Engaging Visually Impaired People in Science Museums Through an Immersive Workshop: Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities

As a crucial place for informal learning, science museums feature multimedia exhibitions and themed workshops. However, their accessibility for visually impaired visitors remains underexplored. This study leverages workshops in science museums as a platform to enhance accessibility. We iteratively designed an accessible workshop titled “Learning by Touch–Life in Space” in collaboration with diverse stakeholders. Once launched as a recurring museum program, 28 visually impaired participants attended over the course of a year and provided feedback on its accessibility. Additional insights were gathered through focus group interviews with six workshop staff and seven participants, focusing on current practices, accessibility challenges, and technological possibilities for workshops and exhibitions. Our findings contribute: (1) a participatory and adaptive framework for accessible science workshop design; (2) practical accessibility guidelines for museum staff on training, co-development, and content planning; and (3) actions for applying emerging technologies to support flexible, social, and enjoyable science experiences for visually impaired visitors.