Risk Free Assessment
Over the past month, I haven’t been falling asleep in my own bed, but rather in various hotel beds! Most of the traveling has been for work, but I was able to slip in a family vacation to sunny Orlando! Even when traveling for pleasure, I can’t escape thinking about accessibility and ways we can create more inclusive experiences for all people!
Thanks to my dear friend, Lori Samuels (no relation!), who is a Senior Director of Accessibility at NBC Universal, I was able to connect with folks at Universal Studios who are working on creating more accessible and inclusive experiences for people who are blind when visiting Harry Potter World! One cool way we got to experience this was with the interactive wand experiences that you can find across the wizardry world – these are experiences where guests are able to use an interactive wand, and with a flick of their wrist, are able to bring storefronts to life, make objects move, and even control the elements at specially marked spots throughout the park
My kids were super excited to try this out for their own, but I think I ended up having the most fun with this! Because of my connection, I got a sneak-peak at the new 2nd Gen wands, which include haptic feedback, when engaging in interactive experiences. Haptic feedback is a technology that uses touch sensations—like vibrations or small movements—to simulate the feeling of interacting with something physically. You’ve probably experienced haptic feedback on your smartphone when it vibrates as you type or gives a subtle “click” feeling when you press a button on the screen. In the context of the new interactive wands, haptic feedback makes the magic feel even more real. When you cast a spell, the wand responds with a slight vibration or pulse. This gives you physical confirmation that your spell “worked,” enhancing the illusion that you made the magic happen. It’s a clever and immersive way to make the experience more sensory-rich.
Not only did this allow me to feel the “magic when I was casting my spell with the wand, more importantly I knew I was in the right spot! You see, if you can’t see where you are casting your spell, you wouldn’t be able to activate the experience, so this haptic feedback feature was critical. In the 1st Gen wands my kids had, they didn’t have this feature.
The other cool thing that Universal Studio was working on to create a more inclusive experience was by creating tactile medallions, which people who can’t see could feel to know what the hand gestures were to cast a spell. Currently, hand gestures were embossed on the floor in front of the interactive experience. This wasn’t necessarily accessible for all people, like me, so having something tactile that I could touch and feel with my hands was great!
I’m grateful to see and experience how intentional Universal Studios was about making their guests feel like they belong. However, I saw this even in the hotel we were staying at! Right across from our room at the JW Marriott Hotel, there was a room that included a doorbell for guests who were Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Since all guests can’t hear, or might have trouble hearing, these doorbells don’t necessarily have a chime but rather use visual cues like flashing lights to let them know that someone is at the door. Since I can’t see, I never noticed these rooms and the signage outside of the doors, but since I was with my family, they are now also on the lookout for accessibility in the wild!
I’d love to hear about ways that you are experiencing or seeing accessibility showing up as you travel, so reach out and let me know! And if you are interested in learning how you can make your organization or business more accessible, reach out and let’s talk about how our team at Ablr can support you!