{"id":312,"date":"2015-05-26T11:21:30","date_gmt":"2015-05-26T11:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/?page_id=312"},"modified":"2021-06-22T20:32:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T20:32:00","slug":"canadian-museum-for-human-rights","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/winners\/canadian-museum-for-human-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Museum for Human Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadian Museum for Human Rights <\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, opened to the public in September 2014. Over 47,000 square feet of digitally rich, mixed-\u00ad\u2010media installations explore the subject of human rights, promoting respect for others and encouraging reflection and dialogue. Dialogue is key to the CMHR, understood metaphorically through the Museum\u2019s approach to experiential design \u2013 a reciprocal relationship whereby the Museum and the visitor mutually inform each other. All aspects of the Museum and its exhibits were built with inclusive design and accessibility in mind.<\/p>\n

The Project: Overview, objectives and principal outcomes<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) strives to provide an enriching, satisfying, and inspirational in-\u00ad\u2010gallery experience for all of visitors irrespective of ability. Underlying this fundamental belief, inclusive design is seamlessly integrated into all of CMHR\u2019s projects. The in-\u00ad\u2010 gallery experience champions accessibility and usability as the accessibility features are offered as parallel experiences. The following provides a list of the key features of the project:<\/p>\n

Inclusive Video Features and Audio Universal Keypad <\/strong><\/h5>\n

To ensure all visitors\u2019 access to content delivered via video occurs seamlessly, the CMHR embedded inclusive design features into all of its films and videos, developing the Audio Universal Keypad to support content delivery. This keypad provides an appropriate parallel experience directly integrated into the presentation. The inclusive design features of its\u00a0videos include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes qu\u00e9b\u00e9coise (LSQ) on screen<\/li>\n
  • Descriptive audio that describes what is happening in a scene, as well as reads any text that appears on the screen.<\/li>\n
  • Closed Captioning in both English and French<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \u00a0<\/strong>Interactive Universal Keypad<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Located adjacent to each Touch Screen Interface (TSI), the Interactive Universal Keypad allows users unable to use a touch screen to experience the full functionality of TSIs through accessible tactile controls and voiced instructions. The keypad works in conjunction with the strict semantic structure of the content in\u00a0theTSIs. Visitors easily navigate the systems with just a few buttons.<\/p>\n

    Mobile Program with Universal Access Points (UAP)<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    The Mobile Program was created and paired with Universal Access Points (UAP) to ensure visitors\u2019 access to both static exhibition content as well as experiential spatial information. The Mobile Program consists of:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Text-\u00ad\u2010to-\u00ad\u2010speech for all static content<\/li>\n
    • Self-\u00ad\u2010guided audio tours<\/li>\n
    • ASL\/LSQ self-\u00ad\u2010guided tours<\/li>\n
    • Descriptive audio tour<\/li>\n
    • Images\/video with closed captions (CC) and accessibility options<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The UAPs are linked via Bluetooth to media files available on a mobile device carried by the visitor. Each UAP sign consists of a unique number that is printed in both raised lettering and Braille. These markers are found on exhibit panels, digital interactives, text walls, and artifact cases. Besides receiving prompts from mobile devices, UAPs are also indicated on the floor through the use of a tactile, cane-\u00ad\u2010detectable floor strip.<\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/strong>User Involvement<\/strong><\/h4>\n

      The CMHR\u2019s exhibits were designed to provide experiences that exceed accessibility standards. This entailed formal user engagement across all project phases. A combination of the following approaches were employed throughout the planning, design, and development of CMHR\u2019s in-\u00ad\u2010 gallery accessibility features:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • CMHR\u2019s Inclusive Design Advisory Council (IDAC) -\u00ad\u2010 comprised of nine experts, advisors and activists in the field of disability rights who were briefed regularly. The CMHR\u2019s Core Teams consulted with IDAC in order to validate approaches, identify gaps, and to receive feedback in order to ensure equitable participation;<\/li>\n
      • Formal prototyping and testing sessions took place at various phases of the projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        These always included users with diverse abilities, including visible and invisible disabilities;<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Consultations were set up with disability organisations such as the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD);<\/li>\n
        • Partnerships were created with institutions such as the Inclusive Design Research Centre ( I D R C ) at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), to provide evidence-\u00ad\u2010based research and usability testing;<\/li>\n
        • Contractors who specialize in accessibility and inclusive design were engaged, such as Sina Bahram, Principle of Prime Access, and Brian Everton of Design For All.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          The Future: How CMHR plans to develop and sustain this project\/service<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          The CMHR employs a layered approach to ensure that in-\u00adgallery accessibility features are adaptable, evolving, scaleable and leading edge. Ongoing maintenance and evolution of the in-\u00adgallery accessibility features are part of CMHR\u2019s formal plan and consists of the following measures:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Departmental budgets and project schedules and budgets have been composed for consistent and constant evolution<\/li>\n
          • Built exhibit structures have been fabricated modularly to facilitate evolution and change.<\/li>\n
          • Media content is separated from the delivery method to ensure to\u00a0avoid having to produce a piece of content multiple times to fit a new context (e.g. when technology evolves or exhibits change).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            The CMHR will continue to strive to make its exhibits fully accessible to ensure that the conversation about human rights is something in which everyone can participate in equally.<\/p>\n

            Some of the judges’ comments about this initiative were:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

            All aspects of the Museum and its exhibits were built with\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 inclusive design and accessibility in mind. The focus on seamless integration is great.<\/p>\n

            Breadth of offering is unprecedented \u2013 seem to have thought about a range of audiences from the outset. Great to see that media is so integral to the experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Canadian Museum for Human Rights The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, opened to the public in September 2014. Over 47,000 square feet of digitally rich, mixed-\u00ad\u2010media installations explore the subject of human rights, promoting respect for others and encouraging reflection and dialogue. Dialogue is key to the CMHR, understood metaphorically…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":4769,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4765,"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312\/revisions\/4765"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodiawards.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}