Open Forum

Hello Community,

I have been diving deep into the world of museum exhibit design, particularly focusing on accessibility aspects. It's crucial for us to create inclusive spaces that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their abilities. I wanted to start a discussion here to share insights, best practices, and challenges faced when designing accessible museum exhibits.

Here are a few topics to kick off the conversation:

• How can we integrate universal design principles into exhibit planning to ensure accessibility from the ground up?
• What are some innovative ways to engage visitors with diverse sensory needs, including tactile elements, audio descriptions, and interactive technologies?
• What strategies work best for guiding visitors of all abilities through the exhibit space, considering factors like signage, pathways, and digital aids?
• In an increasingly digital age, how can we make sure that digital exhibits and interactive displays are accessible to everyone, including those with visual or hearing impairments?
• How can museums collaborate with local communities and disability advocacy groups to co-create exhibits that truly reflect and cater to diverse needs?

I am eager to hear your thoughts, experiences, and any tips you have on making museum exhibits more inclusive and accessible. Let's work together to make art and culture accessible to all. I also gone through this https://www.aam-us.org/2023/11/27/tips-for-creating-accessible-museums-universal-design-and-universal-design-for-learning-flutter/ but I think that we should start a complete discussion about it.

Looking forward to a lively discussion.

With Regards,

(Marcos)

------------------------------
Marcos Andrew
Software Engineer
------------------------------

A real pet peeve: Three decades after the implementation of ADA, I'm still stunned at the number of museums that present narrated video with no open captioning. And captioning not only benefits hearing impaired visitors. When lobby and gallery spaces are busy and noisy, captioning helps everyone comprehend.

------------------------------
John Wharton
Museum Docent &
Retired Museum Professional
Bonita Springs FL
http://linkedin.com/in/john-wharton-9629149
------------------------------

Hey Marcos. Great topic.

The Museum of Science in Boston is great at doing this work. Here is a poster they developed that I use constantly to check baseline accessibility requirements. 
https://missionstem.nasa.gov/docs/MOS_UD_poster.pdf

Here is an excellent podcast about the work they are doing:

The Future of Accessible Learning

Museum of Science		remove preview
The Future of Accessible Learning Dr. Christine Reich, the museum's Senior Vice President of Exhibits and Research, sits down with Universal Design pioneer Dr. Richard Jackson to discuss inclusive education in the museum world. View this on Museum of Science >

------------------------------
Douglas Flandro
Exhibit Designer
CambridgeSeven Associates, Inc.
Cambridge MA
------------------------------

Thank you for posting this discussion Marcos. I'll round up our offerings with more detail soon. For now I'll echo John, captioning is pretty low hanging fruit, especially with how easy the technology is to make this less cumbersome to achieve. We're employing iPad loans this coming FY as a way to offer more robust translations. It will at the same time allow us to see which languages are in the highest demand which will then inform next steps. More on that when it rolls out.

I look forward to seeing what everyone is doing....!

------------------------------
Matthew Isble
Exhibit Designer & Founder of MuseumTrade.org
misble@crockerartmuseum.org
Crocker Art Museum
Sacramento CA
misble@crockerartmuseum.org
------------------------------

Excellent discussion. One other piece of low hanging fruit is to add as much seating as possible for older visitors or those with hidden issues creating fatigue. 

------------------------------
Tony Beldock (she, her)
Head of Exhibit Design and Production
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Austin TX
[512-936-4605]
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-10-2024 11:26 AM
From: Matthew Isble
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Thank you for posting this discussion Marcos. I'll round up our offerings with more detail soon. For now I'll echo John, captioning is pretty low hanging fruit, especially with how easy the technology is to make this less cumbersome to achieve. We're employing iPad loans this coming FY as a way to offer more robust translations. It will at the same time allow us to see which languages are in the highest demand which will then inform next steps. More on that when it rolls out.

I look forward to seeing what everyone is doing....!

------------------------------
Matthew Isble
Exhibit Designer & Founder of MuseumTrade.org
misble@crockerartmuseum.org
Crocker Art Museum
Sacramento CA
misble@crockerartmuseum.org
------------------------------

Thanks for starting this discussion Marcos. I encountered an accessibility issue recently at an exhibit (of disability art ironically). I was with my daughter and her boyfriend, both of whom are blind. The art pieces had QR codes so you could access an audio description but it was unclear how a blind person could find the QR code with their phone. I know there are other ways to provide audio description but wondering if someone has successfully used QR codes.

