Winning Accessibility Designs Competition

MuseGO has been selected as one of the nine winning teams of the national 2019 Innovative Designs for Accessibility (IDeA) competition for the work in breaking down accessibility barriers in communities.

“Congratulations to the winning students and teams of the 2019 IDeA competition, who are finding new and innovative ways to make their communities more accessible and inclusive for Canadians with disabilities. Addressing physical, systemic and attitudinal barriers in society is vital as we move toward a truly accessible Canada, and this year’s IDeA participants are helping achieve that goal. Our government is proud to support Universities Canada in this important initiative to foster a culture of accessibility and inclusion in Canada.” – The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility

IDeA is a national competition that challenges university students to develop innovative, practical and cost-effective solutions to address accessibility issues affecting people with disabilities. By collaborating with industry, government and community partners, students take an inclusive design approach to create concepts, tools, programs and initiatives that help overcome physical, technological, systemic and attitudinal barriers. Through IDeA, students gain valuable hands-on learning experience while contributing to the creation of an accessibility culture in Canada.

For this project, I worked with Keren He and Yifan Zhang who are Master of Engineering in Electrical & Computer Engineering students.

Children with ASD can experience sensory defensive challenges, meaning they have a low threshold for response to stimuli and tend to avoid certain kinds of sensory input. However, some children with ASD experience the opposite, referred to as sensory seeking challenges, meaning that they have a high threshold for response to stimuli and tend to seek out extra sensory input.

The concept of the app was inspired by a guest speaker in my Museum Studies course. The speaker discussed their institution’s sensory-friendly programming, so I decided to explore the potential of using a personal mobile device as a tool to break barriers for children diagnosed with ASD in accessing cultural institutions as well as other community spaces such as universities, hospitals, libraries, museums, and shopping malls.

The app, named MuseGO, maps out the indoor environment according to sensory criteria, such as noise level, lighting and temperature. The virtual map then informs an augmented reality interface that places icons on the screen describing sensory experiences visitors can expect to find in each area.

This additional information helps visitors decide whether to avoid or visit certain areas. By making sensory information visible, the app improves overall guest experience, minimizing stress, exhaustion and confusion.

“The winners of the 2019 IDeA competition have shown what amazing progress can be made when we work collaboratively and creatively to tackle complex social issues. These students are helping foster inclusive university campuses where all students, faculty and staff are supported to achieve their full potential, ultimately resulting in a more innovative, prosperous and inclusive Canada. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners.” – Paul Davidson, president, Universities Canada

Link to project github: https://github.com/mie324/MuseGo.git

Administered by Universities Canada, IDeA is part of a larger effort to advance equity, diversity and inclusion on university campuses and across Canada. The competition is funded by the Government of Canada’s  Social Development Partnership Program.