Posts
Accessibility
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 …
4 Tips for Effectively Reaching Visitors with Disabilities
It’s been nearly three decades since the original Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was signed into law. Since the protective act was ratified, great strides have been made not just …
Programming Through the Lens of Empathy
At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, two new public programs and one new high school tour are built on the premises that empathy is worth cultivating and listening to the …
Dispelling Myths: Seven tips to build your museum partnership with the disability community
“We want our students to do more than just wipe tables,” said Lucas LaFaver, vocational coordinator at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, a DC-based charter school for students with …
Speechless: A sensory exhibition charts a new path to accessibility in learning
Museums are constantly experimenting with how we can present content in ways that engage and inform a wide audience. Part of the challenge is to consider issues of accessibility and …