Glossary

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Art Accessibility(also: Artwork Accessibility, Cultural Accessibility)

The practice of making visual art, museums, galleries, and cultural experiences accessible to people with disabilities. Art accessibility encompasses a range of approaches including tactile reproductions, audio descriptions, augmented reality overlays, accessible exhibition…

Audio Description(also: AD, Descriptive Audio, Audio Narration)

A narration track that describes visual elements of media, exhibitions, performances, or environments for people who are blind or have low vision. In museums, audio descriptions provide verbal accounts of exhibits, artworks, and spatial layouts. While valuable, research shows…

Audio Guide(also: Audio Tour, Audio Description Tour, Museum Audio Guide)

A portable or installed audio system that provides spoken descriptions, narratives, or contextual information about exhibits in a museum, gallery, or cultural venue. Audio guides range from traditional handheld devices with numbered stops to smartphone apps with…

Braille Label(also: Braille Signage, Braille Tag)

A label or sign that includes text in Braille to provide information to people who read Braille. In museums and public spaces, Braille labels are placed on exhibits, room signs, elevator buttons, and informational displays. While important for accessibility, Braille labels alone…

Cross-Sensory Translation(also: Sensory Substitution, Sensory Translation, Cross-Modal Translation)

The process of converting information from one sensory modality to another — for example, representing visual information through touch, sound, smell, or taste. In exhibition accessibility, cross-sensory translation is used to make visual artworks accessible to blind and low…

Cultural Heritage(also: Heritage, Digital Heritage)

Cultural heritage is the inherited tangible and intangible expressions of a community’s history, including buildings, monuments, artefacts, landscapes, oral traditions, performance, ritual, and language. In digital contexts, cultural heritage work covers the documentation,…

Cultural Heritage Accessibility(also: Heritage Accessibility, Accessible Cultural Heritage)

The practice of making cultural heritage sites, monuments, museums, and artifacts accessible to people with disabilities through physical modifications, assistive technologies, and alternative formats. This includes tactile reproductions of artworks and architectural features,…

Cultural Mediator(also: Museum Mediator, Cultural Facilitator)

A professional who facilitates meaningful engagement between cultural institutions (such as museums, galleries, or heritage sites) and visitors, particularly those from diverse or marginalised backgrounds. In accessibility contexts, cultural mediators play a crucial role in…

Curator(also: Museum Curator, Exhibition Curator, Art Curator)

A professional responsible for the selection, arrangement, interpretation, and presentation of works in museums, galleries, and exhibitions. The curatorial role has expanded from its original function of preservation and management to encompass audience research, technology…

Embodied Learning(also: Embodied Cognition, Kinesthetic Learning)

A learning approach that engages the whole body in the process of understanding, not just the mind. Embodied learning recognizes that physical movement, touch, spatial navigation, and bodily interaction with environments contribute fundamentally to how people construct…

Formal Analysis(also: Formal Analysis (Art))

An art-historical method that examines an artwork's observable formal attributes — composition, color, line, light, texture, scale, space, and style — and how they are organized, independent of biographical or historical context. In accessibility contexts, formal analysis…

Informal Learning(also: Informal Education, Free-Choice Learning)

Learning that occurs outside formal educational settings, driven by curiosity, personal interest, and voluntary engagement rather than structured curricula and assessments. Science museums, workshops, community programs, and hands-on activities are key venues for informal…

Interactive 3D Printed Model(also: I3M, Interactive Tactile Model)

A 3D printed physical object augmented with technology that provides audio or other non-visual feedback when users touch or interact with specific areas. These models combine the tangible spatial information of a physical replica with digital annotations, typically using…

Interpretive Alt Text

Alt text that goes beyond objective, functional description to convey interpretive dimensions of an image such as mood, symbolism, narrative, and aesthetic effect. It is most relevant for images where meaning is carried by formal attributes (composition, color, lighting,…

Multi-Fidelity Modeling(also: Multi-Fidelity Tactile Materials)

