Touch Points: Co-Designing Tactile Exhibition Elements with User/Experts

ABSTRACT

The development of accessible elements in museum exhibitions is an important pursuit that needs a well-defined process. Educators at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, working with accessibility professionals and blind or low-vision user/experts, discovered the value of co-designing tactile models with the people who would eventually use them. The team conducted a series of interviews intended to tweak proposed designs for the tactile. However, based on the first user/expert’s valuable feedback, the process shifted into collaboratively revamping the overall design concepts. The results were two new tactile models that better fulfilled their intended purpose: empowerment of the blind and low-vision user/experts, and new insights for the exhibition educators. From this case study, the authors present recommendations for how museum educators might implement co-design with user/experts.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-design
• disability
• blind
• user/expert
• tactile
• exhibition design
• accessibility
• inclusive design

Acknowledgements

Above all, we want to thank Jan Majewski from IHCD for working with NASM on the massive undertaking that this project entails, and for her encouragement and patience with two educators very new to the world of user/expert testing. We also want to thank Anoopa Sundararajan of IHCD; Beth Ziebarth of AS; our magnificent user/experts Nefertiti Matos, M. Shifrin, K. Kelel, J. Harnish, N. Neagle, A. Karow, and M. Austen; the NASM DEAI Employee Resource Group; and the JME guest editors for allowing us to share this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Majewski, “Smithsonian Guidelines”; Connell et al., “The Principles of Universal Design.”

2 Braden, “Welcoming All Visitors,” 1–5.

3 York, “The White House Visitor Center,” 52–55.

4 Levinsky-Raskin and Stevens, “Nothing About Us,” 18–20; Reich, “Taking Action Toward Inclusion,” 1–10.

5 Malandain et al., “An Ongoing Experiment,” 60–63; Hartley, “Shifting the Conversation,” 47–48.

6 The identity-first language emphasizes that disability plays a role in who a person is, reinforcing disability as a positive cultural identifier. As an example, in the deaf community, “deaf person” is generally preferred over “person with deafness.” Identity-first language is often preferred by self-advocates in the autistic, deaf, and blind communities. It is important to note that whether a person with a disability prefers people-first or identity-first language is not universal. Whatever the preference, respect it.

7 Fletcher, “Contextual Inquiry Research,” 15–24.

8 Kimberly Arcand et al., “Touching the Stars.”

9 Simon, The Participatory Museum, 6–13.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shannon Baldioli

Shannon Baldioli is the Educator Engagement Specialist at the National Air and Space Museum, specializing in the creation and facilitation of high-quality professional development for K-12 teachers. She serves on the Discovering Our Universe exhibition team and the museum’s DEAI Employee Resource Group. She has experience in both formal and informal education environments and is passionate about providing accessible resources and programs for all learners.

Shauna Edson

Shauna Edson is an Astronomy Educator at the National Air and Space Museum, providing visitors with their “daily dose of wonder.” She serves as an educator on four exhibition teams, including the Discovering Our Universe astronomy exhibit. Shauna holds an Sc.B. in Geology and an MAT in museum education. She strives to use her experiences with dance, ADHD, homeschooling, and hands-on inquiry to help make science relevant and accessible to all.

Ashley Grady

Ashley Grady is the Senior Program Specialist with Access Smithsonian. Ashley oversees the office’s programs, user/expert group, staff training, and intern/volunteer programs. In this role, Ashley strives to ensure inclusive access for all Smithsonian Institution visitors with disabilities. Prior to joining SI, Ashley worked as a special education teacher and research associate. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Education from Vanderbilt University.

Nefertiti Matos

Nefertiti Matos Olivares is an advocate for accessible culture, tech, and transit. She currently works as the Partnership Development Coordinator for Dicapta, a provider of accessible media for people with sensory disabilities. Previously, Nefertiti served as an Assistive Technology Educator for the New York Public Library, where she offered individual coaching, and created and facilitated group workshops on a range of tech topics for the blind and low vision community in both English and Spanish. Nefertiti strongly believes in doing her part to bring about a world in which universal access is the norm, not the exception.