I help museums increase access for all visitors by creating multisensory exhibits for everyone.

Selected clients

• The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture
• The Intrepid Air Sea, and Space Museum, New York City
• Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, Morristown New Jersey
• New York University (The Ability Project, and the Museum Studies Program)
• FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, Washington D.C. 

I offer consulting services for exhibit design throughout the life of the project–grant application, exhibit design, and support during installation of the completed exhibit.

• Assisting with grant proposals—helping clients align the project with community needs.
• Collaborating on exhibit design.
• Determining what multisensory components (tactile, audio, olfactory etc.) are needed given the interpretive goals for the exhibit.
• Advising museums about selecting objects from their collections that can be touched safely, and deciding when a reproduction should be created.
• Evaluating Braille text and tactile models to advise clients of their quality before installing them in exhibits.
• Conducting user testing of tactile and other multisensory components.
• Assisting with placement of multisensory components during exhibit installation.

Cheryl has been a valued partner for several projects at The Peale and the Baltimore Museum of Art, producing high quality tactile models and exhibits, collaborating on accessible exhibition design, and helping with wayfinding for visitors.

By sharing her connections in the disability community generously, she has also helped us grow our own network and develop more inclusive projects.  Cheryl is a personable and very responsive interlocutor, and always brings an open, positive, can-do spirit to our work together.

Nancy Proctor, PhD
Chief Strategy Officer and founding Executive Director,
The Peale: Baltimore’s Community Museum

Advice and strategy

• Working with museum staff to determine short term and long-term accessibility recommendations with high- and low-tech options.
• Researching and writing planning documents for museum exhibits and public programs.
• Advising clients on best practices for designing exhibits and planning events, both in-person and virtually.
• Building connections in the disability community through personal outreach and sharing contacts.

Cheryl has worked with us for many years and has been a steady guide throughout to improve our accessibility and inclusion efforts. She has a deep understanding of accessibility in the museum field, draws on lived experience, and knows how to modify projects to accommodate smaller budgets and staffing.

She provides thoughtful and supportive critiques to achieve program excellence.  We look forward to many more years of collaboration with her.

Elaine Charnov, SVP, Exhibits, Education & Programs, Intrepid Air Sea, and Space Museum

I offer training to help museum staff and volunteers.

Commonly requested topics are:

• Giving guided tours to blind and low vision visitors.
• Creating visual descriptions that are clear and concise.

I would be happy to discuss a project with you. Please fill out the contact form here.