You are probably familiar with the requirements of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) for physical accessibility in your institution. But how do you bring exhibits alive to create inclusive experiences that meet the needs of visitors with a wide range of cognitive and sensory differences? In a lively, interactive format, this panel of exhibit designers present the philosophy, strategies, and specific techniques of audio description, tactiles, and electronic media to create displays that make exhibit content accessible to the broadest audience possible.
Moderator: Jill Rullkoetter, Senior Deputy Director, Frye Art Museum
Presenters: Charles Davis, AIA, Principal, EDX Exhibits
Lyn Henley, President, Henley Company Design and Production
Daniel Quan, Owner, Daniel Quan Design
Learning is evolving rapidly, with the expansion of digital learning and content being the major driving forces. Actis supports IIT Bombay’s goal of providing digital learning solutions for the leaders of tomorrow. Re-imagining Learning! See more at: https://www.actis.co.in/portfolio/iit-bombay/
When designing a new building, how can we use historical precedent to guide us? Which precedents should we select? How should we study and apply them to our designs? Enjoy my powerpoint presentation exploring these issues for the AIBD’s First Tuesday @ 2:00. Full recorded version with audio will be forthcoming from the AIBD.
CCTV Building, A Structural Design OverviewPeter Bach
The CCTV building is one of the several big Beijing Olympic projects, which houses the headquarters for the Chinese Central Television Network. Its design shows unique style, but great structural engineering challenges to overcome. The following presentation provides an overview of how these challenges were overcome. (Presented at Monash University, Department of Civil Engineering, August 2008).
Club house at Yercaud aims in achieving this sense of oneness with Nature. From the earliest stages of this project, we have made very sincere efforts to retain the existing flora and fauna which the site has in abundance.
The Club house is located in a Gated Community of 40 houses in a 20 acre property. The chosen site is at the center of the small cliff, where cut and fill techniques have been used very minimally. We have designed our built form to be one amidst the trees, with effort made to not cut down even a single tree. Even the stones that were dug out during construction were used for retaining wall construction.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Our Design Approach is sympathetic to nature and the existing natural elements have been retained and the contours of the site have been incorporated into the design. The built form is very rustic with natural finish which merges with the natural landscape. The raw angular forms arise from the contours in such a way that it embraces the contiguous trees and becomes one with the backdrop. The steep cliff naturally brings in a sense of adventure while also giving the users a very good opportunity to exploit the views of the site. Various types of access ways like ramps, steps and pathways have been designed to take the user to different destinations on the site.
For Information about technology and the Future technology
to read the article click links given below
https://www.informationtechnologys.world
https://bit.ly/3KzGyrC
Auditorium : SHANTANAND Temple of Fine Art Case StudyQuinn Liew
An auditorium is a special room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such
as theatres and music halls. For movie theatres, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number
of screens. Auditorium can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and theatres, and may be
used for rehearsal, presentation, performing arts productions. Apart from entertainment, an auditorium also
used for a space for speech delivery such as lecture theatres. A successful design of auditoriums muchly
depend on its acoustic design which include the auditorium layout plus absorption materials used. It is
essential to preserve and enhance the desired sound and to eliminate noise and undesired sound.
Biomimicry/Biomimetic architecture in La Sagrada FamiliaShabarinath R
A presentation on the Biomimicry/ Biomimetic aspects of the church which has taken 144 years for construction & where work is still undergoing, La Sagrada Familia.
BIM Dimensions Explained- 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D and 7D- Definition and BenefitsUnited-BIM
A BIM model can be utilized for pre-defined specific purposes, commonly known as use-cases. According to project stage requirements and project complexity, specific parameters are added to the existing information contained in BIM. These additions of pre-defined used cases can be described as BIM dimensions.
These dimensions enhance the data associated with a model to share a greater level of understanding of a construction project.
In the modern era, BIM technology has evolved from basic 3D & 4D dimensions to more sophisticated 5D, 6D & 7D dimensions that are poised to change the future of the AEC industry.
The Kolumba (previously "Diocesan Museum") is an art museum in Cologne, Germany.
The site was originally occupied by the romanesque Church of St. Columba, which was destroyed in World War II and replaced in 1950 by a Gottfried Böhm chapel nicknamed the "Madonna of the Ruins".
The new structure Zumthor built for the museum now shares its site with Gothic church and the 1950s chapel, wrapping a perforated grey brick façade.
Construction of the Kolumba began in 2003 and was completed in 2007.
The 21 1/4 inches long and 19/16 inches high bricks were handmade in the
region, a process which took over two years to complete.
Accessing Smartphones: Mobile for All in Museums (American Alliance of Museum...Sofie Andersen
Conference presentation on the research study of Antenna International/Antenna Lab together with Art Beyond Sight looking at the use of mobile in museums for individuals with disabilities. Contributing panelists were; Sofie Andersen, Annie Leist, Christine Murray, Danielle Linzer, Tasia Endo and Matt Kaplowitz.
Accessing smartphones - Mobile for all (Universal Crit) Museums and The WebSofie Andersen
Mobile technologies are radically changing the lives of many individuals with disabilities while concurrently becoming ubiquitous in museums and cultural attractions. Smartphones and screen based mobile technologies have the potential to both positively and negatively impact the experiences of individuals with access needs. At the heart of this issue is 1, considering how smartphones are used by individuals with access needs, 2, determining which features of commercial devices and apps are working correctly, and 3, documenting what is already being applied to mobile experiences in museums.
This 'how to' talk is informed by the industry trends outlined in recent mobile surveys and conference discussions, including Museums and Mobile surveys 2009-2013, TechatLead and the Access issue of Curator Magazine, July 2012. For instance, the 2013 Museums and Mobile results identified 70% of the 551 global surveyed institutions as providing a smartphone solution for their general visitors (http://www.museums-mobile.org/survey/). The speakers will discuss these results as well as impart practical tips and outline challenges for using smartphone technology to shape and enrich the experiences of access audiences visiting cultural institutions.
Speakers from Art Beyond Sight, Seattle Art Museum, Antenna International and CogApp will reference their own projects and experiences, consider case studies and developments in the commercial and research communities, and show how institutions can serve access audiences with smartphones. They will look at how devices and apps impact the experience of access audiences visiting in person as well as learning remotely about cultural institutions and heritage sites. The workshop will be supported by findings from surveys conducted by Antenna International in partnership with access advocacy group Art Beyond Sight.
