Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits

Using Common Senses:
Programmatic Accessibility
for Exhibits
Charles Davis AIA

What is programmatic
accessibility?

Most museums and visitor centers are familiar with ADA/ABA
requirements for physical accessibility–ramps, reach,
doorways, etc.–and are actively improving in this area.

Programmatic accessibility is how
we make exhibit content accessible
to the widest diversity of people
including people with:
low vision and blindness
hearing impairments
cognitive differences

The National Park Service has become a leader in developing
creative and effective strategies for programmatic accessibility
because of its mission to reach all visitors. EDX has been
designing exhibits at NPS visitor centers for over 15 years.

A good goal is Universal Design–looking for single solutions that
accommodate all. This works pretty well for physical accessibility
but is more difficult when dealing with complex exhibit content.

In exhibits, the ideal is a set of shared experiences that reach the
broadest range of visitors possible. In telling complex stories, employing
specific strategies and assistive technologies to reach specific user groups
may be necessary.

Programmatic Accessibility and Assistive
technologies for:
• people with low vision and blindness
• people with hearing impairments
• people with cognitive differences

Does the Programmatic Accessibility strategy for
people with low vision and blindness:
• support independent navigation?
People with low vision and blindness, even if
they arrive with friends or family, wish to be
able to navigate the exhibit with little or no
assistance, as other visitors do.

people with low vision and blindness :
• reduce visitor need for self-identification?
Most people do not like to stand out
or call attention to themselves.
If an accessibility accommodation requires this,
many people will choose not to take advantage of it.

people with low vision and blindness :
• reduce visitor need for self-identification?
• allow visitor to create their own experience?
One of the appeals of exhibits is being able to create
your own experience and make your own choices about
what you see, when you see it, and for how long.
Accessibility solutions should afford this same flexibility.

Supporting Independent
Exhibit Experiences
• Tactile Orientation
Map/Model
Tactile orientation models
help visitors with low vision
or blindness to develop
a mental image of the
space, aiding their
independent navigation
through the exhibit.

Exhibit Experiences
Map/Model
• Navigation Aids
Various technologies can aid
independent navigation.

Exhibit Experiences
Map/Model
• Navigation Aids
• Tactile Elements
Touchable objects allow
visitors with low vision and
blindness to directly connect
with exhibit content.

Tactile elements enrich the exhibit
experience for all visitors. This
model of the William Johnson
House includes audio description
and captioning on the small screen.

Tactile elements should be
selected to:
• impart significant information
relevant to the exhibit
• impart new information to
visitors with low vision and
blindness
• impart new information or
perspective to ALL users

Exhibit Experiences
Map/Model
• Navigation Aids
• Tactile Elements
• Audio Description
Audio description devices should
have clear, tactile navigation
buttons, a lanyard for hands-free
use, and should allow for
branching content.

Exhibit Experiences for
visitors with hearing
impairments:
• Assistive listening devices
• Open captioning
Assistive listening devices,
along with captioning, should
be available whenever there
is audio content in an exhibit.

Supporting Independent Exhibit
Experiences for visitors with cognitive
differences:
• Strong Visual Communication
Compelling Photos
Models and dioramas
Tactile elements
Brief, succinct text

This EDX-designed exhibit at the Grand Canyon combining a large 3D
relief model and videos of Grand Canyon experiences—rafting, hiking into
the canyon—communicates a lot about the Grand Canyon without words.

This evocative diorama, enriched by tactile elements, select photographs,
brief text, and audio stories, represents a universal design approach to
interpretive exhibits.

Small dioramas are effective too.
This simple exhibit combines an
interesting small diorama with
tactile element and brief text.
Summative evaluation showed that
this type of exhibit was very popular
with a wide variety of visitors of all
ages and backgrounds.

New Technologies
A wide array of new technologies
will contribute to independent
navigation and other
accessibility strategies.

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
Questions I have been asked:
“Doesn’t it cost more?”
“Doesn’t it detract from and limit the visitor
experience of others?”
“How many blind people visit the Grand Canyon
anyway?”

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
• Because we all benefit
Nearly everybody, or someone
near them, will at some point
in their life have a disability.

