Accessibility Resources

Group of people using white canes walking through a gallery hallway

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Accessibility Resources

Cooper Hewitt offers in-depth accessible resources, including visual descriptions of objects in exhibitions, ASL translations of audio tours, audio described educational videos, and professional resources relating to accessibility.

Explore Accessibility at Cooper Hewitt to learn more about visiting the museum. For current accessibility tours and programs, visit Accessibility Programs.

Current In-Gallery Resources

Explore in-gallery accessibility resources for exhibitions currently on view at Cooper Hewitt.

Design Across Time

Golden metallic ombre sculpture shaped like antlers fanning upwards and outwards horizontally.
In-Gallery Resources
Resources for the Design Across Time exhibition include a sensory map, large print labels, object descriptions, and audio content by designers and object experts.

Frederic Church in Jamaica

Very detailed painted botanical sketch of three palm trees growing on a steep hillside in Jamaica.
In-Gallery Resources
Resources for the Frederic Church in Jamaica exhibition include a sensory map, large print labels, object descriptions, and audio content by the exhibition curator.

Accessible Learning Resources

Access our Learning Resources with additional accessibility features, such as audio tours with ASL translations, activity videos with audio description, and more.

Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne

Pink wool threaded through a maze of industrial machinery in a spacious factory.
Video with Audio Description
This audio-described film follows Payne as he revisits three industrial factories he has photographed during his decade-long journey to learn more about craft in the United States.

Madeleine Moore-Burrell Documentary: So Good, So Far

Black and white photograph of a Black woman wearing a suit posed while sitting at a table.
Video with Audio Description
In this audio-described film, Madeleine Moore-Burrell talks about how her experiences with dyslexia gave her insight to advise Henry Dreyfuss on the development and readability of symbol designs.

Professional Resources

These resources support all museum professionals in developing more inclusive and accessible content.

Image Description Guidelines

Multiple images spaced out in a grid format on top of a white background.
These guidelines encourage museum staff from all departments to author image descriptions for digital content.

Accessible Virtual Programming Toolkit

White text that reads, “Creating Accessible Virtual Programs” on top of a colorful rainbow blurred background.
This toolkit for museum professionals provides step-by-step guidance on how to develop and deliver virtual programs that are accessible for disabled participants.

Previous Exhibition Resources

Explore in-gallery resources for previous exhibitions no longer on view at Cooper Hewitt.

Made in America

In-Gallery Resources
Resources for the Made in America exhibition include a sensory map, large print labels, object descriptions, and audio content by Christopher Payne.

Art of Noise

In-Gallery Resources
Resources for the Art of Noise exhibition include a sensory map, large print labels, object descriptions, and audio content by Joseph Becker.

Making Home

Making Home Banner
Visual Description Resource Guide
Get screen-reader compatible text, including visual descriptions, directions, and label text for installations in Making Home--The Smithsonian Design Triennial.

Give Me A Sign

A large grid of black, white, and red graphic symbols, such as a moon, fire extinguisher, rabbit, no-smoking, airplane, etc.
Verbal Description Tour
Experience an audio-only version of Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols. Listeners will be able to hear all of the information presented in the exhibition, along with in-depth verbal descriptions of the images and objects on display. Approximately 40 minutes.

The Senses

Bold black text on a grey background that reads, “The Senses: abrasive, buttery, chirping, doughy, effervescent Design, foamy, gurgling, honking, icky, jangling, knobby, lemony, minty, nubby, oily, Beyond pungent, quiet”. The words, “The Senses” are in yellow text. The words, “Design” and “Beyond” are in white text.
Verbal Description Tour
Ellen Lupton, co-curator of the exhibition The Senses: Design Beyond Vision, provides a descriptive audio tour through two dozen projects in the exhibition, with step-by-step guidance for visitors with blindness or low vision. Approximately 30 minutes.