Learning is evolving rapidly, with the expansion of digital learning and content being the major driving forces. Actis supports IIT Bombay’s goal of providing digital learning solutions for the leaders of tomorrow. Re-imagining Learning! See more at: https://www.actis.co.in/portfolio/iit-bombay/
When designing a new building, how can we use historical precedent to guide us? Which precedents should we select? How should we study and apply them to our designs? Enjoy my powerpoint presentation exploring these issues for the AIBD’s First Tuesday @ 2:00. Full recorded version with audio will be forthcoming from the AIBD.
CCTV Building, A Structural Design OverviewPeter Bach
The CCTV building is one of the several big Beijing Olympic projects, which houses the headquarters for the Chinese Central Television Network. Its design shows unique style, but great structural engineering challenges to overcome. The following presentation provides an overview of how these challenges were overcome. (Presented at Monash University, Department of Civil Engineering, August 2008).
Club house at Yercaud aims in achieving this sense of oneness with Nature. From the earliest stages of this project, we have made very sincere efforts to retain the existing flora and fauna which the site has in abundance.
The Club house is located in a Gated Community of 40 houses in a 20 acre property. The chosen site is at the center of the small cliff, where cut and fill techniques have been used very minimally. We have designed our built form to be one amidst the trees, with effort made to not cut down even a single tree. Even the stones that were dug out during construction were used for retaining wall construction.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Our Design Approach is sympathetic to nature and the existing natural elements have been retained and the contours of the site have been incorporated into the design. The built form is very rustic with natural finish which merges with the natural landscape. The raw angular forms arise from the contours in such a way that it embraces the contiguous trees and becomes one with the backdrop. The steep cliff naturally brings in a sense of adventure while also giving the users a very good opportunity to exploit the views of the site. Various types of access ways like ramps, steps and pathways have been designed to take the user to different destinations on the site.
For Information about technology and the Future technology
to read the article click links given below
https://www.informationtechnologys.world
https://bit.ly/3KzGyrC
Auditorium : SHANTANAND Temple of Fine Art Case StudyQuinn Liew
An auditorium is a special room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such
as theatres and music halls. For movie theatres, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number
of screens. Auditorium can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and theatres, and may be
used for rehearsal, presentation, performing arts productions. Apart from entertainment, an auditorium also
used for a space for speech delivery such as lecture theatres. A successful design of auditoriums muchly
depend on its acoustic design which include the auditorium layout plus absorption materials used. It is
essential to preserve and enhance the desired sound and to eliminate noise and undesired sound.
Biomimicry/Biomimetic architecture in La Sagrada FamiliaShabarinath R
A presentation on the Biomimicry/ Biomimetic aspects of the church which has taken 144 years for construction & where work is still undergoing, La Sagrada Familia.
BIM Dimensions Explained- 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D and 7D- Definition and BenefitsUnited-BIM
A BIM model can be utilized for pre-defined specific purposes, commonly known as use-cases. According to project stage requirements and project complexity, specific parameters are added to the existing information contained in BIM. These additions of pre-defined used cases can be described as BIM dimensions.
These dimensions enhance the data associated with a model to share a greater level of understanding of a construction project.
In the modern era, BIM technology has evolved from basic 3D & 4D dimensions to more sophisticated 5D, 6D & 7D dimensions that are poised to change the future of the AEC industry.
The Kolumba (previously "Diocesan Museum") is an art museum in Cologne, Germany.
The site was originally occupied by the romanesque Church of St. Columba, which was destroyed in World War II and replaced in 1950 by a Gottfried Böhm chapel nicknamed the "Madonna of the Ruins".
The new structure Zumthor built for the museum now shares its site with Gothic church and the 1950s chapel, wrapping a perforated grey brick façade.
Construction of the Kolumba began in 2003 and was completed in 2007.
The 21 1/4 inches long and 19/16 inches high bricks were handmade in the
region, a process which took over two years to complete.
Accessing Smartphones: Mobile for All in Museums (American Alliance of Museum...Sofie Andersen
Conference presentation on the research study of Antenna International/Antenna Lab together with Art Beyond Sight looking at the use of mobile in museums for individuals with disabilities. Contributing panelists were; Sofie Andersen, Annie Leist, Christine Murray, Danielle Linzer, Tasia Endo and Matt Kaplowitz.
Accessing smartphones - Mobile for all (Universal Crit) Museums and The WebSofie Andersen
Mobile technologies are radically changing the lives of many individuals with disabilities while concurrently becoming ubiquitous in museums and cultural attractions. Smartphones and screen based mobile technologies have the potential to both positively and negatively impact the experiences of individuals with access needs. At the heart of this issue is 1, considering how smartphones are used by individuals with access needs, 2, determining which features of commercial devices and apps are working correctly, and 3, documenting what is already being applied to mobile experiences in museums.
This 'how to' talk is informed by the industry trends outlined in recent mobile surveys and conference discussions, including Museums and Mobile surveys 2009-2013, TechatLead and the Access issue of Curator Magazine, July 2012. For instance, the 2013 Museums and Mobile results identified 70% of the 551 global surveyed institutions as providing a smartphone solution for their general visitors (http://www.museums-mobile.org/survey/). The speakers will discuss these results as well as impart practical tips and outline challenges for using smartphone technology to shape and enrich the experiences of access audiences visiting cultural institutions.
Speakers from Art Beyond Sight, Seattle Art Museum, Antenna International and CogApp will reference their own projects and experiences, consider case studies and developments in the commercial and research communities, and show how institutions can serve access audiences with smartphones. They will look at how devices and apps impact the experience of access audiences visiting in person as well as learning remotely about cultural institutions and heritage sites. The workshop will be supported by findings from surveys conducted by Antenna International in partnership with access advocacy group Art Beyond Sight.
Aanijalki, Opening Dialogue for Visually Impaired Inclusion in MuseumsMariana Salgado
This paper was published in the proceedings of the International Workshop of Re-thinking technology in museums. In Limerick (2005). University of Limerick
A Guide to delighting EXPO 2020 visitors & capturing their attentionGemma Fabian
October 2020 will be the date when all eyes turn to Dubai expecting to see some incredible creative visions brought to life.