I know some museums (Prado, SF MOMA) have started printing tactile versions of paintings, which is cool.

------------------------------
Patricia Chadwick
Project Manager
------------------------------

Hi Patricia,

This is something we came up against as well in one of our earlier exhibitions and have since implemented using raised QR codes on signage so our sight impaired visitors can access them more easily. They are relatively inexpensive to print.

------------------------------
Amalia Kozloff
Curator
Museum of Pop Culture
Seattle WA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-10-2024 12:21 PM
From: Patricia Chadwick
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Thanks for starting this discussion Marcos. I encountered an accessibility issue recently at an exhibit (of disability art ironically). I was with my daughter and her boyfriend, both of whom are blind. The art pieces had QR codes so you could access an audio description but it was unclear how a blind person could find the QR code with their phone. I know there are other ways to provide audio description but wondering if someone has successfully used QR codes.

I know some museums (Prado, SF MOMA) have started printing tactile versions of paintings, which is cool.

------------------------------
Patricia Chadwick
Project Manager
------------------------------

Thanks Amalia. Great idea!

------------------------------
Patricia Chadwick
Project Manager
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-16-2024 12:27 PM
From: Amalia Kozloff
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Hi Patricia,

This is something we came up against as well in one of our earlier exhibitions and have since implemented using raised QR codes on signage so our sight impaired visitors can access them more easily. They are relatively inexpensive to print.

------------------------------
Amalia Kozloff
Curator
Museum of Pop Culture
Seattle WA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 05-10-2024 12:21 PM
From: Patricia Chadwick
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Thanks for starting this discussion Marcos. I encountered an accessibility issue recently at an exhibit (of disability art ironically). I was with my daughter and her boyfriend, both of whom are blind. The art pieces had QR codes so you could access an audio description but it was unclear how a blind person could find the QR code with their phone. I know there are other ways to provide audio description but wondering if someone has successfully used QR codes.

I know some museums (Prado, SF MOMA) have started printing tactile versions of paintings, which is cool.

------------------------------
Patricia Chadwick
Project Manager

Hi Amalia,

I love hearing that you are using raised QR codes.  I am curious to know more.  Where do you have the QR codes made and where do you place them in the museum?  I work at a single artist museum where the paintings are abstract and very big.  I love this idea and am curious to imagine something similar at our museum.  We use QR codes with the Bloomberg Connects app.

Thank you,

Allyson

------------------------------
Allyson Johnson
Gallery Teacher
Clyfford Still Museum
Denver CO
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-16-2024 12:27 PM
From: Amalia Kozloff
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Hi Patricia,

This is something we came up against as well in one of our earlier exhibitions and have since implemented using raised QR codes on signage so our sight impaired visitors can access them more easily. They are relatively inexpensive to print.

------------------------------
Amalia Kozloff
Curator
Museum of Pop Culture
Seattle WA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 05-10-2024 12:21 PM
From: Patricia Chadwick
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Thanks for starting this discussion Marcos. I encountered an accessibility issue recently at an exhibit (of disability art ironically). I was with my daughter and her boyfriend, both of whom are blind. The art pieces had QR codes so you could access an audio description but it was unclear how a blind person could find the QR code with their phone. I know there are other ways to provide audio description but wondering if someone has successfully used QR codes.

I know some museums (Prado, SF MOMA) have started printing tactile versions of paintings, which is cool.

------------------------------
Patricia Chadwick
Project Manager

Hi Allyson, 

One of our local printers has the capacity to print the raised QR codes. We placed them directly on our didactics that are typically printed on a bamboo substrate. I've also had custom tactile panels for 2D artwork printed and that has been a great addition! I used Touch Graphics.

Warmly,

Amalia

------------------------------
Amalia Kozloff
Senior Curator
MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture)
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-20-2024 03:05 PM
From: Allyson Johnson
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Hi Amalia,

I love hearing that you are using raised QR codes.  I am curious to know more.  Where do you have the QR codes made and where do you place them in the museum?  I work at a single artist museum where the paintings are abstract and very big.  I love this idea and am curious to imagine something similar at our museum.  We use QR codes with the Bloomberg Connects app.

