires no hardware investment, no app downloads, and no broadcast system. Combined with our tactile, discreet access cards and complementary modes for hearing-impaired and neurodivergent visitors, Caesarea now offers a scalable, visitor-friendly model of accessibility that can inspire cultural institutions worldwide.
Partners
Lead AV Integration Partner: Guy Charney from AV Magic
Accessibility Consultant : Tamar Broid
Client's Project Manager / supervisor: Mika Goldstein.
Cognitive Accessibility Consulting : Ornit Avidan Ziz and Ziv Shemesh.
Visual Impairment Consultant: Eva Kakon