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
This is brought home to me every
time I step into a shower at a hotel
without my glasses. The labels that
tell me which is shampoo are so tiny
as to be illegible.

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
How hard would it be to add some
simple large letters that tell me
which is which? And, it wouldn’t
increase the cost of printing.
This is a good metaphor for
exhibits:
Simple solutions can reach
diverse users.
If designed in from the
beginning, the solutions don’t
have to cost more.

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
• Because we all benefit.
• Because it’s the law.

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
• Because it enhances the experience for all
visitors.

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
The polished portions of
bronze models shows
us how compelling
touch is as an exhibit
element.

Why Programmatic
Accessibility?t
• Because it enhances the experience for all
visitors.
• Because it’s the right thing to do.

In conclusion, what do
these three images have
in common?

All are accommodations that
were once developed for a
specific population but are
now universal and of benefit to
a much broader population.

My hope is that the strategies for
Programmatic Accessiblity, like the
previous examples, will someday be
ubiquitous—that we all will benefit from
them and will take it for granted that
they are an important piece of an
exhibit experience . . . just like we take
curb cuts for granted.

EDX Exhibits: Grand Canyon NP The Henley Company: Trail of Tears NHP EDX Exhibits: Glacier NP
Charles Davis AIA
www.edxseattle.com
chas@edxseattle.com
206-528-5556
Daniel Quan Design: Fort Pickens NP

AUDIO DESCRIPTION PROCESS
• Get current advice from experts and people
with visual disabilities
• Pick audio delivery system
• Create exhibit elements & handouts to
support the program
• Have an audio describer write and test
description
• Create audio and test hardware

Get Advice
Ray Bloomer
National Center on
Accessibility
Michele Hartley
National Park Service
Harpers Ferry Design Center

GET ADVICE
Teresa Stockton
Visual Accessibility Consultant

PICK A SYSTEM
• Victor Reader Stream Player
From Humanware ($400/ea.)
• Talking Tactile Pen
From TouchGraphics ($200/ea.)
• Discovery Pen
From TouchGraphics ($200*)
*with 5 pen order

SUPPORT
ELEMENTS:
Portable
Map

SUPPORT ELEMENTS:
Point of Reference

SUPPORT ELEMENTS:
Point of Reference
Tactile Globe Tactile State Map

AUDIO DESCRIPTION
…a smiling female ranger,
wearing an olive green
uniform and straw hat with
a broad, flat rim and
leather band reading
“NPS.” She kneels next to
a boy, about 5 or 6 years
old. They are looking at an
illustrated Park pamphlet.
The left side shows seven
things to do or see here.
(Details to follow.)

AUDIO DESCRIPTION
V-22 Osprey: a mid-sized white aircraft known as a V T
O L: a vertical take off and landing aircraft. It has two
short wings that end in vertical engine columns with
propellers mounted on top. The tail is wide, with two fins
sticking up vertically off of each side. The cockpit has
room for pilots to sit side-by-side. It is about the length

AUDIO DESCRIPTION
A yucca flower,
shaped like a
football made of
pale yellow
popcorn balls.
Below the flower
are spear-shaped
stalks. Each stalk is
fringed with stiff
white hairs.

CREATE AUDIO
Audio may be a recorded human voice or a
digital reading of the text, like Siri on iPhones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6QlCjYIGQU

NOTE: The presenter led a demonstration where the audience was
asked to close their eyes and each person was given a brown paper
bag with a plastic recorder inside. They first listened to an audio
description without opening the bag.
Hypothetical background story:
At the Music Museum of Montana, in a temporary exhibition on
musical instruments of the Renaissance, an artifact case displays a
recorder. The text reads, “Soprano recorder, dated 1650”
Recorder Description without Tactile
An audio description of the recorder says:
The recorder is a wooden cylindrical instrument, with a partially
flattened mouthpiece on the top, and a wider, bell-shaped end at the
bottom. Below the mouthpiece, a slash is cut into the instrument,
creating a rectangular opening. Below this is a thin ridge, then a
larger bump, followed by six holes (running the length of the
recorder) and then two more thin ridges before the bell-shaped base
of the instrument.”

