Researchers at the University of Westminster have received the Pioneering UK-US Breakthroughs (PUB) Award from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for their collaborative work on the Workshop for Inclusive Co-created Audio Description (W-ICAD) project. Their innovative work developed with US institutions helps to bridge accessibility gaps and enriches how museum collections are interpreted and shared with everyone.
Westminster researchers received the award for this interdisciplinary project that was developed with academics and cultural heritage practitioners, including stakeholders from the Smithsonian Institution. The project team were presented the award by James Roscoe MVO, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Washington, and UKRI’s International Director, Frances Wood, at a reception at the British Embassy in Washington DC, as part of a two-day event discussing UK-US science, industry and research collaborations.
The internationally recognised W‑ICAD model developed by Westminster academics Professor Alison Eardley, Dr Deborah Husbands and Dr Lindsay Bywood, with Professor Hannah Thompson from Royal Holloway, University of London, is enabling museums and heritage organisations to transform the way in which they create audio guides. W-ICAD recognises that society has traditionally over-estimated what sight allows people to do in a museum and underestimated the experience of people who are blind and partially blind. The model provides a framework for blind, partially blind and sighted people to co-create inclusive audio descriptive guides that enhance the experience for all visitors.
The W-ICAD model enables cultural organisations to create descriptive audio guides that explore senses, ideas and emotions in a way that helps museums and the heritage sector to reach new audiences, meet accessibility goal and become more welcoming public spaces for all.
Westminster team. From left to right: Dr Lindsay Bywood, Professor Alison Eardley and Dr Deborah Husbands
Adopted across 25 museums in the UK, US and Germany, W-ICAD is transforming museum practice by supporting richer, multisensory and more inclusive visitor experiences. This approach widens access to culture, strengthens social inclusion and improves visitor wellbeing.
W-ICAD also laid the foundation for the VocalEyes Describing Heritage project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which is training museum professionals from 60 museums across the UK in visual awareness and co-creation, and will result in 120 new audio descriptions.
This work was funded as a result of the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council and US National Endowment for the Humanities partnership on Digital Humanities: New Directions for Digital Scholarship in Cultural Institutions, and with support from additional funding from the AHRC.
Professor Alison Eardley
About the award Professor Alison Eardley, Lead Researcher on the W-ICAD project and Professor in Museums, Inclusion and Psychology, said: “We were incredibly honoured to receive this award for W-ICAD. Our impact is thanks to the contribution and collaboration of our stakeholders and museum and heritage partners, who have helped us develop a tool that not only changes mindsets, but also supports museums to transform practice in a way that can enhance the museum experience for all visitors.”
This project directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the Workshop for Inclusive Co-created Audio Description.
Learn more about studying on the Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture MA course at the University of Westminster.
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