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An Accessible Museum? Scott Grimley Access & inclusion Officer 7 August 2019

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An Accessible Museum?Scott GrimleyAccess & inclusion Officer7 August 2019

The National Museum of Australia

Introduction

Established in 1980, the Museum is a publicly funded institution governed as a statutory authority in the Commonwealth portfolio of Communications and the Arts.

The Museum’s main building on Acton Peninsula, Canberra opened in March 2001. The Museum also has four Collection Repository buildings in the outer suburbs of Canberra since the 1980’s

Principles & CommitmentsThe Museum’s exhibitions are accessible• The Museum will develop exhibitions that enable

access for congenital, acquired and age onset physical, sensory, learning, cognitive and neurological impairments.

• The Museum will incorporate multiple interpretive tools in permanent, temporary and travelling exhibitions, such as digital labels and interactives, alternative formats like large print and braille labels, audio tours and Auslan apps accessible with assistive software.

The Disability Access Plan

Principles & Commitments

• The Museum will include, in the development of exhibitions and programs, experiences that enable visitors to touch and explore objects and their history, including but not limited to digital interactives or virtual and augmented reality.

• The Museum will provide exhibition text and catalogues in a variety of text-to-speech enabled electronic formats, including PDF, e-pub and braille ready

The Disability Access Plan

Principles & CommitmentsThe Museum’s public & education programs are accessible:• Digital programs, including outreach programs,

will be usable with the accessibility features of smart devices, to enable inclusion and communication with students and visitors.

• The Museum will support alternatives to audio and visual presentations such as, hearing loops, Auslan, captioning, large print, braille & audio description.

The Disability Access Plan

Key performance indicators

• Visitors are able to access exhibition, multimedia and web material with a variety of alternative formats, assistive technologies and software – by 2020

• Each permanent and temporary exhibition includes tactile objects and labels for visitors to explore.

The Disability Access Plan

A History of the World in 100 Objects

Case Study 1

The Exhibition

100 objects from around the globe to explore the last two million years of human history, sourced from the oldest objects from the British Museum and others from the present day.

Case Study 1

The Exhibition‘The National Museum is keen to ensure that blind, vision and hearing-impaired visitors can enjoy exhibitions like A History of the World in 100 Objects, alongside other Australians’

Dr Mathew Trinca, Director, National Museum of Australia

Case Study 1

Accessibility of the exhibition

• Developed Auslan, Captioned and Audio Described Audio tours with Connexu

• Braille number labels for the Audio tour• Large print guides for each ‘Age’ in the exhibition.• Tactile Table with replica objects, braille and colour blindness

friendly high contrast text.

Case Study 1

Audio description on Audio tours

• Audio Description on the Audio tour app recorded by Connexu, written by the Museum.

• Accessible text included in the Acoustiguide audio tour app.

Case Study 1

Audio description on Audio tours

Case Study 1

The Tactile TableThe idea and support for it:

– An exhibition of significant historical importance

– Suggested a small number of replica objects at first

– Sought & received support from the British Museum’s Curatorial and Conservation teams

– Gained support from the Chief Operating Officer who funded the project and the assigned Curator.

The Tactile TableCreating the table:

– Objects selected from replicas available from the British Museum, online and the Museum Shop

– Curatorial text approved by the British Museum

– Table sourced from a previous exhibition, wheels added and electricals removed.

– Text, braille and object layout and installation of panels provided by local design company

– Objects glued and screwed to top panels

Case Study 1

The Tactile Table

The braille & text panels:– Largest ever made by the supplier at 400mm wide by 1800mm

long– Created and shipped in less than 2 weeks– Braille pressed into holes; not glued or printed– Dark charcoal background with white braille and 6mm text.– Braille spell checked visually by braille hobbyist known to

Museum staff.

