News
Here you will find announcements of conference talks, project awards, and other exciting news involving PAC.
The exhibit 'Transforming Grief: Loss and Togetherness in Covid-19', designed and produced by PAC and curated by Raven Spiratos, has been honored with an Honorable Mention from the prestigious Built Design Awards. This groundbreaking project, developed in just eight months, serves as a powerful example of inclusive design, amplifying the voices and stories of historically marginalized communities through seamlessly integrated physical and digital spaces.
The design team, including Armando Perla, Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli, and JJ Hunt, brought innovation and creativity to life under a tight timeline, demonstrating that accessibility and inclusion can redefine exhibition experiences. PAC is delighted to celebrate this recognition, which underscores the impact of thoughtful, inclusive storytelling in the arts and cultural sector!
Mosaic’s first convening was a tremendous success, uniting arts and cultural leaders for two days centered on developing and nurturing a community of practice in inclusive design and accessibility. The event highlighted the power of collective learning and collaboration, showcasing diverse organizations sharing insights, strategies, successes, and opportunities from their own projects and workplaces that focus on inclusive accessibility.
Through presentations, workshops, and discussions, participants explored various methodologies and tactics in creating accessible and inclusive experiences, regardless of organizational size or resources. Leaders shared actionable tips and best practices for capacity building, relationship development, and embedding accessibility as a core value and success criteria within projects, workflows, and organizational operations.
The convening's closing reception included the presentation of the Mosaic Impact Award, which honored Chris Xu and the team at Slack for their transformative work in fostering an inclusive workplace culture, and the Mosaic Community Champion Award, presented to Melanie Fales of the Boise Art Museum for her outstanding leadership in advancing accessible design. PAC celebrates the contributions of all participants, whose energy and expertise have set the stage for an even more impactful event at the next Mosaic! Stay tuned for details!
PAC is thrilled to announce the inaugural Mosaic Convening 2024! Focusing on inclusive design and accessibility within cultural and themed entertainment sectors, this gathering is instrumental in fostering and advancing communities of practice around inclusive and universal design. This two-day event, taking place October 8-10, brings together a multidisciplinary group where the common thread throughout all presentations, discussions, and explorations is inclusion and accessibility.
The program will feature recognition sessions showcasing case studies of standout projects from the cultural, themed entertainment, and digital sectors, along with concept-driven dialogue sessions. The sessions, led by speakers from the cultural themed entertainment and technology sectors, will cover a wide array of topics, including capital design-build projects, location-based experience design, digital innovations, capacity building, event production, policy, administration, community engagement, and guest services, among others. Believing that supporting emerging professionals is critical to fostering a sustainable community of practice, Mosaic has been designed from the beginning to support and facilitate the participation of individuals early in their career and new to the disciplines of accessibility and inclusive design. We look forward to gathering together in Boise!
We are thrilled to welcome Naida Karamehic (she/her) as the newest member of the PAC team! Naida joins us as an Executive Personal Assistant to the President. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from California State University, Northridge, and has honed her skills through various administrative and data management roles, including her work as an epidemiologist at the Los Angeles Department of Public Health prior to joining PAC. Naida’s exceptional coordination abilities and keen attention to detail will be instrumental in ensuring the smooth operation of daily activities for the President and the entire PAC team.
PAC’s founder, Sina Bahram, gave a keynote address at The Texas Historical Commission’s historic preservation and heritage tourism conference, titled “Real Places 2024”. The conference featured over 100 speakers on topics including downtown revitalization, historic tax credits, museum and historic site administration, digital outreach strategies, and nonprofit operations. Sina’s presentation provided an introduction to inclusive design, explaining key concepts central to accessibility and inclusion for all experience levels. He shared principles for designing educational offerings, exhibitions, buildings, digital interfaces, and more, highlighting how anyone could contribute to a more accessible world by applying these practices. The talk explored the importance of inclusivity, covering erasure, representation, and working with marginalized groups like the disabled community.
We are thrilled to welcome Kelly Farrell (she/her) as the newest member of the PAC team! Kelly joins PAC as a Project Manager. Kelly has a strong background in libraries and cultural heritage institutions, focusing on managing complex digital projects. She holds a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At PAC, she will collaborate with subject matter experts to help our clients design, develop, and assess accessible digital experiences. Being an accessibility subject matter expert herself, Kelly will also use her skills and knowledge to help PAC's clients design and build more inclusive experiences.
