The White House and Google launch a new virtual tour with audio captions, Spanish translation

WASHINGTON: For those unable to visit Washington or secure a ticket to tour the White House, there is now a solution. The White House, in collaboration with Google Maps and Google Arts & Culture, has launched a new virtual tour of the iconic mansion on October 27th, coinciding with National Civics Day. By using a computer or smartphone, users can now explore all the rooms of the building that they would have encountered during a public tour.

First lady Jill Biden has spearheaded this initiative as part of her mission to make the White House as accessible as possible. Biden, who has a background as a community college professor, hopes that teachers will utilize the virtual tour to educate students about the White House and its historical significance, according to her spokesperson Elizabeth Alexander. “Not everyone can travel to Washington, D.C., to tour the White House, so she is bringing the White House to them,” said Alexander.

This virtual tour marks the first time that a Google virtual tour of the White House includes audio captions for individuals with disabilities. The captions, narrated by White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo, appear on the screen to provide viewers with historical information about each room. Furthermore, it is also Google’s inaugural virtual tour of the White House to offer Spanish translation.

The tour commences with a brief video of President Joe Biden and the first lady extending a warm welcome to visitors, mirroring the message played at the White House Visitors Center for in-person visitors. The imagery for the tour was captured using Google Street View technology, starting from the East Wing Entrance and progressing through all the rooms along the public tour route, including the library, the China Room, the Green, Blue, and Red rooms, the East Room, and the State Dining Room.

Google Arts & Culture’s storytelling tool was employed to create this tour. Ben Gomes, senior vice president of learning and sustainability at Google, stated that the mission of the arts and culture division is to make the world’s culture accessible to people across the globe.

The tour can be accessed on the White House website, Google Maps, and the Google Arts & Culture page. – AP