Meeting Abstract
There has been a notable increase in the amount of technology within museums, exhibitions, and other educational institutions to enhance science communication and provide supplementary information. Yet modern science communication and exhibit design relies heavily on visual mediums and is catered toward “general” audiences – those without sensory impairment, those who are neurotypical, and/or those who speak English fluently. This broader design can inadvertently create a feeling of exclusion for groups outside the “general” audience; attempts to enhance inclusion through secondary engagement tools such as pamphlets or audio tours often risk members of these specialized audiences feeling removed from the overall experience. Additionally, the development and maintenance of such secondary engagement tools can be exclusive due to the high cost of maintenance and development for many museums and science communicators. At the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, we are attempting to create a more inclusive museum experience and develop more accessible science communication media by combining principals of universal design with the application of cost-effective technology such as augmented reality, smartphone technology, and 3D printing. Augmented reality (AR) can be applied to existing exhibits to overlay language translations, play subtitled videos, or enable audio dictation. Combining AR audio dictation with 3D printed replicas can be used to develop tactile experiences for the visually impaired. Simplified graphic overlays and touchscreen tactile aids can even be developed to better present information to neuroatypical guests. The platforms we implement are free to low-cost and user-friendly for institutions lacking funding or expertise in inclusive design, and can be easily updated.