We're excited to welcome Robin Marquis in their new role as Senior Inclusion Strategist. This new role represents the increased leadership and responsibility that Robin exercises with care, dedication, and brilliance. In this new position, Robin will be instrumental in the content/curatorial and operational considerations of the Museum of the Blind People's Movement that PAC is delivering for the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). They will also continue to lead PAC's audio and visual description practice, manage various grant-funded projects, and remind us to celebrate the joy in our work each day.
We are delighted to welcome Sara Mikail (she/her) as the newest member of the PAC team! Sara joins PAC as a Senior Project Manager. Sara brings over a decade of experience with museums and cultural organizations, including a master’s from the University of Leicester’s Museum Studies Program. As a Project Manager, she has led projects ranging from small exhibit updates to overseeing the development of the Royal Alberta Museum, western Canada's largest. At PAC, she will play a crucial role in advancing projects and coordinating team efforts.
On August 26, 2023, SEGD (The Society for Experiential Graphic Design) held its 50th Anniversary "Look Both Ways" Celebration and Conference in Washington, D.C, at which it announced PAC as the winner of its 2023 Innovation Award.
Founded in 1978, SEGD began its granting awards in 1987 as a way of "[recognizing] outstanding individuals, pioneering companies, and influential institutions..." for their "...profound contributions to the fields of experiential and environmental graphic design." Each year, in addition to its Global Design Awards, SEGD also selects winners for six different categories of Achievement Awards, designed to "honor the people and companies who set the standard for excellence" and "...leaders, mentors, catalysts for innovation and ingenuity...", "whose vision raises the bar..." and those "who have had a remarkable impact..." in the aforementioned design fields, aell as on "...our broader community." The other Achievement Awards categories include Distinguished Member, Insight, Educator, Chapter Chair, and Fellow.
With this award, SEGD has recognized and lauded PAC for its industry-leading work, wherein PAC's team has demonstrated "innovative expertise and processes that have expanded the potential impact and engagement..." of experiential design.
PAC's leadership team and employees were incredibly proud and honored to receive SEGD's award for their industry-leading work, and express their deepest gratitude and appreciation.
In a recent article in Wired, accessibility expert Sina Bahram highlighted the transformative potential of AI, such as Chat GPT and related technologies, in enhancing how blind individuals experience the world. Bahram emphasized that this technology "democratizes access to information" by making visual content more accessible than ever before, especially with the dramatic improvements compared to older technologies. His comments highlight the challenges and risks associated with AI technologies, particularly their potential to misidentify personal attributes like age, race, and gender due to biased training data, while also underscoring the growing optimism around AI's role in creating a more inclusive society for those who are blind and have low vision.
On May 30, 2023, PAC Founder Sina Bahram joined hosts David Spira and Peih Gee Law of REPOD (Reality Escape Pod) for Episode 7 of Season 5 of their podcast, "The Widest Audience Possible: Sina Bahram, Inclusive Design Consultant."
The episode forms a fascinating discussion about immersive gaming, Sina's background and what lead him to working user experience and design, inclusive design and its profoundly beneficial (and often surprising) outcomes, escape rooms and puzzles, why and how multi-sensory user experiences are not automatically inclusive, how incorporating accessibility and inclusiveness into design - especially within immersive gaming experiences like escape rooms - is a fun, creative challenge for designers that can be hugely rewarding professionally and financially, and much more.
David Spira, co-host of REPOD, is an expert in the immersive and escape gaming genres. He is co-founder of several organizations including RECON (Reality Escape Convention), which he describes as "an escape room and immersive gaming convention for industry professionals and players," and is President and Co-Founder of Room Escape Artist (www.roomescapeartist.com). Co-host Peih Gee Law is also certainly an expert in immersive gaming, having gained notoriety as a fan-favorite contestant on both "Survivor: China" and "Survivor: Cambodia." According to her Instagram bio, Peih Gee "...was on Survivor and now [podcasts] about Escape Rooms & Immersive Gaming." She is also an artist who in creates jewelry as well as watercolor and ink mixed-media paintings.
Sina brought his unique lived experiences, expertise, and perspectives to the episode. Together, he, David,and Peih Gee highlighted the importance of inclusion and accessibility to user experiences, as well as the innovations happening in inclusive gaming and design, drawing attention to the exciting opportunities for creativity and change in these arenas.
During the 2023 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo Program conference, PAC’s principals, Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, alongside Jane Alexander, Chief Digital Information Officer and Anna Faxon, Senior Technical Project Manager from The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) presented “Breaking New Ground in Mixed Reality”. This presentation touched on every aspect of the production process of CMA’s highly rated mixed reality exhibition ‘Revealing Krishna’, with a focus on how to make augmented reality accessible. The team presented their insights, outcomes, and lessons learned for creating inclusive mixed-reality experiences. The presentation highlighted CMA's collaboration with PAC and focused on how museums can incorporate inclusive design and accessibility at every stage to create experiences that are welcoming to the widest possible audience.