Thank you,

Allyson

------------------------------
Allyson Johnson
Gallery Teacher
Clyfford Still Museum
Denver CO
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 05-16-2024 12:27 PM
From: Amalia Kozloff
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Hi Patricia,

This is something we came up against as well in one of our earlier exhibitions and have since implemented using raised QR codes on signage so our sight impaired visitors can access them more easily. They are relatively inexpensive to print.

------------------------------
Amalia Kozloff
Curator
Museum of Pop Culture
Seattle WA


Original Message:
Sent: 05-10-2024 12:21 PM
From: Patricia Chadwick
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Thanks for starting this discussion Marcos. I encountered an accessibility issue recently at an exhibit (of disability art ironically). I was with my daughter and her boyfriend, both of whom are blind. The art pieces had QR codes so you could access an audio description but it was unclear how a blind person could find the QR code with their phone. I know there are other ways to provide audio description but wondering if someone has successfully used QR codes.

I know some museums (Prado, SF MOMA) have started printing tactile versions of paintings, which is cool.

------------------------------
Patricia Chadwick
Project Manager

Hello Community,

Marcos, this is certainly a very important topic.

Regarding John's comment, videos can be a nuisance for museums: when they run with sound, they disturb visitors and staff. And whether with or without sound, they can only work in one language (two at most if they are subtitled). 

At Nubart we have developed Nubart Sync, which allows you to play soundless videos on-site and send the associated audio directly to visitors' cell phones, via a QR code.  Perfectly lip-synchronized and in the visitor's preferred language. 

In addition, Nubart Sync promotes the accessibility of your museum: the hearing impaired can access the audio of the videos from their cell phones via a T-coil and the visually impaired can enjoy an audio description without disturbing others.

I invite you to try our demo on our web page. 

As for Patricia's experience with QR's, we offer Nubart Guides which are accessible to visually and hearing impaired museum visitors. The QR code on our audio guide cards is printed with a slight relief so that a blind person can easily find the QR code with their phone.
I invite you to read more about accessibility in our audio guides in this blog article.

Feel free to contact me for further information.
Regards,

Evelyn

------------------------------
Evelyn Crende
evelyn.crende@nubart.eu
+1 (305) 454-2085
Business Development North America
NUBART
Berlin, Germany
------------------------------

Thanks Evelyn for the information about the Nubart Guides.

------------------------------
Patricia Chadwick
Project Manager
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-13-2024 09:15 AM
From: Evelyn Crende
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Hello Community,

Marcos, this is certainly a very important topic.

Regarding John's comment, videos can be a nuisance for museums: when they run with sound, they disturb visitors and staff. And whether with or without sound, they can only work in one language (two at most if they are subtitled). 

At Nubart we have developed Nubart Sync, which allows you to play soundless videos on-site and send the associated audio directly to visitors' cell phones, via a QR code.  Perfectly lip-synchronized and in the visitor's preferred language. 

In addition, Nubart Sync promotes the accessibility of your museum: the hearing impaired can access the audio of the videos from their cell phones via a T-coil and the visually impaired can enjoy an audio description without disturbing others.

I invite you to try our demo on our web page. 

As for Patricia's experience with QR's, we offer Nubart Guides which are accessible to visually and hearing impaired museum visitors. The QR code on our audio guide cards is printed with a slight relief so that a blind person can easily find the QR code with their phone.
I invite you to read more about accessibility in our audio guides in this blog article.

Feel free to contact me for further information.
Regards,

Evelyn

------------------------------
Evelyn Crende
evelyn.crende@nubart.eu
+1 (305) 454-2085
Business Development North America
NUBART
Berlin, Germany
------------------------------

Hi everyone,

I'm curious to hear how people are implementing audio descriptions for video content in their museums. Do most use a form of an audio guide or are some people using a beacon of some sort? And secondly, has anyone successfully implemented sign language translations of their content (media and artifact labels)? 

Great discussion!

------------------------------
Mel Tamporello
Head of Web and Digital Media
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Austin TX
------------------------------

Hi Mel,

I know the Cooper Hewitt has employed Braille in their labeling; but note there is a very small percentage of blind visitors that can actually read Braille. Here at the Huntington, we recently used tactile displays in our Sargent Claude Johnson exhibition, which has been quite successful. My one concern about tactiles is when they look exactly like the artwork on display - encouraging touch in areas where it is not permitted. I would recommend creating tactiles that are more generic, but at least it's a step in the right direction!

In LA, we have a wonderful resource in the Braille Institute. I would suggest reaching out to your local representatives in that area for help and guidance.

