Providing Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing Visitors With On-Demand, Independent Access To Museum Information and Interpretation Through Handheld Computers

Nancy Proctor, Antenna Audio, United Kingdom

Session: Accessibility

This paper discusses the use of handheld computers or PDAs to provide accessible interpretation for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors to museums and visitor attractions. It describes the differing needs of and attitudes towards deafness and hearing loss among this diverse population, and outlines best practice guidelines for producing access tours for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. These guidelines are based on visitor feedback and evaluations of digital Sign Language and Subtitled Guides at three museums in the US and UK in 2003 and 2004: the British Sign Language Multimedia Tour at Tate Modern in London, the American Sign Language Guide at The Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore and a Subtitled Guide at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.