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How the National Air and Space Museum Took Volunteering Virtual

A mother and her spaceship-loving children, ages five and seven, arrive at the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center using their timed tickets. As they enter the museum, unsure where to turn first, a …

10 Best Practices of Accessible Museum Websites

This article explores ten high-impact areas you should consider to enhance your website’s accessibility and bring it into conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), …

Why I Abandoned the Traditional Museum Education Model

Personal stories are how we, at Nemours Estate, connect our visitors with the duPont family who once lived in this grand place. So I’d like to share my personal story of building a museum …

How to Start an Accessibility Movement at Your Museum

Think back to a childhood trip to a museum, aquarium, or historic home. Chances are the first thing you heard was a directive: “Hands in pockets and do not touch anything.” …

The Keys to Sustainable Online Programming? Partnerships and Professional Development

Recently, I’ve been analyzing the efficacy of museum-developed digital programs over their thirty-year history, and I’ve noticed a common theme: Every study extols the benefits of such …

“Access for All” Begins with Community Listening at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Cassandra Clement was always on the lookout. A self-described “stalker” of quiet places to sit at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (CZBG), she always took note of benches tucked …

The UniDescription Project Breaks Down Common Barriers to Media Accessibility

National Park Service sites are generally grand and iconic American places for us to gather, commune with nature, tell important stories about our country’s past, and celebrate our …

Mind the Accessibility Gap

When we talk about equity, diversity, and inclusion in museums, we have a usual list of groups we mention: Black and Indigenous people, other people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, unhoused …

Leveraging Smartphone Technology to Protect Museum Visitors

Everyone is eager for a return to normal, which includes access to museums and other cultural venues. While countless people likely have been inspired and sustained by virtual museum tours …

Staying in Touch: Addressing Concerns to Allow Tactile Exploration at Museums

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating new norms that discourage touching all manner of objects to curtail the spread of the virus. However, when public spaces reopen, understandable concern …

Towards Frictionless Augmented Reality

Author’s Note: Several months ago, putting on an Augmented Reality (AR) headset was an uncomfortable nuisance for museum visitors. Now, it’s a potential health risk. The COVID-19 pandemic …

Prioritizing Image Descriptions and Digital Equity at Cooper Hewitt

During this time of crisis, it has never been more important to center access, equity, and inclusion in our response to the unknown. As we adapt quickly and shift our focus online, it is …
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