PAC was delighted to work with various excellent curators, artists, and Toronto community members to produce the exhibit "Dazhiikigaadeg Maanendamowin: Wanichigewin gaye Wiijiiwidiwin gii-ayaag COVID-19 / Transforming Grief: Loss & Togetherness in COVID-19" at Fort York in Toronto. Curated by Raven Spiratos, this exhibit deeply examined the emotional toll of the pandemic through a lens of community, inclusivity, and healing.
Featuring contributions from Indigenous, LGBTTQI+, and neurodiverse voices, it highlights the importance of decolonization and accessibility in understanding the collective experiences of grief and loss. The exhibit provides a space for visitors to reflect on the pandemic's impact while fostering a sense of togetherness and resilience.
The exhibit was designed and produced by PAC, enhancing its inclusive design. Robin Marquis, PAC’s Senior Inclusion Strategist, commended the project as "the most powerful, community-driven, inclusively designed project" they have participated in, emphasizing its commitment to inclusivity and facilitating healing for QTBIPOC and disabled communities.
PAC is happy to welcome Luke Leiby (he/him) as the newest member of the PAC team! Luke is joining PAC as a Junior Software Developer. As a blind computer scientist skilled in systems and web development, he is committed to creating technical solutions that improve accessibility and inclusion. Luke will also use his technical skills to help automate various workflows across PAC.
We are excited to welcome Sam Shaw (he/him) as the newest member of the PAC team! Sam joins PAC as the Director of Operations. Sam has been in Web Development for several years, with a foundation in Project Management and Computer Science. His journey with access technologies began in 2012 at Perkins School for the Blind, where he led the Student Technology Center. Sam will be applying his incredible coordination and logistics talents to keep PAC's operations smooth and efficient.
PAC is thrilled to welcome Robin Marquis (they/them) as the newest addition to the PAC team! Robin joins PAC as a Cultural Access and Inclusion Specialist. They are a disabled artist and educator with over a decade of experience. Robin has led multiple diversity and inclusion-focused community initiatives, co-directed Baltimore's Peale museum, and coordinated outreach for Access Smithsonian. Robin champions the inclusion of disabled artists and organizers to enrich cultural organizations with joy, creativity, and empathy.
PAC is happy to welcome Maria Braswell (she/her) as the newest member of the team! Maria joins PAC as an Inclusive Design Specialist. Maria is a multifaceted professional with expertise in experience design, graphic design, content development, and art history. She holds an MFA in Exhibition Planning & Design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she concentrated on inclusive design and centering disabled perspectives in her design practice. At PAC, she will use her expertise to design experiences that enhance a sense of belonging and boost engagement for all visitors.
We are delighted to welcome Rob Itri Vincent (he/him) as the newest member of the PAC team! Rob joins PAC as the Director of Design. Rob is an accomplished creative director with over 20 years of experience leading teams in design, development, and media production. He has managed projects in exhibit and graphic design, user interface creation, and audio/video production. At PAC, he will be working to ensure adherence to best practices, brand alignment, and global accessibility standards while working with PAC's various clients to design and build truly inclusive experiences.
On July 1, 2022, Raleigh journalist David Menconi featured PAC Founder, Sina Bahram in his article, "Wake County Accessibility Leaders: Sina Bahram". Menconi, a journalist with over 34 years of experience and the 2019 Piedmont Laureate, is well-known for his insightful coverage of arts and culture in the Raleigh area. His series, "Disability, the Arts and Raleigh: Inclusive by Design", highlights local leaders who are making significant contributions to accessibility and inclusivity. In his article, Menconi praised Sina for his innovative efforts to reshape how communities, organizations, and individuals approach disabilities and accessibility, both locally and globally. He detailed Sina's work in various sectors and included a testimonial from a Boise Art Museum employee, who praised the transformative impact of PAC's initiatives, such as creating tactile reproductions, braille, and digital captions for museum exhibits.
PAC is delighted to welcome Rehab Ahmed (she/her) as the newest member of the PAC team! Rehab has joined PAC as an Accessibility Engineer working on digital accessibility projects. Rehab is a talented computer engineer specializing in accessibility with a deep commitment to making the web universally accessible and positively impacting lives by promoting independence through accessibility and inclusive design. With more than five years in the field, she has acquired thorough expertise in accessibility guidelines and practical experience across major platforms. Rehab will be using her impressive skills to help PAC's clients enhance the accessibility of their various digital offerings.