These factors will drive up visitor numbers, but given the extraordinary architecture and entertainment already seen in the region, it will take something highly creative and unique to grab their attention. Having been involved with audio-visual design and installation in more than 80 EXPO pavilions, we share our knowledge of the 10 factors that designers need to consider, to ensure audiences leave with lasting memories.
The eyes want to have it: Multimedia Handhelds in the Museum (an evolving story)Peter Samis
A variant of this presentation, titled "Knowledge on Demand, Knowledge in Hand: Visitor-centered mobile multimedia," was delivered on 3 October 2008 at the conference "Knowledge in Demand '08" in Bern, Switzerland.
Open Art – designing a multimedia guide app for people with and without senso...University of Warsaw
While many museums cater for the needs of their visually impaired patrons by providing them with a special audio descriptive guide, containing detailed visual descriptions of works of art, the goal of the Open Art project is to develop a multimedia guide app, based on design for all principles, aimed at all types of visitors, with and without sensory impairments. We believe it is possible to create one description that would serve all museum visitors – regardless of whether they are blind or sighted, hearing or deaf. Each description of a work of art will include a short introduction to the work of art, its visual description, context and interpretation.
The following presentation was given as part of a seminar titled: a Advocacy and the Internet (in conjunction with UTS Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre)
Seminar Summary (PDF, 122k, 1 page)
Implications of Gov 2.0 for Accessibility
Lisa Harvey, Energetica/CCS Advisory Board
Disability, Cultural Diversity and Accessibility
Prof Andrew Jakubowicz, CCS/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Communication/Social Enquiry
E-Approaches to Destination Management: The Case of Sydney For All Visitor Accessibility
Assoc Prof Simon Darcy, CCS/Faculty of Business/School of Leisure Sport and Tourism
Date: Wednesday 21st April, 2010
http://www.business.uts.edu.au/lst/research/seminars/
The purpose of this presentation is to present the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum as a case study of a cultural heritage institution that is completely revamping its approach to inclusion through setting a new standard for accessibility of its digital exhibition interactives and media. Considered a vital part of transforming the museum, NASM has had to re-examine all aspects of producing digital exhibition elements in pursuit of its new approach, and will share this, as well as lessons learned along the way. I will direct this presentation primarily to cultural heritage professionals who are creating a new exhibition or redoing all of their exhibitions, and who are looking to improve the inclusivity of their digital interactives and media pieces. From this presentation, these cultural heritage professionals would gain an understanding of: 1) considerations that go into a wholesale revamping of a cultural institution’s revamping of their accessibility approach; 2) tactics for improving the inclusivity of their interactives for people with vision, brain, hearing, and mobility-based disabilities; and 3) internal and external stakeholders to involve throughout the process.
MW2014 - Gallery One, The First Year: Sustainability, Evaluation Process, Jane Alexander
The Cleveland Museum of Art created Gallery One to build audiences by providing a fun and engaging environment for visitors with all levels of knowledge about art. Gallery One opened to the public, January 21, 2103 This session will address the three questions most frequently asked by colleagues: 1) Is the concept behind Gallery One working? We will take a look at the inaugural year of Gallery One. We will discuss gaming & playful experiences through the Gallery One Lenses. We will take a closer look at the ArtLens iPad app and share the museum's findings, including the audience research team's immersive study involving observations and intercept interviews with visitors. In addition, we will review analytics of the interactives, including the iPad app's onsite vs. offsite visitor experience, and discuss how the Collection Wall and ArtLens app are being utilized by visitors as tools for discovery and for creating new pathways through the museum's collections. 2) How can the museum sustain Gallery One? We will address the museum's digital media strategy, including 1) how the backend systems and staff workflows have been adjusted to maintain the "big data," and 2) support for operating costs, from content development to hardware. We will also speak to new content development strategies for the iPad app that ensure as many objects as possible have rich media interpretation. 3) What are the next steps? What is Gallery One 2.0? - We will discuss plans for refreshed art installations and interactive technology in Gallery One. We will demonstrate the museum's new ArtLens for iPhone and Android. We will also share our process in adapting the iPad app functionality and content to the smaller device. And we will show how the Collections Wall is being leveraged to promote major exhibitions, and as a tool for gauging visitor interest in themes under development for permanent collection installations, exhibitions, and educational program development
Stefano Del Furia - Inclusive Design - Codemotion Rome 2019Codemotion
An inclusive type of approach creates better solutions, because it aims to benefit all users, therefore also those who must cope with disabilities. Thinking in terms of accessibility throughout the entire process, enables the creation of solutions for mobile applications and websites that are actually evolved and not merely alternative. When designing for human diversity, we make possible a global kind of partecipation, with a higher impact on positivity exchange and emotional benefits than we would have when addressing just the disabilities.
DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING LEARNING MATERIALSvalarpink
Edgar dale’s cone of experience - projected aids: OHP, slides, LCD projector, Audio Conference, Video Conference, Epidiascope and Slide Projector - Non Projected Aids: Charts, Flash Cards, Printed Materials, Bulletin Board, Magnetic Board and Flannel Board. Need and important of Audio Visual aids – Types of Audio Visual Aids – Graphic Aids, Activity Aids.
Archives Alive! Activating Archives for Engagement & EquityWest Muse
Exciting possibilities await us when we invest in museum archives! Through archives, relevant and engaging connections happen and a more inclusive, approachable space for community results. Learn how nascent collection and institutional archives expand accessibility, reach new audiences, and create unexpected discoveries that empower and shift narratives. This session will explore approaches to improving collections accessibility and holding space for diverse connections through archives.
