Customer Experience

New Mexico wildlife visitor center features enhanced accessibility

Image courtesy of Ideum.

February 22, 2022

The Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge's new visitor center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, features numerous accessibility features provided by Ideum, an interactive design firm that focuses on installations for public spaces, according to a press release.

Using input from the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, design considerations included a singular voice in audio recordings, no ambient sound in recordings, and includes Braille for those visitors who use it.

Devices providing audio recordings are available for visitors to pick up at the front desk and are small enough to hold in the hand or be carried around in a pocket. Different sections of the center have associated numbers that can be entered into the audio devices to allow the user to hear the audio for that area.

All digital interactives with screens have their own accessibility layer within the application. Visitors can access this feature by touching three fingers on any open portion of the screen. The application then reads out instructions to help visitors navigate through the rest of the interactive.

The Life Zones exhibit offers an in-depth look at ecosystems in the Albuquerque area. Visitors can interact with images and text, and also view detailed sculptures showing the ecosystems.

Visitors can also use flip panels that ask questions, with clues below the panel, some of which flip up to reveal small diorama scenes presenting the world of small creatures. Some feature touchable relief sculptures.