We are thrilled to welcome Alexandra Terec (she/her) as the newest member of the PAC team! Alexandra joins PAC as our Digital Accessibility Coordinator. With her years of expertise in applying access technologies to assess digital products, she will be leading the ongoing refinement of best practices, internal accessibility standards, and educational resources at PAC while also supporting various web accessibility efforts.
On January 28, 2022, Sina Bahram, PAC Founder and space exploration enthusiast, joined two other Mission: AstroAccess flight crew members, Apurvia Vari and Dana Bolles, in a group panel discussion in which the three shared their flight experiences, the outcomes of their in-flight experiments, and how the flight impacted them personally and professionally. The panelists talked about how this mission brought attention to some of the most fundamental problems that disabled persons can experience - things like wayfinding, and how one does exactly that, especially in challenging, dynamic environments, and especially without sight -- and how finding solutions to these accessibility problems will benefit everyone, not just disabled people. All of the panelists agreed that the support from the crew and flight staff who made their journey possible was unparalleled, and all agreed that, despite the short duration of the experience - about 96 hours, "an extended weekend" as Sina described it -- that they all left feeling like a family united by its goals, dreams, and passions for space and all things space exploration. For those studying accessibility, space exploration, accessibility, and design, these amazing journeys are indeed just the beginning, and Sina will hopefully get to experience his first suborbital - and, who knows, maybe even orbital -- flights soon. He will have many fascinating things to say about those experiences as well, and will bring back crucial lessons that will help advance not only science, but also society, one parabola and flight at at time.
A few months after participating in Mission: AstroAccess's October 2021 flight, PAC's Founder Sina Bahram spoke with Toby Davey of RNIB Connect in Season 1, Episode 1061. Sina shared his spaceflight experiences, his childhood dreams of space exploration, and his perspective as a blind person in microgravity. He detailed the scientific experiments conducted, which tackled challenges in wayfinding and communication in noisy or sightless environments—problems that, while seemingly simple, present significant hurdles in extreme conditions such as space. These experiments provide crucial insights to enhance safety for future disabled and non-disabled astronauts.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram received the inaugural Catalyst Award from the Themed Entertainment Association as a part of TEA's 28th annual slate of Thea Awards recipients. A new award for TEA, the Catalyst Award recognized individual contributions to the advancement of the industry. The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is the international non-profit association representing the world’s leading creators, developers, designers and producers of compelling places and experiences - worldwide. Sina and Corey Timpson, longtime friend and collaborator, are looking forward to attending the annual TEA gala in Anaheim in April 2022.
PAC's founder Sina Bahram was featured on the November edition of the BBC Sounds - Ouch! podcast to discuss his experience as one of twelve AstroAccess Ambassadors, and the experiments they performed during their parabolic flight. "We were really focused on accessible space flight solutions of course to help us as the disabled community, but also because we think that it can benefit the entire aerospace community as a whole" Sina said. "This is something that we take really seriously, because it’s not just a matter of inclusivity but also safety. If there is a safety issue, the lights go out, equipment malfunctions, or something of that nature - the considerations and affordances that have been implemented for enhanced accessibility are now critical for anyone that may not have the use of vision, hearing, and related senses and abilities." There is also an accompanying BBC article that discusses Sina Bahram and Mary Cooper's experience as AstroAccess ambassadors 'It was magical' - meet the first disabled crew to fly in zero-gravity
PAC's founder Sina Bahram, served as one of twelve AstroAcess Ambassadors, a pioneering group of disabled researchers, scientists, and designers. The team successfully completed their first mission: a parabolic flight to test various accessibility and inclusive design considerations in several gravity environments - lunar gravity, Martian gravity, and microgravity. Sina worked with several other blind and low-vision ambassadors to specifically explore barriers and conditions related to orientation, navigation and wayfinding in these gravities without the use of sight. This critical mission yielded valuable insight for future explorations. “I knew it would be a joyous experience just because I looked forward to it for many decades of my life" Sina said. A lifelong space enthusiast, Sina was excited to contribute to such an important project with such esteemed peers.
PAC’s founder, Sina Bahram, will serve as a crew member for the inaugural mission of AstroAccess, made possible by an incredible team of collaborators. Sina, and his fellow Astro Ambassadors will experience weightlessness and carry out lunar gravity, Martian gravity, and zero gravity observations and experiments investigating how the physical environment aboard space vessels should be modified so that all astronauts and explorers, regardless of disability on Earth, can live, work, and thrive in space. This historic mission is a critical first step in ensuring inclusion in the future of space travel and exploration for current and future generations.