The audience was then asked to open the bag and take out the
recorder, while still keeping their eyes closed. The description was
read again, with an explanation of the scale of the model added to
the beginning of the description.
Recorder Description with Tactile
“ This recorder model is ½ the size of the actual recorder. It is a
wooden cylindrical instrument, with a partially flattened mouthpiece
on the top, and a wider, bell-shaped end at the bottom. Below the
mouthpiece, a slash is cut into the instrument, creating a
rectangular opening. Below this is a thin ridge, then a larger bump,
followed by six holes (running the length of the recorder) and then
two more thin ridges before the bell-shaped base of the
instrument.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRu9nFibjj8

!
Lyn Henley
henleycompany.com

Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits
DIGITAL INTERACTIVES
Western Museum Conference 2014
Daniel Quan Design

 HOW CAN WE MAKE DIGITAL
INTERACTIVES ACCESSIBLE?
In this part of the session we will cover:
 Background
 Goal of universal design
 Strategies for different types of interactives
 Future possibilities

 BACKGROUND
 Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act (2000)
▪ Applies to electronic and
information technology
procured by federal gov’t
▪ Computer hardware & software
▪ Websites
▪ Stand alone systems
▪ Telecom products
▪ Video and multi-media
▪ Self-contained closed products

 WHAT SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE?
As a public institution, museums must provide equal
access to exhibits. For digital interactives, this can
include:
 Stand alone computer stations
 Integrated games or activity stations
 Handheld devices provided by the museum
 Museum apps for personal electronic devices

 A GOAL OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Accessibility can be successfully integrated into the
design process and should not be an afterthought.
We can address:
 Physical and mobility issues
 Visual and auditory issues
 Cognitive challenges

 PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN
 Equitable use
 Flexibility in use
 Simple and intuitive
 Perceptible information
 Tolerance for error
 Low physical effort
 Size and space for approach and use

 INTEGRATING AUDIO
 Audio tours, audio descriptions,
assistive listening, & languages
delivered through some type of
audio system
 Handheld receivers paired with
transmitting devices and digital AV
players most common now. There
are many competing technologies.
 User interface can be automatic
and does not necessarily involve
inputting a code to hear
a message
 Content can be AD, AL, and
different languages all on one
device. User can select.
War in the Pacific National Historic Park, Guam

 INTEGRATING AUDIO
 Audio can also be delivered through
hardwired handset systems or can
be provided via a visitor’s
smartphone, either offline or online
(if online, depends on network
capacity of facility).

 MEDIA STATIONS
 Meet physical and spatial
requirements first
▪ Wheelchair access, sound
attenuation, viewing heights
and angles, niche viewing areas
 Systems considerations
▪ Server-based or individual
CPU’s
 Equipment choices
▪ Keyboards, mice, game,
buttons, touchscreen interface

 MEDIA STATIONS
 Touchscreen choice poses
problems for blind or those
with low vision
▪ Note tactile dots on screen
bezel used for screen navigation
 Content should be organized
and simplified for clarity
 User interface must be
intuitive or easily navigable,
consistent

 Media Stations – Main Menu
Unified Field, Northern Lights Productions
Simply organized to correspond
to tactile navigation dots
Choice of font
size and language
Use of high
contrast
lettering and
images

 Media Stations - Submenu
Submenu organization consistent
with main menu, same navigation
Controls in
same place
for all media
stations
Hotspot at top center of
screen turns on audio
description overview
All media
is open
captioned

 ACTIVITY STATIONS -Games
 Content and
complexity of
story often determines
game potential and/or
type of activity that
can be accomplished
 Simplify game elements
and number of variables
 Immediate feedback
and reward
 Visual organization,
use of white space, high
contrast text, minimal
text
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwGQioCkgDE

 ACTIVITY STATIONS
 Keeping it simple is OK
 Match content with most appropriate
and effective delivery method
 Accommodate different learning styles
Personal accounts delivered via
simple audio handset
Powerful images captioned and
delivered in silent slideshow

