Woonsocket museum has an app for that

The Museum of Work and Culture is offering a new smart phone app that enables visitors with vision impairments to tour its exhibits with greater independence. The Aria app enables them to use their smart phones to connect with an operator, who will use the phone's camera to describe objects, read signage and provide navigational directions.

“Our community is strengthened by the participation of all. We seek to give visitors who are blind and low vision the same autonomy all visitors to the museum have while touring. This will make it possible for all Rhode Islanders with a visual impairment to access their history and engage with it on their terms,” said Anne Conway, director of the museum.

The new service is free for visitors. Funding came from the Rhode Island Foundation through its Program for the Blind.

"Our grant aligns the interests of our donors with organizations that are doing effective work serving people with vision impairments. This goes to the heart of our shared commitment to promoting accessibility, equity and healthy lives for all Rhode Islanders," said Ricky Bogert of the Foundation.

The museum will be the first organization in the region to offer the service from Aira, a California-based technology company that serves people with vision impairments. In identifying Aira, museum officials worked closely with the Governor’s Advisory Council for the Blind and R.I. Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

Aira will generate monthly usage reports, including the number of users and the length of their visits. The museum will encourage users to take a survey to rating their experience using the service. The feedback will be used to improve accessibility and create programs that persons with visual impairments would find interesting and beneficial.

“We hope to increase visitation by those who are blind or low vision, not only for general admission and tours, but in the long term for programs and events. We believe that in order to truly welcome a group we need to move beyond simply saying that we welcome all visitors, but actively seek to engage a community and remove barriers to their participation,” said Conway.

The museum has recently introduced several accessibility related improvements, including sensory sensitive hours and recurring art and music therapy programs for visitors with autism.

“We are devoted to improving accessibility so all Rhode Islanders have the opportunity to discover their history and understand their place in our state's present and future,” said Conway.
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the Foundation raised $114 million and awarded $52 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2018. Through leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.