Case Study 1

The Tactile Table

Objects on the Tactile Table included:– astrolabe – 5 different Lewis Chess men– the bust of Sophocles– Assyrian clay flood tablet – Aboriginal woven grass basket– Clovis Spear point (resin)– Stone age axe head (resin)– Logo for A History of the World

A History of the World

The Tactile Table

Case Study 1

The Tactile Table

Case Study 1

The Tactile Table

Case Study 1

The Tactile Table

A History of the World

The Tactile Table

Case Study 1

The Tactile Table – Lessons Learnt• Dots come or are picked out – 22 replaced over 5 months.• Table height - no wheelchair access and not good for tall

people• Not just about touching objects, braille became the

experience – many in awe of their first meeting with braille.• Other institutions thought it was brilliant• Some spelling & grammatical errors due to software used –

punctuation (decimals, commas)• Need side graphics – all print on table top so people not

sure what it was until they were up close with it.• Better encouragement to touch.• Contributed to DAP principles, tasks and actions.

Case Study 1

Media coverage

• ABC666 Canberra interview with Jo Weir from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT aired 4 times.

• Interview with Blind Citizens Australia’s New Horizons

• Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Client e-News

• Canberra Blind Society Newsletter

Case Study 1

Braille Panels

• Work with designer – teleconference discussion about use of braille, hyphenation and the Australian Braille Authority requirements.

• Work with local braille group – Text was provided to the group to convert to braille and proofs checked for accuracy

• Design of panel displays: placed at a height for seated, standing and small statured. Bent outwards for foot clearance.

• First use of 3D printing. Braille printed onto panels.

The Gandel Atrium

Braille Panels

The Gandel Atrium

The Gandel Atrium

The Gandel Atrium

Rome: City & EmpireCase Study 2

The Exhibition

Rome: City and Empire was an exhibition from the British Museum that captured the grandeur of the vast empire of ancient Rome and shared stories of everyday life, worship, war, glory and death, through more than 200 beautiful objects.

Highlights included a gold and jasper sealstone ring depicting Mark Antony, an ancient carved marble head of a woman resembling Cleopatra and a Pompeii fresco.

Case Study 2

Accessibility of the exhibition

• Audio Tour with Auslan, captioning and audio description, one for adult and one for kids.

• Braille numbers

• New & improved Tactile Table and exhibition tactile panels.

• Large print booklets for each section

Case Study 2

Audio description on Audio tours

• Audio description for both the adult and children’s Audio tours written and recorded by Connexu

• Accessible text included in the Acoustiguide audio tour app.

Case Study 2

Audio description on Audio tours

Case Study 2

New & improved Tactile Table

Objects on the Rome: City & Empire tactile table included:• The Curse tablet (3D printed from image)• Bust of Cleopatra (3D printed from image)• Republican Coin for Julius Caesar (3D printed from image)• Bust of Hadrian (3D printed from image)• Replica pugio (iron dagger)

Case Study 2

New & improved Tactile Table

Case Study 2

New & improved Tactile Table

Case Study 2

New & improved Tactile Table

Case Study 2

Exhibition tactile panel

Case Study 2

New & improved tactile table Lessons Learnt• Graphics from high resolution images printed in

3D on to acrylic panels wore well

• Braille 3D printed on acrylic panels easily picked off.

• Braille needs to be checked by proficient braille users.

Case Study 2

New & improved tactile table Lessons Learnt• Table design suited many with improved height,

wheelchair access and tactile elements angled to8ward users.

• Extensive time to create compared to table for A History of the World in 100 Objects.

• Some visitors still would not touch panels despite an open hand symbol indicating touch is desired.

Case Study 2

Scent Station

• Scents included:– Oil based perfume also known as Chanel No.5

– Roman barbeque sauce

– Roman fish sauce

– Street refuse

Case Study 2

Scent Station

• Sauces made from synthetic ingredients, however, warning installed later to inform visitors of possible allergy reaction.

• Proved popular with many visitors using the station.

Case Study 2

Scent Station

Case Study 2

What next?• Reuse the new & improved tactile tables where

ever possible with temporary exhibitions

• Include tactile elements In our permanent exhibitions.

• Publication and Web editors have attend accessible document training.

The Future

What next?• Provide downloadable accessible large print

Word, PDF and Braille Ready format documents of all exhibitions

• Install DBT 12.4 from Duxbury and Vision Australia’s Document Accessibility Toolbar for use by our Publication and Web publishing teams.

• Trial of the Bindi Maps wayfinding system for use with iPds & iPads hired from front desk.

The Future

🌈ChanceyFleet🌻 (@ChanceyFleet)There's a special place in Hall for people who pick

Braille dots off signs

Thank you for listeningAny questions or comments are

welcome.

The End!