Introduction to the Universal Design Guidelines

1. Introduction to the Universal Design Guidelines www.nisenet.org

2. Section Overview Participant Goals • Understand how the guidelines were developed and continue to develop. • Understand and apply the three main concepts. • Understand how to use the planning tools.

3. How were the UD Guidelines developed? • The guidelines were developed through a design charrette held at the Museum of Science, Boston on December 6 and 7, 2007, on behalf of NISE Net • (Note: A design charrette is an intensive effort to develop a new or innovative design that takes place over a short period of time. It involves people from a variety of backgrounds and expertise) • This charrettee included 4 experts from the field of UD who have disabilities and 20 museum professionals from a variety of organizations

4. UD Guidelines: A Working Document • The UD Guidelines are a working document. • The guidelines are expected to change as we develop and test more programs that reflect principals of UD. • The guidelines should not be considered exhaustive. • While they provide many ways to design a program, every program and situation is different.

5. Three Main Concepts Three main ideas that emerged that can be used by museum educators to frame their thinking while developing and implementing inclusive museum programs. • Repeat and reinforce main ideas • Multiple entry points / ways of engagement • Physical and sensory access

6. The Three Main Concepts • Repeat and reinforce main ideas • Multiple entry points / ways of engagement • Physical and sensory access

7. Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas • Why? • Considerations: • Developing a Program • Designing Props & Materials • Delivering your Presentation UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

8. Why repeat and reinforce main ideas? • Learners have difference preferences for receiving information: • Audial • Tactile • Visual • Helpful for those with different attention spans or short-term memory. • Can relate to a disability or context of the situation UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

9. Considerations for Developing a Program • Explicitly state and focus on the main idea. • Break down the program into distinct pieces. • Be explicit about this breakdown Lets look at a few slides from the Snowflakes: Nano at its Coolest program UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

10. What do you knowabout snow?

11. Outline • When does it snow? • Why do snowflakes have six sides? • Is every snowflake different?

12. When does it snow?

13. It snows when… • It’s cold (below freezing) • It’s cloudy (water vapor in the air)

14. Review • When does it snow? • Cold, cloudy conditions • Why do snowflakes have six sides? • Molecular structure of ice crystals • Is every snowflake different? • Temperature and humidity

15. Developing a Program • Video: Tiny Solutions to Our Big Energy Problem • Video • Presenter identifies her main ideas in the form of questions. UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

16. Designing Props and Materials All information (visual, aural, and tactile) should support one another. Have hands-on elements that can be passed around to reinforce main ideas. UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

17. Designing Props and Materials • Video: Intro to nano cart demo • Video • Presenter passes around tactile elements. • There is also an accompanying PowerPoint presentation that breaks down nano into 3 things, small, different, and useful. UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

18. Delivering your Presentation • Repeat key ideas. • Use images and text for emphasis. • Check in with the audience along the way. • Next level: Offer opportunities to preview materials before the program. UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

19. Repeat and Reinforce Wrap Up • Learners have different preferences for receiving information: • Audial • Tactile • Visual • Helpful for those with different attention spans or short-term memory. • Can relate to a disability or context of the situation UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

20. Questions? UD Program Concept 1: Repeat and Reinforce Main Ideas

21. The Three Main Concepts • Repeat and reinforce main ideas • Multiple entry points / ways of engagement • Physical and sensory access

22. Multiple Ways of Engagement • Why? • Considerations: • Developing a Program • Delivering your Presentation UD Program Concept 2: Multiple Entry Points/Ways of Engagement

23. Why make multiple entry points and multiple ways of engagement available? • Different levels of content knowledge and personal experiences • Gives a wide range of visitors an avenue for understanding • Multiple examples provide visitors ways to connect to the content UD Program Concept 2: Multiple Entry Points/Ways of Engagement

24. Developing a program • Connect to a range of prior experiences • Make it fun and engaging for all learners • Consider multiple analogies for the same idea • Use examples and non-examples • Build multiple layers into the program UD Program Concept 2: Multiple Entry Points/Ways of Engagement

25. Developing a program

26. Developing a program • Video: Intro to Nano • Video • Presenter uses multiple examples and analogies for explaining what “nano” means UD Program Concept 2: Multiple Entry Points/Ways of Engagement

27. Delivering your Presentation Find ways to engage audience members in the program Ask questions during the program Have volunteers help with portions of your presentation UD Program Concept 2: Multiple Entry Points/Ways of Engagement

28. Multiple Entry Point and Engagement Wrap Up • Different levels of content knowledge and personal experiences • Gives a wide range of visitors an avenue for understanding • Multiple examples provide visitors ways to connect to the content UD Program Concept 2: Multiple Entry Points/Ways of Engagement

29. Questions? UD Program Concept 2: Multiple Entry Points/Ways of Engagement

30. The Three Main Concepts • Repeat and reinforce main ideas • Multiple entry points / ways of engagement • Physical and sensory access

31. Physical and Sensory Access • Why? • Considerations: • Props & Materials • Set Up & Prep • Delivering your Presentation UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

32. Why provide physical and sensory access? • People are diverse in their abilities: • How they can navigate an area • How much they can hear & see • How much they can sit or stand UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

33. Designing Props and Materials • Large and high-contrast text and images • Caption video • Use color • Tactile models • Next level: Provide handouts UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

34. Designing Props and Materials Large and high-contrast text and images Exploring Size: Powers of Ten Game UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

35. Designing Props and Materials Tactile Models • Exploring Products – Nano Sand activity UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

36. Set Up and Prep • Good visibility of presenter’s face • Good visibility of materials on cart • Don’t block your slides / demos • Next level: Consider available seating • Next level: ASL interpreter UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

37. Set Up and Prep Video: Intro to Nano – Alka-Seltzer demo • Video • Presenter makes sure the participants do not block the reaction of the demo UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

38. Delivering your Presentation • Announce accessibility options • Encourage all learners to participate • Include pauses for processing ideas • Provide auditory descriptions UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

39. Delivering your Presentation Use auditory descriptions of models and images • Video • Presenter shows the model of the tumor while explaining what it looks like UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

40. Questions? UD Programs Concept 3: Physical and sensory access

41. UD Planning Tools • Content Maps • Planning Pyramid • UD Program critique form UD Planning Tools

42. Content Maps • Help visitors to follow along with presentations • Aid memory for visitors who are receiving all of their information aurally • Places new vocabulary in context UD Planning Tools: Content Maps

43. UD Planning Tools: Content Maps

44. UD Planning Tools: Content Maps

45. UD Planning Tools: Content Maps

46. Planning Pyramids • Outline the main ideas you think everyone should know by the end of the program • Lists related concepts that a smaller portion of the audience may come away with • Helps to ensure that younger visitors, visitors with developmental disabilities, and content novice will learn as well as visitors who are already familiar with the content UD Planning Tools: Planning Pyramids

47. UD Planning Tools: Planning Pyramid

48. UD Program Critique Form • This form is intended to help museum educators compare their programs to the universal design guidelines • Use this as a starting point for assessing the inclusiveness of your program UD Planning Tools: Program Critique Form