Enhancing Art Accessibility for Visually Impaired Individuals through Multisensory Technologies

Claudia F. Andrade; João Victor F. Pimenta; Maria Amelia Eliseo

doi:10.5753/jis.2025.5162

Authors

Claudia F. Andrade Mackenzie Presbyterian University https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7624-646X
João Victor F. Pimenta Mackenzie Presbyterian University https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7167-7876
Maria Amelia Eliseo Mackenzie Presbyterian University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0913-3259

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5753/jis.2025.5162

Keywords:

Visual impairment, Accessibility, Inclusion, Artwork, Multisensory Technologies

Abstract

This study presents the development of an immersive multisensory system for the artwork ”A Cuca” by Tarsila do Amaral, designed for visually impaired individuals. The system integrates 3D models, audio descriptions, NFC tags, and an iOS app with native accessibility features, ensuring ease of use, scalability, and applicability in cultural spaces. The development process includes requirement gathering, technology selection, refinement of 3D models, and the integration of NFC tags with the iOS app. The goal is to provide visually impaired individuals with autonomy in interpreting and appreciating art, thereby promoting cultural accessibility. A systematic literature mapping was also conducted to identify existing studies on multisensory technologies for art appreciation by visually impaired audiences. The findings highlight the effectiveness of combining tactile and auditory stimuli, offering guidelines to enhance user experience and autonomy. This approach demonstrates the potential of multisensory technologies to foster inclusion and critical engagement with art.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmetovic, D., Kwon, N., Oh, U., Bernareggi, C., and Mascetti, S. (2021). Touch screen exploration of visual artwork for blind people. In Proceedings of the Web Conference 2021, WWW ’21, page 2781–2791, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3442381.3449871.

Andrade, C. F. and Eliseo, M. A. (2022). Requisitos de acessibilidade para experiências imersivas para deficientes visuais em obras de arte bidimensionais. XVIII Jornada de Iniciação Científica - JIC. [link].

Andrade, C. F., Pimenta, J. V. F., and Eliseo, M. A. (2025). Immersive representation of artworks for individuals with visual impairments: A systematic literature mapping. In Agredo-Delgado, V., Ruiz, P. H., and Meneses Escobar, C. A., editors, Human-Computer Interaction, pages 214–227, Cham. Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-91328-0_17.

Apple Inc. (2024). Como usar os recursos de acessibilidade no iphone. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Bandukda, M., Singh, A., Holloway, C., Berthouze, N., Brulé, E., Tajadura-Jiménez, A., Metatla, O., Javornik, A., and Thieme, A. (2021). Rethinking the senses: A workshop on multisensory embodied experiences and disability interactions. In Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA ’21, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3441356.

Bartolome, J. I., Cho, G., and Cho, J.-D. (2021). Multi-sensory color expression with sound and temperature in visual arts appreciation for people with visual impairment. Electronics, 10(11). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10111336.

Be My Eyes (n.d.). Be my eyes - português (brasil). [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Bennett, C. L., Rosner, D. K., and Taylor, A. S. (2020). The care work of access. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ’20, page 1–15, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376568.

Blender Foundation (n.d.). About blender. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Brasil (2015). Lei nº 13.146, de 6 de julho de 2015. institui a lei brasileira de inclusão da pessoa com deficiência (estatuto da pessoa com deficiência). [link].

Cavazos Quero, L., Iranzo Bartolomé, J., and Cho, J. (2021). Accessible visual artworks for blind and visually impaired people: Comparing a multimodal approach with tactile graphics. Electronics, 10(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10030297.

ColorID (n.d.). Color id (free) 1.2. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

ElevenLabs (2025). Elevenlabs official website. [link],Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Feelipa Color Code (2014). Para deficientes visuais. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Fávero, L. (2017). Cegueira e artes visuais: como as tecnologias assistivas podem ser uma ferramenta de inclusão. Master’s thesis, Instituto de Artes da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Glass, R. (2017). Introduction to art historical analysis. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Guimarães, V. A. and de Andrade, A. F. (2024). Arte e cegueira: reflexões sobre acessibilidade multissensorial de obras de arte bidimensionais. Revista Educação, Artes e Inclusão, 20(1):e0058–e0058. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5965/198431781820231e0058.

Henry, S. L., Abou-Zahra, S., and Kevin, W. (2016). Accessibility, usability, and inclusion. [link], Accessed 17 September 2025.

Hickman, L. and Bennett, C. (2023). Access work: Laboring with non-innocent authorization. Interactions, 30(4):60–64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3603494.

Itaú Cultural (2024). A cuca. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Kohler, A. D. and Foerste, G. M. S. (2014). As imagens na visão do cego: experiências de quem vê com o corpo. Revista Pró-Discente, 20(2). [link].

Mankoff, J., Hayes, G. R., and Kasnitz, D. (2010). Disability studies as a source of critical inquiry for the field of assistive technology. In Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS ’10, page 3–10, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/1878803.1878807.

Microsoft (2024). Microsoft store. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Monster Mash (n.d.). Monster mash: A sketch-based tool for casual 3d modeling and animation. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Noorani, R. (2005). Rapid Prototyping: Principles and Applications. John Wiley Sons Incorporated, 1st edition edition.

Omaia, D., Correia, W. F. M., and Santos, A. L. M. (2024). Interactive rapid prototyping combining 3d printing and augmented reality. Journal on Interactive Systems, 15(1):20–35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/jis.2024.3534.

ProdutecaLab (2022). Tipos de impressão 3d. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

Rodrigues, C. S. C., Nazareth, V., Azevedo, R. O., Barbosa, P., and Werner, C. (2025). Unseen: Advancing digital accessibility with binaural audio technology in an immersive gaming prototype. Journal on Interactive Systems, 16(1):98–108. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5753/jis.2025.4439.

Rodrigues, R. B. (2016). Novas tecnologias da informação e da comunicação. Recife: IFPE.

Santoro Junior, A. (1976). Breve análise de uma obra de arte. São Paulo: Grafistyl Editora Gráfica Ltda.

Souza, M. G. d. (2014). Sentir para ver : levantamento da produção sobre experiência multissensorial nos museus. Technical report, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil. [link].

TapTapSee (n.d.). Taptapsee - identify anything and everything. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

WakDev (n.d.). Nfc tools - ios - wakdev. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

WebAIM (2018). Low vision user survey 2 results. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.

World Health Organization (2024). Assistive technology. [link], Accessed: 17 September 2025.