Technology Use and Familiarity as an Indicator of Its Adoption in Museum by People with Intellectual Disabilities

This paper describes the process of co-designing technological products to increase museum accessibility and engagement in visitors with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities (IDs). We followed an Inclusive Research approach, and formed a multidisciplinary team of experts,with researchers in User Experience (UX), psychology, and education working with museum curators and a group of participants with IDs (n=9). Participants with IDs were involved in two rounds of interviews. The first-round aimed to explore participants’ use and familiarity with technologies and to understand their interest toward the use of technological tools in different contexts. The second-round was geared at exploring participants' spontaneous choice between different tools classified as low-tech (easy-to-read and Augmentative and Alternative Communication) or high-tech (Augmented Reality) as aids for acquiring new knowledge within a museum space. The analysis of data gathered in the two rounds revealed a link between previous technology use/experience/interest and the choice of ICT-based products by participants with IDs. These results highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary dialogue and the active participation of IDs users to outline methodologies, programs, procedures, and international standards to foster inclusive access to cultural heritage.