The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has launched a digital companion for its Fashion & Feather exhibition, giving visitors more ways to access exhibition content using their own devices.
Available on smartphones, tablets and other devices, the microsite includes audio content, Spanish translations and digital versions of exhibition text panels. Visitors can access the content by scanning QR codes located throughout the Museum’s Visitor Hall and Corning Gallery.
The Museum says the microsite is part of its ongoing work to make exhibitions accessible in more ways. Visitors can use it while moving through the gallery, with audio content designed to support people with low vision. As part of the project, representatives from the Cleveland Sight Center were invited to experience both the digital content and the physical exhibition, with their feedback helping to shape the final result.
The Museum describes the microsite as a “digital twin” of the exhibition, allowing content to be updated and expanded over time as accessibility needs and visitor feedback change.
Similar digital initiatives are also being used by museums in Australia. The WA Maritime Museum offers an Experience Plus Digital Guide that visitors can access by scanning QR codes with their own devices. The guide includes audio tours, videos and additional exhibition content. The WA Museum has also previously trialed smartphone-based guides with Auslan, audio and text captions.
Digital tools are not a replacement for accessible physical spaces, but they can give visitors another way to access exhibition information and engage with displays.
For more information, please read cmnh’s article on The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s new accessible features.