About AstroAccess
AstroAccess is dedicated to advancing disability inclusion in space exploration for the benefit of humankind. The first mission will fly on 17 October 2021 with the ultimate goal of flying one or more team members to space in the coming years. The project is supported through the Whitesides Foundation and is part of the SciAccess Initiative, an international organization dedicated to advancing disability inclusion in STEM. The fiscal sponsor of the project is Yuri’s Night, a non-profit space advocacy organization.
Several years in the making, the Obama Presidential Center officially broke ground to begin an estimated four-year building phase. PAC’s founder Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, have worked with the Center’s team since initial concepting stages ensuring considerations of inclusion throughout the design of the physical spaces, exhibitions, and range of offerings the center will provide. Sina and Corey will continue to work with the dedicated Center team to ensure that ongoing project development furthers inclusion. The Center demonstrates the importance of integrating conversations around inclusion and accessibility from the onset of a large-scale design project, leading to a more seamless and improved experience for all audiences.
PAC's Founder, Sina Bahram, and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, presented their Introduction to the Practice of Inclusion workshop to a group of arts and cultural workers in Raleigh, NC and nationwide. The discussion covered the fundamentals of inclusive design and accessibility, focusing specifically on low/no-cost ways of thinking about access and inclusion throughout the lifecycle of a project. Further, Corey and Sina shared their overall inclusive design methodology, and presented the results of a collaboration with the amazing folks at the Boise Art Museum on embedding inclusive design in the Many Wests Exhibition, as a case study to illustrate the impact that thoughtful design, even with minimal cost implications, can have on better serving the widest possible audience.
PAC’s founder, Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, served as project advisors for Cooper Hewitt’s Interaction Lab project: Activating Smithsonian Open Access, a prototype incubator that awarded seven prototypes to increase engagement with 2D and 3D digitized collection objects available through Smithsonian’s Open Access initiative. Sina and Corey provided RFP language to ensure inclusive design and accessibility considerations, served as reviewers to ensure inclusion be a criteria for advancing projects to the final round and provided coaching for project teams to ensure the prototypes incorporated inclusive design considerations throughout development.
PAC’s Founder, Sina Bahram and long-time friend and collaborator Corey Timpson, are excited to expand on the past year of robust work with partners at the Baltimore Museum of Art made possible by a Museums Empowered IMLS grant. Sina and Corey will continue their workshop series of “The Practice of Inclusion” with the staff covering implementation of inclusive design in public programs, digital and web products, exhibition development, visitor services and other areas across the museum enterprise. Sina and Corey commend Gamynne Guillotte, BMA’s Chief Education Officer for her commitment to inclusive design and applaud the entire BMA team for championing inclusion and their energy around the work.
The Boise Art Museum opens its exhibition Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea after thoughtful and deliberate integration of inclusive design in the exhibition development process. PAC's founder Sina Bahram, and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, worked closely with the incredible Boise Art Museum team, who deeply embraced inclusive design and established firm commitments to accessibility throughout the planning, development, and production of the exhibition. The exhibition opened with a series of thoughtfully created affordances, including Tactile Representation Models and an Audio Guide that includes visual descriptions and label text including artist comments being read aloud. This exhibition marks an important milestone in the Boise Art Museum's inclusive design practice, work that is ongoing and continuing to expand in future offerings.
PAC’s founder, Sina Bahram, sat down with Perry LaRoque for an episode of his podcast “Taking Flight”. Sina demonstrated a screen reader speaking at 950 words per minute, and spoke on some of his personal experiences navigating barriers and what led him to his career in inclusive design. Sina also spoke on how accessibility and disability are incorporated into broader diversity and inclusion efforts, and the importance and business case for incorporating inclusion, accessibility, usability, and analysis in project and product design and development.
During the 2021 Conference, PAC's founder, Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator led a session titled “Inclusive Design: Informing Museum Practice” on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, from 11:00 am – 2:30 pm. Sina and Corey shared their Ecosystem of Inclusive Design methodology and had an unscripted dialogue of continuous questions and answers with participants that covered inclusive design and accessibility across all aspects of museum practice.
