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

The Project

 “The Universal Design of Tactile Exhibits with Touch Activated Audio Description for Aquariums,” known as the “Talking Tactile Fish Project” for short, was a three-year Field Initiated Development Grant funded by the National Institute for Disability Rehabilitation Research, US Department of Education. The project was organized around two research phases culminating in a demonstration exhibit installation at an aquarium. An aquarium was chosen as the location for the demonstration because if an aquarium exhibit could be made accessible then almost any exhibit could be made accessible. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, one of the three aquariums in North Carolina, agreed to be the test site for the final talking tactile fish installation.