On 31 October, VDNH welcomes visitors to special guided tours for Sign Language Interpreter Day. The tours will be held online and offline, in accordance with all anti-coronavirus prescriptions of Rospotrebnadzor. Accompanied by a tour guide and a sign language interpreter, tour participants will get acquainted with the expositions of VDNH's flagship museum projects—the Slovo Centre for Slavic Writing and Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre.
A guided tour of the Slovo Centre for Slavic Writing—Cyrillic Through Space and Time—accompanied by interpretation to sign language will become available in VDNH's groups on Vkontakte, Facebook and Odnoklassniki at 1 p.m. on 31 October. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn the centuries-old history of the Cyrillic alphabet and discover interesting facts about this invention from Saints Cyril and Methodius. Guests will visit a monastic cell, the first Russian printworks and a zemstvo school, decipher graffiti on the wall of an ancient temple, discover how the people of old Novgorod sent 'texts' to each other, test out the interactive exhibits, study the history of font design over the years and marvel at the masterpieces of calligraphy. The guided tour will feature Russia's oldest literary works.
Sightseeing tours for visitors with hearing disabilities will start at the Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre at 4 p.m. on 31 October. Tour participants will learn about the history of the legendary pavilion which has become one of the key symbols of VDNH. Tour guides and a sign language interpreter will relate the history of Soviet and Russian space flights, covering the earliest spacecraft launches, Yuri Gagarin's pioneering spaceflight and the plans for missions to far-off planets. Visitors will learn, among other facts, why the word 'Sputnik' entered worldwide circulation in 1957 and which spacecraft was the first to return photographs of the far side of the Moon. The tour attendees will see a full-size replica of the Soviet Mir space station and much more. Attendance is free by prior registration.
The guided tour is designed for a group of up to 20 people. Visitors will be required to present a QR code at the entrance, confirming vaccination against COVID-19, a negative PCR test or a recent recovery, as well as a proof of identity. Visitors are expected to wear face masks and keep a social distance in the pavilions.
In accordance with the decree of the Mayor of Moscow, non-working days will be introduced in the city from 28 October to 7 November 2021. During this period, the opening hours and admission rules of some VDNH venues will change. Anti-coronavirus measures will remain in force to ensure that visitors are as safe as possible. More information is available on the VDNH website.
Sign Language Interpreter Day is celebrated annually on 31 October. The holiday was established in January 2003 by a resolution of the Presidium of the Central Board of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. It will be celebrated for the 19th time in 2021. VDNH will join the celebrations for the first time. The Slovo Centre for Slavic Writing started holding regular special guided tours for people with hearing disabilities in 2019.