Beyond “do not touch”: the experience of a three-dimensional printed artifacts museum as an alternative to traditional museums for visitors who are blind and partially sighted

Three-dimensional printing, or 3D printing, has been used toward the educational, cultural, and social participation of individuals who are blind and partially sighted (BPS) by providing sensory access by touch. This study describes an example of the use of 3D printing technology to make museums accessible to visitors who are BPS by creating a three-dimensional printed artifacts museum (3D-PAM) that exhibits 3D printed replicas of artifacts from famous museums around the world. Specifically, the aim of the study is to identify the definitions of museums and the general experiences of museum visits by people who are BPS, to have them visit a 3D-PAM, and to unravel their reactions to this experience and their future suggestions for 3D-PAM. Eleven individuals participated in this basic qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to uncover their understanding of the experience. Results show that people who are BPS have a negative perception of museums because they are often inaccessible to this group and that the 3D-PAM in our study offered a pleasant experience that contributed to accessibility. These results suggest further that 3D-PAMs, either as an alternative and separate museum type or integrated into existing museums, are highly important for people who are BPS.