A new app developed by researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf is making its debut at an exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester.
The app, MUSEAI, is a self-guided tour platform designed to enhance accessibility for all visitors in museums. Visitors use the app by inputting a number placed next to the artwork, which will provide them with the information about a specific artwork, including descriptions, historical facts, media with captions and audio descriptions.
The app is being used at MAG for “De’VIA: The Manifesto Comes of Age,” which runs through Feb. 16, 2020. The exhibit draws from the permanent collection of the RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center, and features works that explore the deaf view/image art genre and represents deaf artists and perceptions based on their deaf experiences.
The MUSEAI platform was developed by faculty and students from NTID’s Center on Access Technology and consists of an intuitive software program; a dashboard to add, edit and manage accessible content; and cloud computing that enables museums worldwide to easily enhance accessibility.