Work

“Let the Volcano Erupt!”: Designing Sonification to Make Oceanography Accessible for Blind and Low Vision Students in Museum Environment

Year: 2023

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Exploring the potential of data sonification, our study focuses on enhancing accessibility to oceanographic data for blind and low vision (BLV) students in museums. Five auditory display prototypes with accompanying data sonifications were designed, and two prototypes underwent evaluation by testing with blind and low vision students from two schools for the blind. Through interviews and qualitative analysis, the study assessed the students' learning outcomes and their experience on the auditory display prototypes. The results demonstrate the effective conveyance of oceanography concepts and data through the developed audio display prototypes. Additionally, the study derived several design implications for future oceanographic data sonification design in museums. This research contributes to advancing the accessibility of oceanography education for visually impaired students while providing valuable insights for the design of future auditory displays in informal learning environments (ILE).

Source: International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

DOI: 10.1145/3597638.3614482

Authors: Huaigu Li, Jon Bellona, Leslie Smith, Amy Bower, Jessica Roberts

Institutions: Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Oregon, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Language: English

Topic: Museums and Cultural Heritage

Subfield: Museology

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Science Foundation