Where can I find accessible downloadable museum exhibits?

Open Exhibits, originally funded by the National Science Foundation, seeks to transform the way in which museums and other informal learning institutions produce and share digital exhibits. Open Exhibits hosts accessible downloadable exhibits that utilize universal design principles in their development. Examples of downloadable exhibits include the following:

• Moon Gigapixel: The gigapixel moon-landing exhibit is a multitouch interface that allows scrolling of a gigapixel moon-landing image. Hotspots on the gigapixel open information panels with slideshows of images and descriptive text.
• National Science Foundation (NSF) in Antarctica features an optional presenter display that allows informal STEM learning programs to show images and videos from their own collection on a secondary monitor. It also features a utility that allows programs to manage their media collection using a graphical user interface.
• Hurricane Sandy Before and After allows users to view the devastation of Hurricane Sandy through satellite pictures taken by NOAA and Google of before and after the hurricane. The Open Exhibits 2.5 Mask Image Viewer allows a user to explore locations by interactively dragging a mask around, as well as resize and rotate it to look at how Hurricane Sandy changed the coastline, destroyed buildings, and flooded streets.
• Solar System Exhibit is a multitouch interface that allows users to select planets as image hotspots and explore the pop-up windows. Each planet is linked to an informational pop-up that contains a slideshow of images and descriptive text for each planet.

Open Exhibits also hosts a library of accessibility-related papers arranged by topical areas such as accessibility, exhibit design, universal design, and informal science education.

For more information about accessible informal science education, visit the AccessISL website and/or join the AccessISL Community of Practice.