Exhibit Design Relating to Low Vision and Blindness Summary Report: Research on Effective Use of Tactile Exhibits with Touch Activated Audio Description for the Blind and Low Vision Audience

Phase III- Aquarium Exhibit Installation

Our original plan for the installation was to have a small temporary exhibit that contained 3 or 4 touch activated talking tactile fish models. This would be enough tactile fish to allow us to conduct on site audience interviews in order to gather data on the effectiveness of the combination of the tactile models and the audio interpretive message.

As we talked with the aquarium staff their excitement grew and the exhibit expanded. The “Fintastic” exhibit is now a 1500 square foot permanent exhibit that includes several new live fish exhibits. There is now a total of eight talking tactile fish models ranging in size from a 14” long cow fish to a 9’ foot long hammerhead shark. The fish models are represented in a “full round” configuration and are life size. All fish models are presented as realistically as possible using modified fiberglass fish mounts similar to trophy fish mounts. Fish that exhibit different patterns of adaptive coloration are modified with textures so the color patterns become tactile. Each tactile fish model is fabricated to be a touch sensitive “hyper-artifact,” each with a separate touch activated audio interpretive track that discusses habitat, shape and form, and coloration. Additionally, each fish is mounted in front of a tactile background illustrating the type of environment in which they live.

What began as a small temporary exhibit primarily intended for audience testing has grown to the point that it fills an entire room and allows Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium to say that they are the first Aquarium to have an exhibit that is accessible to the entire audience, including those people who are blind or have low vision.