------------------------------
Nicole Trudeau
Exhibition Designer
Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens
San Marino CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-14-2024 09:13 AM
From: Mel Tamporello
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Hi everyone,

I'm curious to hear how people are implementing audio descriptions for video content in their museums. Do most use a form of an audio guide or are some people using a beacon of some sort? And secondly, has anyone successfully implemented sign language translations of their content (media and artifact labels)? 

Great discussion!

------------------------------
Mel Tamporello
Head of Web and Digital Media
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Austin TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 5/14/2024 9:14:00 AM
From: Mel Tamporello
Subject: RE: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Hi everyone,

I'm curious to hear how people are implementing audio descriptions for video content in their museums. Do most use a form of an audio guide or are some people using a beacon of some sort? And secondly, has anyone successfully implemented sign language translations of their content (media and artifact labels)? 

Great discussion!

------------------------------
Mel Tamporello
Head of Web and Digital Media
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Austin TX
------------------------------

In my 30 years as an exhibit designer this comes up at almost every project kick off, and yet there are no clear answers. The PDF poster shared here, from MOS, is a very nice version of the simplified ADA/ABA codes, which just is a part of the baseline minimums. Universal Design offers a approach to design but not many real tools to implement and audit you designs. These minimums should never even be a question, they are simply must haves. However, more specific practices need to be addressed; knobs on interactives, lighting levels, force required to activate a mechanical interactive, Light Reflectance Values(visual contrast) on graphics, sensory minimum opportunities vs sensory maximum opportunities, etc. etc. 

My hope on each project is to have an earnest conversation with the team about who we are trying to accommodate, and what the priorities are. If your audience is simply "everybody" you are not working hard enough, parse it out: People with low vision, people with limited mobility, people in chairs, people with sensory integration disorders, and so on. Then to spend some time getting to know the audience(s). From there the team can set specific goals for each audience. If at all possible, let them inform the process in their own voices. This isn't easy, or cheap. So it is usually done with best intentions and not a lot of follow through. 

So, have the tricky conversations. Ask the team/institution/community if it is ok to have a slide in your exhibit, or is that too exclusive? Do you have the resources to keep audio headphones/wands, etc. clean and maintained? Can you afford the floorspace to have a sensory minimum space, or do you do that through scheduling special hours for special audiences? And, ask the people who are affected by these choices how they would like to experience your exhibition. 

One last thing is that it might be helpful to consider that (depending on your type of exhibit) not every component has to do everything for everyone. In my experience working with people with disabilities, they want a rich museum experience, but they don't expect everything to be just for them. So, a kid in a wheelchair understands that they can't use the slide, but if there are costume opportunities or a textured path they can roll over to bounce a little - they get to explore in the same way that we want all of our visitor to, employing curiosity and gaining experience of the world they live in. 

Bart

Exhibit Design

The ExhibitsDept. 

------------------------------
Bart Hays
Principal/Operations
Pacific Grove CA
------------------------------

Hello all - great discussion.

At GRPM we have utilized Braille in some of our exhibits as well as 3D printed specimens on our reader rails - all much appreciated by visitors who have low vision as well as those who are very tactile individuals. We try to include all senses when telling our stories, sight, smell, touch - sometimes it's difficult to touch on all of them but we do our best. We regularly consult with occupational therapists, Disability Advocates of Kent County, Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services as well as other local organizations to improve our current & developing exhibits. We recognize the importance of providing quiet spaces & resting places within our facilities and exhibits as well as providing low-sensory Sundays on a regular basis. By reaching out & asking for feedback on early versions of design we have learned SO many things. An example is meeting with the Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired - we thought we had it all figured out but they came in & asked why we weren't an Aira Access partner. Frankly, we had no clue what it was - however, it turned out to be one of the best services we could add ( look up https://aira.io/ ). Before we signed up we were able to do a "test run" of the app in our facility. It was pretty amazing - the visual interpretation was incredibly accurate. 

I think the main thing is to ask questions, keep trying, expect to make mistakes & learn from them.

Best,

Mary

------------------------------
Mary Wisnewski
Exhibits Manager
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Grand Rapids MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-14-2024 01:35 PM
From: Bart Hays
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

In my 30 years as an exhibit designer this comes up at almost every project kick off, and yet there are no clear answers. The PDF poster shared here, from MOS, is a very nice version of the simplified ADA/ABA codes, which just is a part of the baseline minimums. Universal Design offers a approach to design but not many real tools to implement and audit you designs. These minimums should never even be a question, they are simply must haves. However, more specific practices need to be addressed; knobs on interactives, lighting levels, force required to activate a mechanical interactive, Light Reflectance Values(visual contrast) on graphics, sensory minimum opportunities vs sensory maximum opportunities, etc. etc. 

