The Museum Version 2.1: Inclusive design through digital accessibility

While museums are connected in myriad ways through communication technologies, digital accessibility is often unintentionally ignored. Communication technologies include museological displays, websites, apps, games, social media, emails, digital documents (such as PDFs, PowerPoints, and Word documents), educational materials, digital devices and interactive exhibits (like iPads and kiosks), audio, and videos. With the updated 2018 release of version 2.1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), museums are finding themselves out of compliance with federal accessibility legislation. More than the legislation, though, is the innate desire of museums to become a place of engagement and access to as many people as possible, both in person and via digital communication. Bridging the gap between digital access and compliance is becoming a critical need. Designers of digital content wield a lot of power, and this power can be dangerous if real users (including people with disabilities) of these systems are not brought into the design process at the beginning of a project. Too often, testing with people comes too late (or not at all), and we are left with mediocre designs that are not accessible for many people. When inclusive design is done well, it can be innovative, creative, and growth fostering, not to mention it can make a positive impact on community outreach. This proposed session will present the e_CAT framework (empathy, connectivity, authenticity, and trust) that adds relational aspects to the process of designing inclusive digital experiences with museums.