PRESENTERS: Linda Waterfield, Head of Registration, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology,
University of California at Berkeley
Gina Caprari, Registrar and Collections Manager, The Global Museum and Museum Studies Program, San Francisco State University
Peggy Tran-Le, Research and Technical Services Managing Archivist, Archives and Special Collections at UCSF Library, University of California, San Francisco
Beyond Land Acknowledgements: Real Collaboration with Tribes & Tribal LeadersWest Muse
Tribal land acknowledgments are rapidly growing in popularity among institutions and organizations, taking the form of opening statements in meetings and conferences, signage, or website messages. One might ask why land acknowledgments are being made in a growing number of settings, including the museum. Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and is intended as a step toward correcting the practices that erase or freeze Indigenous people’s history and culture while inviting and honoring the truth. However, the land acknowledgment is also at risk of ending where it began, perhaps well-conceived and received, but merely a symbolic gesture with little to no follow-through of engagement and real change. While land acknowledgements are well-meaning, they are no substitute for substantive and ongoing tribal relationships and understandings of tribal land claims.
Digital Strategy: A Means for Museum TransformationWest Muse
Museums crafting digital strategies for the first time can find the process daunting, so hearing from members of the museum community who have done this work can be a great place to start. This session will address how an institution can develop a successful digital strategy, including how to leverage technology for institutional impact, how to ensure digital efforts are serving a need, and how digital efforts can protect, enhance, and showcase content.
PRESENTERS: Alisha Babbstein, Archivist, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
Nik Honeysett, CEO, Balboa Park Online Collaborative
Jack Ludden, Senior Strategist and Innovation Specialist, Balboa Park Online Collaborative
Gail Mandel, Deputy Director, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
Building Community: Discovering Resources for Professional Support, Learning,...West Muse
Having a network of colleagues outside of their immediate co-workers was crucial when disaster struck. The members of the Museum Educators of Puget Sound have leaned into this community for support, resources, and information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join them for open conversation on what they learned about their identity as museum educators, how they supported each other during different phases of the pandemic,
and how to decide what educators can carry forward.
PRESENTERS: Sondra Snyder, Director of Education, Museum of History & Industry
Emily Turner, K-12 & Youth Programs Coordinator, Museum of History & Industry
Nicole Frymier, Former Treasurer of the Museum Educators of Puget Sound
Kate Sorensen, Youth & Children’s Programs Manager, Bellevue Botanical Garden Society
Creative Attention: Art & Community RestorationWest Muse
How can museums support individual and community wellness, belonging, and resilience? Hear a case study from the Palo Alto Art Center about Creative Attention, an initiative that included an exhibition, artist residencies, an art therapy residency, public programs, and wellness programs. As part of the session,m participate in a virtual meditation with our wellness program provider and use the prompts created by mour art therapist in an artmaking session.
MODERATOR: Karen Kienzle, Director, Palo Alto Art Center
PRESENTERS: Julie Forbes, Stress Management Consultant
Anh Tran, LMFT, ATR-P, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Provision Art Therapist
Open to Directors, Deputy Directors, CEOs, CFOs, Leadership Team Members, and Trustees, this luncheon welcomed guest speaker Micah Parzen, CEO, Museum of Us, for a talk about changing the Museum’s name and the work that came after. This luncheon was sponsored by Mad Systems.
Facilitating Critical Conversations Around ExhibitionsWest Muse
Museums provide space for people to engage in critical conversations. In this session, participants will hear from four museums on their relationship between the curation/exhibitions and education/community programs departments, how educators navigate complex and sometimes controversial topics with visitors, and how program organizers create public discussions on critical topics. Participants will also have the opportunity to speak with other museum professionals on how they address critical topics and foster dialogue and civil discourse.
PRESENTERS: Amanda Coven, Director of Education, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
Molly Wilmoth, Bonnie Lee and Oliver P. Steele III Curator of Education & Engagement, High Desert Museum
Eliza Canty-Jones, Chief Program Officer and Editor Oregon Historical Quarterly, Oregon Historical Society
Ariel Peasley, Education and Community Engagement Coordinator, Coos History Museum
Helping Communities Heal in the Wake of Local CrisisWest Muse
As natural disasters and crises become prevalent, hear how four museums responded to wildfires and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Learn innovative ways to help your community heal. Each museum will share how they addressed local crises in thoughtful and meaningful ways while staying true to their missions and protecting their collections. Through partnerships, interactive social media platforms, creative artmaking, reflective exhibitions, collecting oral histories, and developing programs, each museum became a place of gathering, engagement, connection, reflection, and support.
PRESENTERS: Jeff Nathanson, Executive Director, Museum of Sonoma County
Jesse Clark McAbee, Curator of Museums, Museums of Lake County
Carol Oliva, Director of Development, California Indian Museum and Cultural Center
Jessica Ruskin, Education Director, Charles M. Schulz Museum
How do museums and historians shape a person’s legacy, for better or for worse? Join us for small group conversations as we investigate the stories of aviation pioneers Pancho Barnes and Amelia Earhart through an LBGTQ+ perspective. We’ll consider the wider challenges of representing diverse ethnicities or sexual/gender identities of historical individuals with today’s language, and examine how what museums say (and don’t say) about a person’s life has a profound impact on visitors.
PRESENTERS: Shae Skager, Administrative Coordinator, Education, The Museum of Flight
Sean Mobley, Social Media and Content Marketing Specialist, The Museum of Flight
A national research study, Measurement of Museum Social Impact (MOMSI), is working to create a survey to help museums measure their social impact. In this session, hear about the study, its history, and the forthcoming toolkit; preliminary social impact data from MOMSI host museums; and host museum perspectives on how to recruit participants through an equity lens and use social impact data for master and strategic planning, advocacy, and community engagement.
PRESENTERS: Emily Johnson, Field Services Manager, Utah Division of Arts & Museums
Dean Watanabe, Vice President, and Deputy Director, San Diego Zoo
Dan Keeffe, Director of Learning & Engagement, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Lorie Millward, VP of Possibilities, Thanksgiving Point Institute
Michelle Mileham, Ph.D., Project Manager, Measurement of Museum Social Impact & Accessibility Coordinator, Utah Division of Arts & Museums
Museum People: Exploring Museum Workforce Issues in 2022West Muse
This session explores workforce issues through the lens of an organization created in reaction to the COVID-19
pandemic. We will facilitate open discussion about issues such as the shift in needed skills, changed business
models, and staff fatigue. The goal is to learn from each other by sharing what’s happening across institutions,
identifying short- and long-term concerns, and considering barriers and ways to move forward.