PAC was delighted to work with the excellent folks at Fight for the Future to assist in the launch of "Who Can Get Your Book", a newly created platform that identifies the availability of publications produced in paper, E-book, and audio formats. The site discusses why these formats are important from a broad accessibility standpoint including increasing access to individuals with disabilities, those with low income, illiteracy, and addressing authoritarian surveillance barriers. The platform provides a quiz for writers and publishers that indicates a score of access and availability based on decisions in the publishing process in an effort to expand the adoption of more accessible formats across the publishing industry. The site also provides explanations for various publication formats to educate on how they serve to increase access to a range of individuals. PAC provided accessibility consulting on the development of the project and worked with the incredible team at Fight the Future to ensure this outstanding new resource was born accessible.
In this article for the American Alliance of Museums, PAC's founder, Sina Bahram demonstrates the primary ways inclusive design and accessibility can be integrated into the procurement process. Sina outlines clear recommendations at every stage of procurement, from drafting an RFP, evaluating proposals, through contracting. Additionally, he describes essential things to keep in mind when considering collaboration with an external accessibility partner.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, was honored to speak at the United Nation's 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly. Sina spoke on his career experiences, ranging from researching as a computer scientist specializing in human-computer interaction (HCI) to becoming a Champion of Change. He expressed the importance that all of us adopt an inclusive design mindset and methodology to create a more equitable and accessible experience for individuals who have low or no vision. Sina gives his sincere gratitude to Princess Nisreen El-Hashemite for the invitation to join the day’s event and applauds his fellow speakers, all of whom shared incredible stories from their own paths in overcoming access barriers and recommendations for young people interested in pursuing careers in STEM.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, was delighted to author a post for the American Alliance of Museums online journal focusing on ten key practices for improving the accessibility of museum websites. Sina's article provides clear considerations for content creation, technical requirements, and gives recommendations on easy-to-use tools that any museum staff member can utilize to gain insight on the performance of their website as it pertains to accessibility.
During the 2020 Conference, PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, presented "Touch and Multi-sensory Experiences: Developing Safe and Inclusive Practices During Covid-19", examining the details related to ensuring rich inclusion and access for onsite and remote audiences under the unique conditions created by the pandemic. The session discussed intention, design, execution, management, and maintenance across the museum enterprise, focusing on strategic objectives and practical tactics for sustainable solutions.
PAC authored and recorded visual descriptions for a series of videos featured in Lincoln Center's ADA30 program. Authored and recorded by seasoned describer J.J. Hunt, the videos highlight a range of disabled artists and were presented with an embedded track of audio description.
As part of Lincoln Center Activate, PAC's founder Sina Bahram presented a session titled "Digital Inclusion". Sina shared his insight on creating inclusive practices in the digital realm. The conversation addressed key considerations for ensuring inclusion with implications from COVID-19, the accessibility of remote offerings, and the role of technology in furthering inclusion.
GSM Project hosted a webinar to discuss what accessibility will look like for museums, both during and after COVID-19. As part of the series Cocktails with Creatives PAC's founder Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, dear friend and collaborator spoke on what institutions can do to enhance inclusion while responding to the evolving needs of the pandemic. Sina and Corey also spoke on adopting new techniques for reducing barriers to access in exhibitions and increasing inclusion in the presentation of content across platforms.
During a 90-minute session with frog for San Francisco Design Week 2020, PAC's founder Sina Bahram and, Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, provided an overview of their inclusive design methodology and discussed key considerations of an inclusive approach. Sina and Corey illustrated principles through use cases and examples of past work then reviewed previous work from frog and examined opportunities to further inclusion in future projects.
We are delighted to welcome Isabel Del Castillo Solis (she/her) as the newest member of the PAC team! Isa joins us as the Access Technology Specialist. She is going to be working on the ARIA-AT project. Beyond her professional endeavors, Isa holds a Law degree and is currently finishing a Masters degree in Education. She brings lived experience in teaching and a passion and expertise for baking.
PAC's founder Sina Bahram was excited to speak with Pattie Reaves, Principal User Experience Developer at Alley for a webinar on the hows and whys of creating accessible websites and digital interactions. During the session, Sina and Patti discussed fundamentals and demonstrated what it’s like to navigate the web through speech.
During the 2020 virtual conference, PAC's founder Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson held an hour-long unscripted session "The Inclusive Design and Accessibility Answer Hour" with discussion on topics raised by attendees. The conversation covered a range of themes addressing inclusive design and accessibility across the museum ecosystem.
PAC's founder Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, joined colleagues organizing the initial launch of Smithsonian's Open Access initiative to promote accessibility and inclusivity-related metadata in their efforts. Corey and Sina facilitated a pan-institutional conversation across Smithsonian around accessibility, inclusivity, and data sovereignty.
