Ayla Tanurhan Collaborates with UW Special Collections Exhibitions on Inclusive Design
Over the spring 2024 quarter, UW Textual Studies student Ayla Tanurhan completed the undergraduate Minor in Textual Study and Digital Humanities with a culminating Capstone project in collaboration with UW Special Collections Exhibitions. In her own words, Ayla describes her work on accessible and inclusive design for both physical and digital exhibits at the UW Libraries. Read on to find out more about Ayla’s Capstone project, her interests in access and inclusion, and her time in the UW Textual Studies Program.
Inclusivity and Access in Cultural Institutions
Ayla Tanurhan (‘24) majored in Art History and Political Science and minored in Textual Studies and Digital Humanities, additionally completing Interdisciplinary Honors and Art History Honors. She is particularly interested in cultural institutions, looking to increase access within these spaces through various means. As Henry Art Liaison at the Henry Art Gallery, she developed programs centered around rethinking the traditional museum experience. She also sat on the Accessibility Committee, supporting efforts to develop museum initiatives. In her future work, she hopes to continue to support cultural institutions in their efforts to provide opportunities for engagement for all.
Capstone Project on Exhibition Accessibility in UW Special Collections
Working with support from Kat Lewis, Special Projects Curator in UW Special collections, I researched and developed a report regarding accessibility within exhibitions. As we were looking to expand accessibility within Special Collections Exhibitions, my research centered on various components including accessible design principles, digital humanities, and industry standards. This project sat at a niche intersection between the library and the museum, so I dove into both sectors, engaging with literature on accessibility in archives and accessibility in museums and exhibitions. Principles of Universal Design were also a key thread throughout my research, providing the grounding framework for the work we hoped to do within Digital Exhibitions. As stated within my report, it is imperative that we design these tools with Accessibility at the forefront, ensuring that our exhibitions are open for learning and engagement for all visitors and viewers.
Universal Design Framework for Physical and Digital Exhibits
Through my research, we developed a framework for exhibitions centered on Universal Design. This is a strategy for creating spaces and environments which center accessibility for all. During the project, we took a twofold approach, in which we ideated initiatives for the physical exhibition space as well as produced a plan for the introduction and expansion of digital exhibitions. Within my role, I produced a research report, conducted a space survey, ideated physical and digital solutions, developed and edited checklists, and summarized our findings within a report. The emphasis on digital exhibitions allowed me to implement my learnings from my Textual Studies and Digital Humanities background.
Digital Strategies for Accessible Collections
Digital Humanities is particularly useful in increasing Accessibility, and many institutions are introducing digital projects and tools as means through which audiences of all backgrounds can engage with cultural artifacts. In regards to digital exhibitions, much of this work relies heavily on digitizing projects, and we looked at OCR and HTA as technologies that could support this work. Alt text is another key component of this initiative, meaning that we need to ensure that there is ample metadata and collection data regarding artifacts in the exhibition. We were additionally hoping to bring interactive elements into the digital platform as well, so that all components of the physical exhibition space are also available in the digital space. Underlying all of this work is an important tenant, taken from the field of Universal Design. Our work within cultural institutions should always aim to encompass as many individuals as possible, continuously striving to design cultural experiences for all visitors rather than retroactively finding solutions.
Congratulations to Ayla on completing her Capstone project, as well as the Textual Studies minor! To find out more about the Minor in Textual Study and Digital Humanities, Capstone requirements, and upcoming TXTDS courses, you can explore our website or email text@uw.edu. You can digital accessibility and inclusive design in our recent blog post, where we spoke to Elliott Stevens about his work on the UW Libraries Storytelling Fellows and his tips for accessible practices in digital scholarship.
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