PRESENTERS: Rita Deedrick, Volunteer, MuseumExpert.org
Wendy Meluch, Principle, Wendy Meluch Consulting
Jill Stein, Founder and Principle Researcher, Reimagine Research Group
Traditional museum conservation fails to address some of the challenges and opportunities inherent in our institutions’ outdoor, macro, and functional artifacts. Whether a lightship, a submarine, a submersible, or your artifact, they sometimes withstand non-standard museum display environments and practices to keep them relevant. Join us for a discussion about preserving historical and educational significance through atypical preservation projects.
PRESENTERS: Beth Sanders, Collections Manager, U.S. Naval Undersea Museum
Richard Pekelney, Co-Chair, USS Pampanito, San Francisco Maritime National Park Association Board of Trustees
Bruce Jones, Deputy Director, Columbia River Maritime Museum
Strategies for Surfacing Truth and Fostering Reconciliation for Racial EquityWest Muse
Museums and cultural institutions are often quick to celebrate the progress they have made toward racial equity while struggling to dedicate time to pause and reflect on what might prevent them from moving forward. Museums & Race offers this session to help museum practitioners foster new dialogic skills to have more truthful conversations, as well as practical ways to move from naming the issues to developing practical strategies to combat harmful behaviors.
PRESENTERS: Jackie Peterson, Owner & Chief Excellence Officer, Jackie Peterson | Exhibit Services and Museums & Race Steering Committee Member
Dr. Karlisa Callwood, Director, Community Conservation Education & Action, Perry Institute for Marine Science; Museums & Race Steering Committee Member
Tools for Meaningful and Engaging Internship ProgramsWest Muse
Inviting interns onto your team is a great way to introduce support, generate diverse ideas, and create valuable learning opportunities for all involved. But not all internship programs are created equal. This session explores tools and engagement strategies to provide more meaningful experiences to interns and the museum.
Presenters: Peter Kukla, Planetarium Manager, Eugene Science Center
Jennifer Powers, Featured Hall Assistant Manager, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
Planned Giving Opportunities with the Upcoming Transfer of Wealth (Pt 2/2)West Muse
Studies show that $9 trillion in assets will be passed in the U.S. from Baby Boomers to Gen X and millennials by 2027. It is imperative that fundraisers plan thoughtfully for this transfer of wealth because great opportunity exists to secure planned gifts. While many nonprofits focus on immediate funding needs, museums are in a unique position, responsible for long-term institutional preservation and collections care. It is not only prudent but necessary to develop sustainable revenue.
Planned Giving Opportunities with the Upcoming Transfer of Wealth (Pt. 1/2)West Muse
Studies show that $9 trillion in assets will be passed in the U.S. from Baby Boomers to Gen X and millennials by 2027. It is imperative that fundraisers plan thoughtfully for this transfer of wealth because great opportunity exists to secure planned gifts. While many nonprofits focus on immediate funding needs, museums are in a unique position, responsible for long-term institutional preservation and collections care. It is not only prudent but necessary to develop sustainable revenue.
Boards are responsible for the fiscal health of the nonprofit organizations they serve. Not only must they give, but it is essential that they take part in fund development. Many volunteers are uncomfortable in this role. This session will equip staff with tools to train board members about the fundraising cycle and how they can be involved in different phases based on their comfort levels. It will include tips on face to face solicitations.
Inclusivity, Difficult History, and the Modern Museum Audience West Muse
This luncheon was open to Directors, Deputy Directors, CEOs, CFOs, Leadership Team Members, and Trustees, and featured guest speaker David Pettyjohn, Executive Director of the Idaho Humanities Council. David Pettyjohn discussed the Council’s mission of “deepening the understanding of human experience by connecting people with ideas,” and provided information on programming and funding opportunities, including Museum on Main Street, Speakers Bureau, and grants.
Museums and Climate Change: Creating a Sustainable Path ForwardWest Muse
The collective response of our society to climate change will be one of the defining issues of this era. From strategies to improve the environmental performance of facilities to making a difference globally through programs such as We Are Still In, this session will explore the issues surrounding climate change and provide insights on how museums of all varieties can contribute to bringing positive change to their organizations and communities through interpretation and demonstration.
Recalculating, Recalculating...Using the Museum Assessment Program as Your Mu...West Muse
Does your museum need budget-friendly directions to improve its community engagement, address challenges with collections, strengthen its educational activities, align operations overall, or hone its governance for greater leadership potential? The Museum Assessment Program can give your museum the best route to reach your destination. Hear about the new and revised assessment options, as well as about the benefits, experience, and results of MAP from recent participants. Fuel up to apply for this IMLS-funded excellence program today.
3. Most museums and visitor centers are familiar with ADA/ABA
requirements for physical accessibility–ramps, reach,
doorways, etc.–and are actively improving in this area.
4. Programmatic accessibility is how
we make exhibit content accessible
to the widest diversity of people
including people with:
low vision and blindness
hearing impairments
cognitive differences
5. The National Park Service has become a leader in developing
creative and effective strategies for programmatic accessibility
because of its mission to reach all visitors. EDX has been
designing exhibits at NPS visitor centers for over 15 years.
6. A good goal is Universal Design–looking for single solutions that
accommodate all. This works pretty well for physical accessibility
but is more difficult when dealing with complex exhibit content.
7. In exhibits, the ideal is a set of shared experiences that reach the
broadest range of visitors possible. In telling complex stories, employing
specific strategies and assistive technologies to reach specific user groups
may be necessary.
8. Programmatic Accessibility and Assistive
technologies for:
• people with low vision and blindness
• people with hearing impairments
• people with cognitive differences
9. Does the Programmatic Accessibility strategy for
people with low vision and blindness:
• support independent navigation?
People with low vision and blindness, even if
they arrive with friends or family, wish to be
able to navigate the exhibit with little or no
assistance, as other visitors do.
10. Does the Programmatic Accessibility strategy for
people with low vision and blindness :
• support independent navigation?
• reduce visitor need for self-identification?
Most people do not like to stand out
or call attention to themselves.
If an accessibility accommodation requires this,
many people will choose not to take advantage of it.
11. Does the Programmatic Accessibility strategy for
people with low vision and blindness :
• support independent navigation?
• reduce visitor need for self-identification?
• allow visitor to create their own experience?