 TACTILE MAP WITH AUIDO DESCRIPTIONS
 Size allows blind
user to feel extent
of map
 Button on panel
allows choice to
turn AD on/off
 Tactile map made
of aluminum
 Braille labels
Ft. Pickens Museum, Gulf Islands National Seashore

 TACTILE MAP WITH AUDIO DESCRIPTIONS
 Pull out drawers with
written descriptions
gives choice of
learning styles
 Drawer handles
modified for
accessibility
 Wheelchair
accessible on
all sides

 INTEGRATED ACTIVITY STATIONS
 Tactile drawings,
Braille labels, audio
descriptions
(including game
instructions)
 Content revolves
around bird songs
as main game
element
 Levers on flip panels
allow those with
limited mobility or
use of hands to play
the game

 INTEGRATED ACTIVITY STATIONS
 Flip book pages have
Braille and raised line
drawings on facing pages
 Each page turn
automatically
triggers audio description

 MEDIA-BASED EXHIBITS
 Physical and spatial requirements are
even more critical when integrating
several media components for group
viewing
 Systems and Equipment – Integration
and synchronization of media can be
very challenging; maintenance by staff
is a concern
 Content – A singular subject or focus;
resist the temptation for the exhibit to
do everything
 User Interface – Easy to operate; a
pleasant, engaging viewing experience

A design is revised after mock-up’s show that the media
elements combined are not providing the best visitor experience.
Original design Revised design

 Content:
▪ The Battle of Guam,
July-August 1944
 User interface:
▪ Simple start button
to play in English
or Japanese
▪ Laser projected
animation, sound
track, 3-screen
video can all be
seen, heard from
front viewing area

 User interface:
▪ Captioning is on
monitor at front of
of exhibit for ease
of reading
▪ Audio description
and assistive
listening available
on handheld devices
▪ Other graphics and
stories moved to
backside of exhibit
to separate functions

A single viewer or a large
group are able to view the
exhibit.

 HANDHELD DEVICES
 Make use of existing accessibility
features on tablets and phones
▪ Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Android,
Drupal, many others

 AN OFTEN OVERLOOKED ISSUE
 Deaf language interpretation
▪ Goes beyond ASL
▪ Accounts for differences in language skills, regionalism,
developmental issues
▪ Could supplement captioning
in videos and films
Deaf Interpreter Institute

 NEW TECHNOLOGIES
 Microlocation Devices
Small stick-on’s containing
microprocessors that
transmit information to
your smartphone
 Better Speech
Recognition Software
Many programs already on
the market and
improvements constantly
being made
Estimote

 Dynamic Desktops
Touch tables that recognize
hand gestures and
tangible objects
could aid the blind or
those with low vision
Ideum

David Bowie Exhibit
Chicago Museum of
Contemporary Art
• Uses indoor GPS to trigger audio & video to
handheld device.
• Ambient overall sound plays and as you near
an exhibit, it fades out and live broadcast
plays over a network (no canned loops)
• Downside: Everyone wearing headphones.
No social interaction.

 New interactive features in
digital signage systems will
meld with interactive kiosks
and can be adapted for
museum exhibits
 3D printing allows CAD-savvy
staff to create tactile models
and tactile maps at a low cost
MakerBot

 FUTURE POSSIBILITIES
 Tactile glove gives the blind the
ability to haptically explore
graphic information on screen
 Robot that can sign is being
developed for use in healthcare,
as a receptionist, or as a
museum guide
 Vision-correcting computer
screens

 THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS
 New technology is coming online at a rapid rate.
 We must think outside the box for new ways to integrate
emerging technology into universally designed exhibits.
 There are no “cure-all” solutions for accessibility in
exhibits. Every case is different and the solutions are
dependent upon many factors – content, messaging,
context, budget, and desired experience to name a few.

