Accessibility & Inclusion

During my time at Shedd Aquarium, I served on the interdisciplinary Accessibility & Inclusion Committee. In service of this committee and the organization as a whole, I led studies that engaged members of the disability community and informed the co-creation of experiences for visitors and program participants with disabilities. Key examples  of projects I led in this area included: 

• Focus groups with people with who are blind or have low vision to understand their previous experiences in museums and other informal learning spaces

• Focus groups with families with one or more children who have sensory processing disorders to understand barriers to visitation and opportunities for improvements 

• In-depth interviews with participants of accessibility pilot programs and experiences like an audio-described aquatic presentation 

• User testing sessions and focus groups with guests who are blind or have low vision to understand preferences around tactile models and how exhibits can best be interpreted and supported 

• Focus groups with veterans to understand their unique experiences, challenges when re-entering civilian life, and their perspectives on removing barriers to visiting the aquarium 

• Profile and ad-hoc analysis to understand the experience and demographics of aquarium visitors with disabilities-see more  int eh work sample below