A design strategy that provides tactile representations at multiple levels of detail and complexity to support layered learning and comprehension. In accessible museum and educational contexts, this means offering simplified low-fidelity models (like 2D silhouettes or outline…

Multi-Sensory Design(also: Multisensory Experience, Multi-Sensory Accessibility)

Multi-sensory design is an approach to creating experiences, environments, or products that engage multiple senses—touch, hearing, smell, taste, and sight—rather than relying predominantly on vision. In accessibility, multi-sensory design is essential for making visual content…

Multisensory Experience(also: Multi-Sensory Experience, Multisensory Design)

An experience designed to engage multiple senses simultaneously, including touch, hearing, smell, taste, and proprioception, rather than relying primarily on vision. In accessibility contexts, multisensory design is essential for creating inclusive experiences that people with…

Museum Accessibility(also: Accessible Museums)

The practice of designing museum experiences, exhibitions, programs, and physical spaces to be inclusive and usable by visitors with disabilities. Museum accessibility encompasses physical access (ramps, elevators, wheelchair-accessible pathways), sensory access (tactile…

NFC Tag(also: Near Field Communication Tag, NFC)

An NFC (Near Field Communication) tag is a small, unpowered chip that can transmit data to a compatible smartphone or device when held within a few centimeters. In accessibility contexts, NFC tags are used in museums, galleries, and public spaces to provide on-demand information…

Navigation Robot(also: Guide Robot, Autonomous Navigation Robot)

A robotic system designed to guide users through physical spaces, providing wayfinding assistance and contextual information. In museum contexts, navigation robots can lead visually impaired visitors between exhibits, reduce the cognitive load of independent navigation, and…

Science Communicator(also: SC, Museum Science Communicator)

A trained staff member in a science museum whose role is to explain exhibits, demonstrate phenomena, and answer visitor questions. Science Communicators are central to several accessibility interventions for blind visitors because they provide the interpretive, social, and…

Science Museum(also: Science Center, Science Centre)

An institution dedicated to informally communicating science to the public through interactive exhibits, multimedia displays, hands-on workshops, and themed experiences. Unlike traditional collection-based museums, science museums emphasize engagement, experimentation, and…

Slow Design

Slow design is a design philosophy that emphasizes thoughtful, reflective, and sustained engagement over efficiency and speed. Inspired by the slow food movement, it values deeper contemplation, longer development timelines, and meaningful user experiences. In museum and gallery…

Spatial Cognition(also: Spatial Understanding, Spatial Awareness)

The mental processes involved in perceiving, storing, recalling, and reasoning about spatial relationships, layouts, and environments. Spatial cognition enables people to form mental maps, navigate through spaces, and understand the arrangement of objects. For people who are…

Tactile Art(also: Touch Art, Haptic Art)

Pictures, illustrations, sculptures, and multimodal compositions that are created to be accessible through the sense of touch, either crafted intentionally for touch-focused experiences or made accessible through tactile or haptic properties. Tactile art is distinguished from…

Tactile Exhibit(also: Touch Exhibit, Hands-On Exhibit, Tactile Display)

A museum or gallery exhibit designed to be explored through touch rather than sight, allowing visitors to physically interact with objects, models, or replicas. Tactile exhibits are particularly important for accessibility as they enable blind and low-vision visitors to…

Tactile Fidelity

The degree of detail and accuracy in a tactile representation compared to the real object or concept it represents. High-fidelity tactile models include fine details, textures, and proportional accuracy, while low-fidelity models use simplified shapes and reduced detail to…

Tactile Replica(also: 3D Replica, Touchable Replica, Haptic Replica)

A physical reproduction of an artwork or exhibit object, often created using 3D printing or traditional sculpting techniques, designed to be touched and explored by hand. Tactile replicas are a key accessibility strategy in museums and galleries for blind and low vision…

Tactile relief(also: 2.5D relief, Tactile relief model)

A physical representation that preserves depth information and surface textures from a two-dimensional image, creating a raised surface that can be explored by touch. Unlike flat raised-line drawings or tactile diagrams, tactile reliefs convey spatial relationships, depth…

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