One of the appeals of exhibits is being able to create
your own experience and make your own choices about
what you see, when you see it, and for how long.
Accessibility solutions should afford this same flexibility.
12. Supporting Independent
Exhibit Experiences
• Tactile Orientation
Map/Model
Tactile orientation models
help visitors with low vision
or blindness to develop
a mental image of the
space, aiding their
independent navigation
through the exhibit.
13. Supporting Independent
Exhibit Experiences
• Tactile Orientation
Map/Model
• Navigation Aids
Various technologies can aid
independent navigation.
14. Supporting Independent
Exhibit Experiences
• Tactile Orientation
Map/Model
• Navigation Aids
• Tactile Elements
Touchable objects allow
visitors with low vision and
blindness to directly connect
with exhibit content.
15. Tactile elements enrich the exhibit
experience for all visitors. This
model of the William Johnson
House includes audio description
and captioning on the small screen.
16. Tactile elements should be
selected to:
• impart significant information
relevant to the exhibit
• impart new information to
visitors with low vision and
blindness
• impart new information or
perspective to ALL users
17. Supporting Independent
Exhibit Experiences
• Tactile Orientation
Map/Model
• Navigation Aids
• Tactile Elements
• Audio Description
Audio description devices should
have clear, tactile navigation
buttons, a lanyard for hands-free
use, and should allow for
branching content.
18. Supporting Independent
Exhibit Experiences for
visitors with hearing
impairments:
• Assistive listening devices
• Open captioning
Assistive listening devices,
along with captioning, should
be available whenever there
is audio content in an exhibit.
19. Supporting Independent Exhibit
Experiences for visitors with cognitive
differences:
• Strong Visual Communication
Compelling Photos
Models and dioramas
Tactile elements
Brief, succinct text
20. This EDX-designed exhibit at the Grand Canyon combining a large 3D
relief model and videos of Grand Canyon experiences—rafting, hiking into
the canyon—communicates a lot about the Grand Canyon without words.
21. This evocative diorama, enriched by tactile elements, select photographs,
brief text, and audio stories, represents a universal design approach to
interpretive exhibits.
22. Small dioramas are effective too.
This simple exhibit combines an
interesting small diorama with
tactile element and brief text.
Summative evaluation showed that
this type of exhibit was very popular
with a wide variety of visitors of all
ages and backgrounds.
23. New Technologies
A wide array of new technologies
will contribute to independent
navigation and other
accessibility strategies.
24. Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
Questions I have been asked:
“Doesn’t it cost more?”
“Doesn’t it detract from and limit the visitor
experience of others?”
“How many blind people visit the Grand Canyon
anyway?”
25. Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
• Because we all benefit
Nearly everybody, or someone
near them, will at some point
in their life have a disability.
26. Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
This is brought home to me every
time I step into a shower at a hotel
without my glasses. The labels that
tell me which is shampoo are so tiny
as to be illegible.
27. Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
How hard would it be to add some
simple large letters that tell me
which is which? And, it wouldn’t
increase the cost of printing.
This is a good metaphor for
exhibits:
Simple solutions can reach
diverse users.
If designed in from the
beginning, the solutions don’t
have to cost more.
31. Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
• Because we all benefit.
• Because it’s the law.
• Because it enhances the experience for all
visitors.
• Because it’s the right thing to do.
33. All are accommodations that
were once developed for a
specific population but are
now universal and of benefit to
a much broader population.
34. My hope is that the strategies for
Programmatic Accessiblity, like the
previous examples, will someday be
ubiquitous—that we all will benefit from
them and will take it for granted that
they are an important piece of an
exhibit experience . . . just like we take
curb cuts for granted.
35.
36. EDX Exhibits: Grand Canyon NP The Henley Company: Trail of Tears NHP EDX Exhibits: Glacier NP
Charles Davis AIA
www.edxseattle.com
chas@edxseattle.com
206-528-5556
Daniel Quan Design: Fort Pickens NP
38. AUDIO DESCRIPTION PROCESS
• Get current advice from experts and people
with visual disabilities
• Pick audio delivery system
• Create exhibit elements & handouts to
support the program
• Have an audio describer write and test
description
• Create audio and test hardware
39. Get Advice
Ray Bloomer
National Center on
Accessibility
Michele Hartley
National Park Service
Harpers Ferry Design Center
41. PICK A SYSTEM
• Victor Reader Stream Player
From Humanware ($400/ea.)
• Talking Tactile Pen
From TouchGraphics ($200/ea.)
• Discovery Pen
From TouchGraphics ($200*)
*with 5 pen order
47. AUDIO DESCRIPTION
…a smiling female ranger,
wearing an olive green
uniform and straw hat with
a broad, flat rim and
leather band reading
“NPS.” She kneels next to
a boy, about 5 or 6 years
old. They are looking at an
illustrated Park pamphlet.
The left side shows seven
things to do or see here.
(Details to follow.)
49. AUDIO DESCRIPTION
V-22 Osprey: a mid-sized white aircraft known as a V T
O L: a vertical take off and landing aircraft. It has two
short wings that end in vertical engine columns with
propellers mounted on top. The tail is wide, with two fins
sticking up vertically off of each side. The cockpit has
room for pilots to sit side-by-side. It is about the length
50. AUDIO DESCRIPTION
A yucca flower,
shaped like a
football made of
pale yellow
popcorn balls.
Below the flower
are spear-shaped
stalks. Each stalk is
fringed with stiff
white hairs.
51. CREATE AUDIO
Audio may be a recorded human voice or a
digital reading of the text, like Siri on iPhones.
53. NOTE: The presenter led a demonstration where the audience was
asked to close their eyes and each person was given a brown paper
bag with a plastic recorder inside. They first listened to an audio
description without opening the bag.
Hypothetical background story:
At the Music Museum of Montana, in a temporary exhibition on
musical instruments of the Renaissance, an artifact case displays a
recorder. The text reads, “Soprano recorder, dated 1650”
Recorder Description without Tactile
An audio description of the recorder says:
The recorder is a wooden cylindrical instrument, with a partially
flattened mouthpiece on the top, and a wider, bell-shaped end at the
bottom. Below the mouthpiece, a slash is cut into the instrument,
creating a rectangular opening. Below this is a thin ridge, then a
larger bump, followed by six holes (running the length of the
recorder) and then two more thin ridges before the bell-shaped base
of the instrument.”
