As many great things do, it started with a Girl Scout and a problem to solve. Teenager Mia Warren’s friend Campbell Rutherford has been visually impaired since birth, only seeing light. Having visited museums with Campbell, Mia noticed how much harder it was for her friend to navigate the exhibits, even with ADA accommodations.
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East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, August 2022
This birthed a plan. Mia needed to complete a Gold Award project for Girl Scouts, and individuals with visual impairments needed a better way to visit the Museum of East TN History. Mia pitched a project to the museum staff that they were impressed with from the outset. Mia wanted to create a QR code program where unsighted individuals could use the screen readers they already use daily to ‘see’ the museum more independently.
While QR codes are not new, this program is different. First, the codes are large (6×6 inches) so that the devices can easily capture them. Participants have the item’s significance, physical description, and the proximity of the following item read to them via the screen reader. This addition of physical proximity to the item is helpful in quickly and independently finding their way to the next exhibit. The museum followed ADA requirements before and had gloves that patrons could wear to touch certain items in the museum, but if they did not have a helper, they could not know for sure what to touch and what they should not. This program allows them to do this without a helper or a staff member to guide them as it identifies those safe-touch items.
Mia spent two summers logging each item from the museum with written descriptions and item-to-item proximity. Adam Alfrey, the museum’s Assistant Director for Historical Services, told me this part is the heavy lifting. Campbell’s family also gave input into the program and the layout of exhibits in the museum. While the project cost was not extremely high, they still needed community support. Local retailer Mast General generously partnered with the museum to make it happen.
On January 3, they officially rolled out MIA-Museums Increasing Accessibility. It just so happens to be the creator’s name as well—very fitting. They declared January 4, 2024, as Mia Warren Appreciation Day. Alfrey says the program has been well received, and they are looking forward to the next iteration of it. They will install floor tactiles for those with limited sight to help them navigate the museum texturally. With so many visitors worldwide, they also plan to use this program as a translation service.
The museum has had a zoo, college and university museum, and historical home reach out to them to learn about the program and discuss implementing it in their environments as well. Alfrey reflected that this would be an incredible start to changing the industry standards, allowing more accessibility for all who want to learn and enjoy the world around them.
If you are a sighted individual visiting the museum, know that the QR codes are not targeted to you. But feel free to scan them and experience another way of navigating the world.
Mia did earn her Girl Scout Gold Award and will graduate this year from Karns High School with plans to attend UTK with a focus on plant genetics.