[Artbeyondsightmuseums] Food for Thought: Thoughts on Interactive Exhibits

[Tina Hansen]

This list has been rather quiet lately, so I thought I'd get a discussion going. I know many churches are setting up walk-through displays for their members to reflect on the Easter story. Ours has set one up, and it prompted me to put out some thoughts about interactive exhibits in museums and other learning institutions, and to maybe get some ideas from you about how to make them inclusive. I want to work with churches and other museums in my area to develop accessibility to their exhibits without detracting from their content.

At the particular church that I'm familiar with, anyone walking through the exhibit received a guide book with the information about each station. Last night, I went through it with a friend who read off the information. My friend also pointed out what was written on any small pieces of paper o visual "word walls" at certain places in the walk through. I got a lot out of the experience, and since my friend was going through it as well, we both benefited. My friend also served as the reader for another member of my group who was partially blind, so again, it was a win-win for everyone.

However, I am always thinking of the blind person who does want to go through any exhibit on their own. While I can see either an mp3 player, voice label unit or an iPhone as a possibility for something like the guide book, what do you do for such things as visuals in the environment. Is it possible to offer alternative representations of this kind of information without detracting from everyone's experience. I am also thinking of those who have dyslexia.

I know that in many museums, the audio tour is usually keyed to stop numbers. If you go with a friend, your friend can read off the numbers, and you're good to go. But what if you are going alone? That is why I like the voice labeler units of maybe the iPhone, but beyond that, I'm not sure how to deal with this problem. I have heard of some systems that audomatically start audio when you get to some location in an exhibit, but that means you need to have your headset on the whole time.

I suppose that is why so many museums or learning institutions urge a blind visitor to call ahead to set up accommodations. While I can understand that, there are those who feel that is a problem. They want accommodations to be almost guaranteed, whether you plan the trip ahead or just stop in on the spot.

And what about those instances where the visitor is encouraged to make a contribution? I saw this last night as well. I myself can't use a blackboard. But again, I don't want any accessibility for people with disabilities to detract from that part of the experience. At the same time, how can someone with a disability learn what others who may have gone through the exhibit may have said about their experience at certain components?

Finally, should the narration be done with voice talent or with text to speech? I know that the text to speech technologies are much improved from the past, but they have a few issues of their own. Their big advantage is that they supposedly cost less than getting a voice talent, but I think visitors would feel more comfortable if the narrative had that human element. What do your all think?

This is a complex issue. Does anyone have any thoughts on how to design an exhibit that is interactive in an accessible or inclusive manner? Is such a thing possible? Thanks.