 RESOURCES
 Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act (2000)
▪ www.access-board.gov>
Guidelines and Standards>
Guide to Section 508
Standards
▪ www.section508.gov

 RESOURCES
 National Park Service:
Harpers Ferry Center:
Accessibility
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/acce
ssibility/
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
Find a Park Discover History Explore Nature Working with Communities Get Involved Teachers Kids About Us
Harpers Ferry Center
Accessibility & Audiovisual Media
Captioning
Captions display spoken dialogue as printed words on television screens, computer monitors, projection
screens, caption boards and other visual displays. Captions are specifically designed for viewers with hearing
loss to enable their full participation when viewing video or multimedia productions. They include information
regarding on- and off-screen sound effects such as music or laughter. Captions also hold secondary benefits
for people who are learning a foreign language, learning how to read, or watching TV in a noisy area, as well
as those who understand best by processing visual information.
What is the difference between open and closed captions?
Open captions are displayed automatically as part of the video, without having to be selected by the user.
Closed captions normally do not appear on screen unless the viewer has selected them to appear. The
person viewing the presentation must be using technology that includes a closed caption decoder. The
decoder will allow the otherwise-hidden data within the television signal to be displayed on the user’s TV
screen or computer monitor. Many newer television models allow viewers to toggle captions on or off with
ease.
What is the difference between captions and subtitles?
Subtitles are used to translate dialogue into a different language. They are primarily intended for hearing
audiences, while captions are primarily intended for people with hearing loss. Subtitles rarely convey nonverbal
sounds such as music or sound effects, whereas captions identify speakers and sound effects using text such
as a "phone ringing" or "footsteps," and use symbols to indicate other sounds such as music.
Captions are typically displayed on-screen as white letters within a black box. Subtitles are generally not
displayed within a black box and do not have standardized font requirements.
What is a caption board?
A caption board is an LED screen that displays the captions. It is a separate piece of equipment placed
underneath, above, or beside the projection screen or video monitor. Caption boards come in a variety of sizes.
The correct size is determined by the size of the room, the size of the screen and the distance between
audience and screen. Some caption boards have built-in decoders, while others require a separate decoder.
Many older theater installations utilize caption boards. However, the January 31, 2008 DOI Directive requires
new programs to display captions (or Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) on screen at all times. This
directive guarantees that the program is in compliance at all times, and reduces the cost of equipment and time
spent troubleshooting and replacing equipment in the future.
Why do I have to display captions at all times?
Captions help us reach an even wider audience—from visitors with very moderate hearing loss to visitors who
cannot hear at all. Always displayed, captions also automatically assist visitors who would otherwise not ask for
this accessibility feature. Visitors requiring this assistance will therefore not have to ask, and park personnel
will not have to be trained to turn captions on and off upon request.
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 RESOURCES
 NPS Programmatic
Accessibility Guidelines for
Interpretive Media
▪ http://www.nps.gov/hfc/accessi
bility/accessibilityGuideVersion2
.1.pdf

 RESOURCES
 Smithsonian Guidelines for
Accessible Design
▪ access@si.edu
i
Smithsonian Guidelines for
Accessible Exhibition Design
Smithsonian Accessibility Program

 RESOURCES
 California State Parks
Accessibility Guidelines
▪ http://www.parks.ca.gov/pag
es/21944/files/ca_stateparks
accessguiderev_titlepagewit
hdisclaimer.pdf

 RESOURCES
 Kennedy Center
▪ http://www.kennedy-center.
org/accessibility/
▪ Good example of informative
website for accessible features
& programs offered

 RESOURCES
 Florida Dept. of Cultural Affairs
▪ http://www.miamidadearts.org
/education-outreach-access/
ada-accessibility/
adaaccessibility-resources
 VSA Florida – the State
Organization on Arts & Disability
▪ http://vsafl.org

 RESOURCES
 National Center for Accessibility
▪ http://www.ncaonline.org
 Web Accessibility Initiative
▪ http://www.w3.org/WAI/
 National Endowment of the Arts
▪ http://arts.gov/accessibility/accessibility-resources
 Audio Description Coalition
▪ http://www.audiodescriptioncoalition.org/standards.html
 Lighthouse International
▪ http://www.lighthouse.org

Thank You for Attending
“Using Common Senses”
We hope you enjoyed this overview of the
myriad standards, guidelines, and best
practices involved in accessible design and the
ultimate goal of universal design.

Using Common Senses: Programmatic Accessibility for Exhibits

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