Eighteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The visitor experience is crucial for science museums when designing exhibitions. For visitors with disabilities, accessibility and assistive technologies are essential for fostering meaningful, barrier-free experiences. This qualitative study examined two online exhibitions by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil) – Zika: Affecting Lives and Aedes: Which Mosquito is This – focused on diseases like Dengue and Zika, transmitted by Aedes aegypti, a public health concern in tropical regions. The research explores the accessibility of these exhibitions to visitors with visual disabilities. In the first phase, the evaluation involved technical visits with a blind scholar applying the “Accessibility Indicators for Online Exhibitions and Museums” framework. While the Aedes exhibition had some accessibility features, it was incompatible with screen readers and excluded from further analysis. In the second phase, four blind participants were recruited through snowball sampling. Their visits to the Zika exhibition were recorded and analyzed, alongside pre- and post-interviews on their experiences, engagement, and accessibility perspectives. The analysis, supported by Dedoose software, focused on critical aspects outlined in the “Accessibility Indicators” framework. Participants emphasized the importance of communicational and navigation accessibility, highlighting the significance of assistive resources for their overall experience. They expressed that the exhibitions enabled barrier-free and meaningful visits, allowing emotional connections with the content presented. The findings underscore the need for museum professionals to prioritize accessibility and involve individuals with disabilities in developing online exhibitions to promote broader public engagement, particularly among marginalized communities often excluded from normative learning environments.