Michigan state university (MSU) will improve the quality of visitor experiences at the MSU museum, particularly for those with visual impairments, by training museum staff to assess museum spaces…

The Michigan State University (MSU) was awarded a $384,688 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museums for America (MFA) program. The grant will be used to improve the quality of visitor experiences at the MSU Museum, particularly for those with visual impairments. Key activities include:

• Conducting a comprehensive assessment of the museum's spaces to identify accessible pathways
• Developing high-quality audio descriptions for the museum's interpretive and educational content
• Training museum staff to enhance their awareness and responsiveness to the needs of visitors with visual impairments
• Instilling institutional knowledge to collaborate with partners and continuously leverage technologies to ensure accessibility in future exhibitions and programs

The project will run from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2026, with the goal of enhancing the overall accessibility and inclusivity of the MSU Museum's interpretive spaces.

Michigan state university (MSU) will improve the quality of visitor experiences at the MSU museum, particularly for those with visual impairments, by training museum staff to assess museum spaces for accessible pathways and developing high-quality audio descriptions for interpretative and educational application. Project activities will include a comprehensive assessment of the museum's spaces, creating a plan for using content delivery technologies in galleries and generating high-quality gallery audio descriptions. Through these training activities, museum staff will develop skills to be more aware of and responsive to the needs of visitors and improve the overall accessibility of the museum interpretive spaces. In addition, they will instill institutional knowledge to collaborate with partners and continuously learn to use technologies within gallery spaces to ensure that future exhibitions and programs incorporate accessibility from the outset.