54. The audience was then asked to open the bag and take out the
recorder, while still keeping their eyes closed. The description was
read again, with an explanation of the scale of the model added to
the beginning of the description.
Recorder Description with Tactile
“ This recorder model is ½ the size of the actual recorder. It is a
wooden cylindrical instrument, with a partially flattened mouthpiece
on the top, and a wider, bell-shaped end at the bottom. Below the
mouthpiece, a slash is cut into the instrument, creating a
rectangular opening. Below this is a thin ridge, then a larger bump,
followed by six holes (running the length of the recorder) and then
two more thin ridges before the bell-shaped base of the
instrument.”
57. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
Western Museum Conference 2014
Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
Daniel Quan Design
58. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
HOW CAN WE MAKE DIGITAL
INTERACTIVES ACCESSIBLE?
In this part of the session we will cover:
Background
Goal of universal design
Strategies for different types of interactives
Future possibilities
59. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
BACKGROUND
Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act (2000)
▪ Applies to electronic and
information technology
procured by federal gov’t
▪ Computer hardware & software
▪ Websites
▪ Stand alone systems
▪ Telecom products
▪ Video and multi-media
▪ Self-contained closed products
60. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
WHAT SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE?
As a public institution, museums must provide equal
access to exhibits. For digital interactives, this can
include:
Stand alone computer stations
Integrated games or activity stations
Handheld devices provided by the museum
Museum apps for personal electronic devices
61. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
A GOAL OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Accessibility can be successfully integrated into the
design process and should not be an afterthought.
We can address:
Physical and mobility issues
Visual and auditory issues
Cognitive challenges
62. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Equitable use
Flexibility in use
Simple and intuitive
Perceptible information
Tolerance for error
Low physical effort
Size and space for approach and use
63. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
INTEGRATING AUDIO
Audio tours, audio descriptions,
assistive listening, & languages
delivered through some type of
audio system
Handheld receivers paired with
transmitting devices and digital AV
players most common now. There
are many competing technologies.
User interface can be automatic
and does not necessarily involve
inputting a code to hear
a message
Content can be AD, AL, and
different languages all on one
device. User can select.
War in the Pacific National Historic Park, Guam
64. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
INTEGRATING AUDIO
Audio can also be delivered through
hardwired handset systems or can
be provided via a visitor’s
smartphone, either offline or online
(if online, depends on network
capacity of facility).
65. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
MEDIA STATIONS
Meet physical and spatial
requirements first
▪ Wheelchair access, sound
attenuation, viewing heights
and angles, niche viewing areas
Systems considerations
▪ Server-based or individual
CPU’s
Equipment choices
▪ Keyboards, mice, game,
buttons, touchscreen interface
War in the Pacific National Historic Park, Guam
66. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
MEDIA STATIONS
Touchscreen choice poses
problems for blind or those
with low vision
▪ Note tactile dots on screen
bezel used for screen navigation
Content should be organized
and simplified for clarity
User interface must be
intuitive or easily navigable,
consistent
67. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
Media Stations – Main Menu
Unified Field, Northern Lights Productions
Simply organized to correspond
to tactile navigation dots
Choice of font
size and language
Use of high
contrast
lettering and
images
68. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
Media Stations - Submenu
Unified Field, Northern Lights Productions
Submenu organization consistent
with main menu, same navigation
Controls in
same place
for all media
stations
Hotspot at top center of
screen turns on audio
description overview
All media
is open
captioned
69. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
ACTIVITY STATIONS -Games
Content and
complexity of
story often determines
game potential and/or
type of activity that
can be accomplished
Simplify game elements
and number of variables
Immediate feedback
and reward
Visual organization,
use of white space, high
contrast text, minimal
text
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwGQioCkgDE
Unified Field, Northern Lights Productions
70. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
ACTIVITY STATIONS
Keeping it simple is OK
Match content with most appropriate
and effective delivery method
Accommodate different learning styles
Personal accounts delivered via
simple audio handset
Powerful images captioned and
delivered in silent slideshow
71. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
TACTILE MAP WITH AUIDO DESCRIPTIONS
Size allows blind
user to feel extent
of map
Button on panel
allows choice to
turn AD on/off
Tactile map made
of aluminum
Braille labels
Ft. Pickens Museum, Gulf Islands National Seashore
72. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
TACTILE MAP WITH AUDIO DESCRIPTIONS
Pull out drawers with
written descriptions
gives choice of
learning styles
Drawer handles
modified for
accessibility
Wheelchair
accessible on
all sides
73. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY STATIONS
Tactile drawings,
Braille labels, audio
descriptions
(including game
instructions)
Content revolves
around bird songs
as main game
element
Levers on flip panels
allow those with
limited mobility or
use of hands to play
the game
Ft. Pickens Museum, Gulf Islands National Seashore
74. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
INTEGRATED ACTIVITY STATIONS
Flip book pages have
Braille and raised line
drawings on facing pages
Each page turn
automatically
triggers audio description
Ft. Pickens Museum, Gulf Islands National Seashore
75. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
MEDIA-BASED EXHIBITS
Physical and spatial requirements are
even more critical when integrating
several media components for group
viewing
Systems and Equipment – Integration
and synchronization of media can be
very challenging; maintenance by staff
is a concern
Content – A singular subject or focus;
resist the temptation for the exhibit to
do everything
User Interface – Easy to operate; a
pleasant, engaging viewing experience
War in the Pacific National Historic Park, Guam
76. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
A design is revised after mock-up’s show that the media
elements combined are not providing the best visitor experience.
Original design Revised design
77. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
MEDIA-BASED EXHIBITS
Content:
▪ The Battle of Guam,
July-August 1944
User interface:
▪ Simple start button
to play in English
or Japanese
▪ Laser projected
animation, sound
track, 3-screen
video can all be
seen, heard from
front viewing area
78. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
MEDIA-BASED EXHIBITS
User interface:
▪ Captioning is on
monitor at front of
of exhibit for ease
of reading
▪ Audio description
and assistive
listening available
on handheld devices
▪ Other graphics and
stories moved to
backside of exhibit
to separate functions
79. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
MEDIA-BASED EXHIBITS
A single viewer or a large
group are able to view the
exhibit.
80. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
HANDHELD DEVICES
Make use of existing accessibility
features on tablets and phones
▪ Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Android,
Drupal, many others
81. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
AN OFTEN OVERLOOKED ISSUE
Deaf language interpretation
▪ Goes beyond ASL
▪ Accounts for differences in language skills, regionalism,
developmental issues
▪ Could supplement captioning
in videos and films
Deaf Interpreter Institute
82. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Microlocation Devices
Small stick-on’s containing
microprocessors that
transmit information to
your smartphone
Better Speech
Recognition Software
Many programs already on
the market and
improvements constantly
being made
Estimote
83. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Dynamic Desktops
Touch tables that recognize
hand gestures and
tangible objects
could aid the blind or
those with low vision
Ideum
84. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
David Bowie Exhibit
Chicago Museum of
Contemporary Art
• Uses indoor GPS to trigger audio & video to
handheld device.
• Ambient overall sound plays and as you near
an exhibit, it fades out and live broadcast
plays over a network (no canned loops)
• Downside: Everyone wearing headphones.
No social interaction.
85. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
New interactive features in
digital signage systems will
meld with interactive kiosks
and can be adapted for
museum exhibits
3D printing allows CAD-savvy
staff to create tactile models
and tactile maps at a low cost
MakerBot
86. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
FUTURE POSSIBILITIES
Tactile glove gives the blind the
ability to haptically explore
graphic information on screen
Robot that can sign is being
developed for use in healthcare,
as a receptionist, or as a
museum guide
Vision-correcting computer
screens
87. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS
New technology is coming online at a rapid rate.
We must think outside the box for new ways to integrate
emerging technology into universally designed exhibits.
There are no “cure-all” solutions for accessibility in
exhibits. Every case is different and the solutions are
dependent upon many factors – content, messaging,
context, budget, and desired experience to name a few.
88. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act (2000)
▪ www.access-board.gov>
Guidelines and Standards>
Guide to Section 508
Standards
▪ www.section508.gov
89. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
National Park Service:
Harpers Ferry Center:
Accessibility
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/acce
ssibility/
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
Find a Park Discover History Explore Nature Working with Communities Get Involved Teachers Kids About Us
Harpers Ferry Center
Accessibility & Audiovisual Media
Captioning
Captions display spoken dialogue as printed words on television screens, computer monitors, projection
screens, caption boards and other visual displays. Captions are specifically designed for viewers with hearing
loss to enable their full participation when viewing video or multimedia productions. They include information
regarding on- and off-screen sound effects such as music or laughter. Captions also hold secondary benefits
for people who are learning a foreign language, learning how to read, or watching TV in a noisy area, as well
as those who understand best by processing visual information.
What is the difference between open and closed captions?
Open captions are displayed automatically as part of the video, without having to be selected by the user.
Closed captions normally do not appear on screen unless the viewer has selected them to appear. The
person viewing the presentation must be using technology that includes a closed caption decoder. The
decoder will allow the otherwise-hidden data within the television signal to be displayed on the user’s TV
screen or computer monitor. Many newer television models allow viewers to toggle captions on or off with
ease.
What is the difference between captions and subtitles?
Subtitles are used to translate dialogue into a different language. They are primarily intended for hearing
audiences, while captions are primarily intended for people with hearing loss. Subtitles rarely convey nonverbal
sounds such as music or sound effects, whereas captions identify speakers and sound effects using text such
as a "phone ringing" or "footsteps," and use symbols to indicate other sounds such as music.
Captions are typically displayed on-screen as white letters within a black box. Subtitles are generally not
displayed within a black box and do not have standardized font requirements.
What is a caption board?
A caption board is an LED screen that displays the captions. It is a separate piece of equipment placed
underneath, above, or beside the projection screen or video monitor. Caption boards come in a variety of sizes.
The correct size is determined by the size of the room, the size of the screen and the distance between
audience and screen. Some caption boards have built-in decoders, while others require a separate decoder.
Many older theater installations utilize caption boards. However, the January 31, 2008 DOI Directive requires
new programs to display captions (or Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) on screen at all times. This
directive guarantees that the program is in compliance at all times, and reduces the cost of equipment and time
spent troubleshooting and replacing equipment in the future.
Why do I have to display captions at all times?
Captions help us reach an even wider audience—from visitors with very moderate hearing loss to visitors who
cannot hear at all. Always displayed, captions also automatically assist visitors who would otherwise not ask for
this accessibility feature. Visitors requiring this assistance will therefore not have to ask, and park personnel
will not have to be trained to turn captions on and off upon request.
Explore HFC
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90. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
NPS Programmatic
Accessibility Guidelines for
Interpretive Media
▪ http://www.nps.gov/hfc/accessi
bility/accessibilityGuideVersion2
.1.pdf
91. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
Smithsonian Guidelines for
Accessible Design
▪ access@si.edu
i
Smithsonian Guidelines for
Accessible Exhibition Design
Smithsonian Accessibility Program
92. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
California State Parks
Accessibility Guidelines
▪ http://www.parks.ca.gov/pag
es/21944/files/ca_stateparks
accessguiderev_titlepagewit
hdisclaimer.pdf
93. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
Kennedy Center
▪ http://www.kennedy-center.
org/accessibility/
▪ Good example of informative
website for accessible features
& programs offered
94. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
Florida Dept. of Cultural Affairs
▪ http://www.miamidadearts.org
/education-outreach-access/
ada-accessibility/
adaaccessibility-resources
VSA Florida – the State
Organization on Arts & Disability
▪ http://vsafl.org
95. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
RESOURCES
National Center for Accessibility
▪ http://www.ncaonline.org
Web Accessibility Initiative
▪ http://www.w3.org/WAI/
National Endowment of the Arts
▪ http://arts.gov/accessibility/accessibility-resources
Audio Description Coalition
▪ http://www.audiodescriptioncoalition.org/standards.html
Lighthouse International
▪ http://www.lighthouse.org
96. Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
Thank You for Attending
“Using Common Senses”
We hope you enjoyed this overview of the
myriad standards, guidelines, and best
practices involved in accessible design and the
ultimate goal of universal design.