Bring Your Own Accessible Device
I am pleased to announce the publication of our work creating and testing an accessible mobile guide for the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum. This paper describes a web-based mobile guide that visitors can access via their personal devices. “The guide features visual descriptions of artifacts, non-visual wayfinding directions to exhibitions, summaries of exhibit […]
When Accessible Content Meets an Inaccessible Interface
This post describes the results of submitting a paper about accessibility to an organization that does not follow best practices for accessibility. We submitted the paper to the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD), and we also recorded a video for their virtual conference. The links to download the paper and watch the video are […]
Redefine/ABLE exhibition catalog
I begin this post by quoting from an announcement for a new book that contains essays that I co-authored with my excellent colleagues and one piece that I wrote as a sole author. “Redefine/ABLE: Challenging Inaccessibility aims to inform audiences about disability issues, to share the challenges and success stories of those with disabilities, and […]
Paintings in Sight and Smell
A recent exhibition “Smell the Art: Fleeting – Scents in Colour” at the Mauritshuis in Amsterdam, was advertised as engaging the sense of smell to enhance the visual aspects of viewing the art. Although I did not travel to Europe to experience the show first-hand, I found it mentioned in various museum-related newsletters. The idea […]
News About The Braille on the FDR Memorial
The National Park Service (NPS) has finally acknowledged that there are issues with the size and spacing of the Braille Carved into the Walls of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. This update is posted on the accessibility page for the FDR Memorial. Here is part of their statement. “The artists used elements of Braille in […]
In Their Own Words: Adults Who Are Blind Describe Museums
I submitted the following text as a poster for the American Alliance of Museums conference #AAAM2021, held online on May 24 and June 7-9 2021. The poster was behind the paywall until July 14 2021, and now I am publishing it for everyone to read. In Their Own Words: Adults Who Are Blind Describe Museums […]
FDR Memorial report
My report that describes issues with accessibility at the FDR Memorial is now available. To read it, start with this article from the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee.
Braille on the FDR Memorial
Recently, I evaluated the accessibility of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington D.C. My observations describe the experience of people who are blind or have low vision. I describe my observations, and recommendations for improvements, in a report commissioned by the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee. The Braille Carved […]
Revisiting Touch in Pandemic Year Two
As I write this post, we are in the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and maybe we are through the worst of it. People are getting vaccinated. The number of corona infections is falling, and public places, including museums, are re-opening. As of April 2021, advice from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that […]