My hope on each project is to have an earnest conversation with the team about who we are trying to accommodate, and what the priorities are. If your audience is simply "everybody" you are not working hard enough, parse it out: People with low vision, people with limited mobility, people in chairs, people with sensory integration disorders, and so on. Then to spend some time getting to know the audience(s). From there the team can set specific goals for each audience. If at all possible, let them inform the process in their own voices. This isn't easy, or cheap. So it is usually done with best intentions and not a lot of follow through. 

So, have the tricky conversations. Ask the team/institution/community if it is ok to have a slide in your exhibit, or is that too exclusive? Do you have the resources to keep audio headphones/wands, etc. clean and maintained? Can you afford the floorspace to have a sensory minimum space, or do you do that through scheduling special hours for special audiences? And, ask the people who are affected by these choices how they would like to experience your exhibition. 

One last thing is that it might be helpful to consider that (depending on your type of exhibit) not every component has to do everything for everyone. In my experience working with people with disabilities, they want a rich museum experience, but they don't expect everything to be just for them. So, a kid in a wheelchair understands that they can't use the slide, but if there are costume opportunities or a textured path they can roll over to bounce a little - they get to explore in the same way that we want all of our visitor to, employing curiosity and gaining experience of the world they live in. 

Bart

Exhibit Design

The ExhibitsDept. 

------------------------------
Bart Hays
Principal/Operations
Pacific Grove CA
------------------------------

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Marco!  

The LEAD (Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability) conference may present various ideas and address some of the above topics - that team has EXCELLED in the world of Accessibility!

https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/networks-conferences-and-research/conferences-and-events/lead-conference/

------------------------------
Lachelle Slade
United States Capitol Visitor Center
Washington DC
------------------------------

Further to my original message, the Huntington just published an article on the accessibility features in our latest exhibition. You can read it here:

https://huntington.org/verso/sargent-claude-johnson-and-louis-braille?utm_source=The+Huntington&utm_campaign=02ab426b4b-this-week-at-the-huntington-2024-05-14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-acbb05ca10-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&goal=0_f3661894cf-02ab426b4b-230473823&mc_cid=02ab426b4b&mc_eid=8c08895db2

------------------------------
Nicole Trudeau
Exhibition Designer
Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens
San Marino CA
------------------------------

I'm part of a group of presenters leading a session on co-design at the National ADA Symposium in Minneapolis next month. Neither the session nor the Symposium are specific to museums, but the session concepts can used anywhere, for any kind of project.

Co-design is a process that goes beyond consultation and includes the disability community (or any community, really) in the start-to-finish design process for a project. This can work for exhibitions, parks, new buildings, websites, or any other kind of service or resource that you want to be as widely accessible as possible.

One of my pet peeves (thanks for opening that door, John Wharton) is that museums conflate "available" with "accessible" especially in terms of collections. Just because you have scanned or photographed some collections and made them available on your website does not mean that they are ACCESSIBLE to people with disabilities. 

Here's a super tool from the Utah State you can use learn about web accessibility and find out if your own website is accessible: https://webaim.org/

If you're a small place and need a partner in helping you increase accessibility in digital, reach out to your local college or university - they're mandated by law to ensure that web content meets accessibility standards so that all students can access materials. 

One of my OTHER pet peeves is with historic buildings that contain museums  and house museum that lean HARD on the idea that they don't need to be ADA compliant because of "preservation." Sometimes, opening your building to more people is as easy as explaining the situation a person with a disability might encounter in trying to access your site. There are a lot of people that can manage one step, for example, but not a flight of stairs. So, if you have an accessibility section of your (WCAG compliant) website you can describe what people with disabilities may want to know. How do you know what people with disabilities may want to know? YOU ASK THEM.  There are many helpful suggestions in this thread already, but most communities have centers for independent living, or other organizations serving the disability community to consult with as you're planning a project.

If you want a big gold star, hire an ADA coordinator, or support an existing employee in certification as an ADA coordinator.