PAC's founder Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator, were delighted to engage staff at the Corning Museum of Glass in their "Practice of Inclusion" workshop series. The training provided an introduction to inclusive design, accessibility, and strategies for application across the institution. Over 200 staff members from across the museum joined Corey and Sina for a series of lectures to build institutional awareness around inclusive practices, discussed strategic planning on inclusion, and developed a roadmap to chart milestones for future implementation. Corey and Sina were delighted to participate in several onsite demonstrations, particularly when given the opportunity to make their own glass.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator facilitated an Interaction Lab workshop at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum joined by designers, museum professionals, and disabled performers to explore gallery spaces through a range of modalities. The workshop challenged assumptions around how visitors inhabit exhibition environments and navigate museum spaces through movement exercises, description activities, and discussion.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram presented on enhancing inclusion while maintaining preservation goals. The conference, hosted at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, explored the critical tension within cultural institutions between ensuring the preservation of objects while making them available to the public. Sina's session discussed the role of inclusive design in broader conversations of maintaining the care of objects and access.
In an article for Slate, April Glaser discusses the experience of blind users when navigating Facebook, and the accessibility bugs on the platform. PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, was quoted on the topic of systemic accessibility across large tech companies such as Google and Microsoft, among others.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram will present the closing keynote "Thinking About All Users" on Sunday, November 17 at 3:30pm in the Legends' Ballroom at the Hard Rock Hotel.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator of PAC presented at the 2019 MCN Conference for a session titled "Multi-Sensory Design Towards Inclusion and Access". Many multi-sensory exhibitions aim to create immersive experiences, yet remain inaccessible for a variety of visitors. This session will examine multi-sensory exhibition design and how engaging various senses can provide not only a rich and immersive experience, but can facilitate greater accessibility, widening audiences, increasing demographics, and facilitate inclusion. Examples from different museums will be examined for not only what they achieved, but the potential they hold (or held) for increasing inclusion and access. The presentation deck from their discussion is linked above.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram met with faculty and senior administrators at Manhattan College to discuss increasing inclusion for students with disabilities as well as making the campus more welcoming to everyone. Sina spoke to the university's leadership team, discussed digital accessibility for the website, and met with a range of faculty, staff from the Accessibility Committee, and various teams across campus to discuss strategies and tactics for enhancing inclusion for various aspects of university life from digital experiences to accessible teaching techniques and accommodations for students with disabilities.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram keynoted the symposium with Barak adé Soleil and led a breakout session on accessible websites. Sina also met with colleagues at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC discussing a range of first steps to improve inclusive design at the museum.
In an article for Ars Technica, Kate Cox discusses Domino's v Robles, the recent case brought to the Supreme Court over web accessibility and the ADA. PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, spoke on the potential impact of the case, and the difference between accessibility and inclusive design.
Sina Bahram, PAC's founder, is honored to serve as an amicus curiae on the case Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, which is being heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. The case centers on the state of Georgia's claim of copyright over the official state code (OCGA), which includes all laws enacted by the state legislature. The claim made against Public.Resources.Org argues that this important information should not be made freely available, which is antithetical to the spirit of inclusion and access that PAC supports. The brief filed collectively by the amici curiae conveys the essential right of access for individuals with print disabilities under the ADA and articulates the violation to those rights the case presents.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, gave the keynote address at the Western Museums Association Annual Meeting which focused on the ways in which museums engage with their communities, staff, and other museums. Sina's talk addressed embedding accessibility and inclusion into all aspects of museological practice from design through implementation and operational considerations.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram spoke on the panel "Building the Equitable Web" with Pattie Reeves from Alley and Alejandro de Onis from the Knight Foundation. The session covered key issues in web accessibility and how developers can implement inclusive design practices in their work. With many foundations and granting organizations in attendance, the panel also discussed the role of grantors in championing accessibility for the projects and grantees they support. By encouraging inclusive design considerations in funded projects, granting organizations can amplify the work and influence the sector at large.
PAC was delighted to collaborate with the team at the Peabody Essex Museum to develop a guided tactile reproduction of Morning Mist, an abstract painting featured in the Hans Hofmann: The Nature of Abstraction exhibition. PAC in collaboration with J.J. Hunt, long-time friend, and seasoned describer, authored and recorded the guided visual description of the painting, in addition to working with the museum team on the design and development of the physical installation. The tactile reproduction was the first in the museum's history, marking an important milestone in the museum's commitment to inclusive design and accessibility.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, will give the Keynote at WMA's annual meeting. This year, WMA will focus on "the ways museums engage with their communities, staff, and other museums."