We are all temporarily able-bodied, and especially as 1) the US population is aging and 2) younger audiences demand inclusion (this is anecdotal, but I'm sure there some research out there) it really behooves us to get on the stick about accessibility. We can do it!

------------------------------
Erin Richardson PhD
Founder and Principal
Frank & Glory
Cooperstown NY
------------------------------

This is a great discussion. To follow up on @Christine Dally's comment, the Nelson-Atkins has also created some YouTube volgs in American Sign Language that play in our lobby frequently. (For example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4cIOVtttQ4)

As to the larger topic of incorporating accessibility design into exhibitions, we worked closely with our local community including Chriz and MDHAC develop sign language translations for the museum. My main takeaway from that project was that museums have to work with their local community to develop the most accessible experiences. I actually just wrote a chapter for an upcoming book about how we approached evaluation during the creation of the Smartify videos, volgs, and ASL translations. 

The book is coming out soon and includes case studies from multiple museums as they evaluated accessibility initiatives in their own museums. Here is a description of the book along with a discount code if anyone is interested: 

Evaluating Accessibility in Museums bridges accessibility and evaluation through stories that highlight how diverse organizations have developed and grown accessibility initiatives and the vital role that evaluation played in their evolution. Authors share how they worked from a variety of institutional starting points to design programs, exhibitions, and accommodations for visitors with disabilities and how these initiatives were evaluated both during and after implementation. Read about the impact of this work on disabled (and non-disabled) audiences, what staff learned, and conversations about iterating and moving forward. Each story demonstrates how evaluation created more responsive institutions that value diverse communities, invite communication and collaboration, and more meaningfully impact visitors.

Discount Code: RLFANDF30

ISBN: 978-1-5381-8631-2

------------------------------
Alyssa Carr
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Kansas City MO
------------------------------

Dear All:

Thanks for sharing all these great resources.

I like sharing Elizabeth Guffey's essay(s) on seating in museums: 

One version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470412914565965

Shorter take: https://designobserver.com/feature/design-for-the-rest-of-us-where-are-design-museums-benches/38117 

You might also enjoy Mia Mingus's essay about the relationship between disability, accessibility, and justice: https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/changing-the-framework-disability-justice/ 

Sincerely,

------------------------------
Nicole Belolan PhD
------------------------------

Hello community,

Further to my comment in this group, I want  to share a new video in our blog post, summarizing Nubart's applications for accessibility.

It's a good resource for anyone interested in accessibility.

Cheers,

------------------------------
Evelyn Crende
evelyn.crende@nubart.eu
+1 (305) 454-2085
Business Development North America
NUBART
Berlin, Germany
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2024 10:09 AM
From: Nicole Belolan
Subject: Exploring Best Practices for Accessibility in Museum Exhibits

Dear All:

Thanks for sharing all these great resources.

I like sharing Elizabeth Guffey's essay(s) on seating in museums: 

One version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470412914565965

Shorter take: https://designobserver.com/feature/design-for-the-rest-of-us-where-are-design-museums-benches/38117 

You might also enjoy Mia Mingus's essay about the relationship between disability, accessibility, and justice: https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/changing-the-framework-disability-justice/ 

Sincerely,

Nicole Belolan, PhD

she/her/hers

Nicole Belolan Consulting

Accessible and Sustainable History and Humanities Consulting

Web: https://nicolebelolanconsultingllc.com/

Can I make this email more accessible for you? Let me know!

---

Out now! "Disability History," in The Inclusive Historian's Handbook

------------------------------
Nicole Belolan PhD
------------------------------

Dear Marcos

My I recommend the book The Art of Access by Heather Pressman and Danielle Schulz. It has tips and practical advice.

Hope it helps.

Rachel

------------------------------
Rachel Alschuler
Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
San Francisco CA
------------------------------

Hi Marcos,

Thank you for bringing this up. Technology is the strongest case for advancing accessibility within museums. Giving people more ways to interact with museums regardless of their physical and/or mental capabilities. A lot of this can be done through a customized phone application for visitors. Albeit, some people don't like using their phones in museums, if your phone can help you navigate through a museum, get audio and visual cues on what you are looking at, even haptic feedback and more, then it's worth using. Image and object recognition, AR/VR technology, AI and Machine Learning are currently making huge advancements in making museums more accessible. In fact, these are things that Hidonix is already doing in service to museums. 

------------------------------
Jovan Harmon
BDM
Hidonix Inc.
Milano
------------------------------