Sina's keynote will be on Saturday, October 5, at 9am in the Boise Centre room 100DE.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, spoke with Doug Schumacher on speed listening and text to speech engines. Sina shared his personal experience using VoiceOver and other screen reader technologies and the process of training to comprehend increased speed. Sina also talked about inclusive design considerations of voice assistants, limitations with existing interfaces and the future of using audio to consume content.
Group of contributors to the P5JS ecosystem gathered at the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University to work through four primary tracks. The inclusion track was led by Research Fellow at the NYU Ability Project, Claire Kearney-Volpe. PAC's founder, Sina Bahram worked with P5JS inventor Lauren McCarthy and other fantastic collaborators interested in inclusion to improve the user experience when creating or enjoying the artistic output of creators. During the conference, collaborators did an informal review of the P5JS website focusing on accessibility, internationalization, and inclusive language for non-native English speakers. Collaborators also worked to make animations more accessible out of the box, as well as enhance P5JS's existing impressive graphics exploration affordances for people with low or no vision.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram presented at the 19th annual Kennedy Center LEAD Conference, the largest annual gathering of accessibility professionals and cultural workers organized by the Kennedy Center. Sina co-facilitated a capacity-building pre-conference workshop on making the visitor experience more inclusive and conducted office hours to advise attendees on digital accessibility questions and projects.
Vox Media wrote an "Update on accessibility improvements we’re making to Chorus" and discussed their partnership with Prime Access Consulting. PAC worked with the awesome team at Vox to identify opportunities for enhanced accessibility across design and implementation.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram gave the keynote address at the 2019 Tessitura Learning and Community Conference titled "Welcoming the Widest Possible Audience". The talk focused on creating equitable experiences through principles of universal and inclusive design.
The EPIQ conference is an international professional development workshop for educators to learn the foundational skills necessary to teach students computer science using the Quorum programming language. PAC's founder, Sina Bahram serves on the steering committee as well as the board of the Quorum Outreach and Research Foundation (QORF). You can learn more about PAC's work with EPIQ and the Quorum programming language on the project page.
In a recent episode of On View, PAC's founder, Sina Bahram spoke with Chris Barr on what it means to make museums welcoming to broader and more diverse communities. Sina talked about the difference between accessibility and inclusive design and the role of technology as an equalizer.
PAC's founder Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson, long-time friend and collaborator were present for AAM's Annual Meeting.
Corey presented Inclusion: Rich Experience Design for All Multisensory design sets us on a path toward rich storytelling and inclusive experiences, but breaking trail can be difficult. Examine two museums’ approaches—such as tactile imaging, audio tours, and first-person testimonies—to make photography exhibitions accessible and experiential for everyone. Learn how user feedback has informed innovation and how one design intent can be applied to different contexts, producing varying results.
PAC's founder, Sina Bahram spoke with Bluecadet web developer Shaun Baer and Communications Director of Harvard College Admissions & Financial Aid Victoria Marzilli, on the importance of integrating web accessibility and inclusive design into marketing strategies. They discussed lessons learned from the development of Harvard's admissions website.
As part of a cross-institutional effort, PAC's founder, Sina Bahram led a Lunch & Learn for Smithsonian employees on the use of image descriptions to improve digital accessibility. The session took place alongside the creation of Guidelines for Image Description, published for public use.
Claire Voon published an editorial titled "This Open Source Software Could Make Museum Websites More Accessible," which discusses the work that PAC did with MCA Chicago to create the Coyote Project.
A workshop hosted at MIT's Center for Research on Equitable and Open Scholarship. Field experts focused on the role of library information systems and information architecture in supporting diverse communities to discover, access, create, and learn from library collections. PAC's founder, Sina Bahram participated in the discussion. The session will result in a public white paper.
During the 2019 Conference, PAC's founder, Sina Bahram led several sessions including:
We are delighted to welcome James Scholes (he/him) as the newest member of the PAC team! James has joined PAC as the Director of Digital Accessibility. Blind since birth, he has a profound interest in developing experiences that reflect a deep comprehension of how diverse audiences interact with digital products. James has been working in accessibility since 2012, and will be using his experience to solve unique user interface challenges with PAC's clients.
Join PAC's founder, Sina Bahram, as he presents with Pamela Horn on the award-winning Cooper Hewitt Accessible Labels App. This year, MCN sought proposals that "investigate how museums can use technology to foster human connection and dialogue, advance accessibility and inclusion, and champion inquiry and knowledge."
Sina and Pam will be speaking on Friday, November 15, at 1:30 pm in the Hopscotch room of the Curtis Hotel, which is on the 3rd floor.