Old Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village is a living history museum located in Sturbridge, Mass., which recreates life in rural New England during the 1790s through the 1830s with that includes costumed historians at work on the farm, in trade shops, and in their homes. It is the largest living museum in New England, covering more than 200 acres, featuring an Old School House, carding mill, town bank, and Meeting Hall.

CRIS Solution

The museum turned to CRISAccess’ human-narrated audio tours to enhance visitor experiences, particularly when their costumed historians were unavailable at various buildings or exhibits. In addition, the museum also sought to improve accessibility for people with disabilities with an affordable audio tour made available through visitors’ personal smartphones.

"We have just completed a site visit by a group of user/experts to evaluate Old Sturbridge Village for accessibility. Of the user/experts, two were visually impaired. Other user/experts were physically challenged, on the autism spectrum or had learning disabilities such as dyslexia. All cited the CRISAccess as a great enhancement to their visitor experience. The visually impaired user/experts shared that the QR codes were easy to use and the content enriched their understanding of the exhibit. The dyslexic user/expert indicated that CRISAccess provided the information is such a way that was much easier than attempting to read the typeface used on many traditional museum signage. Of all the initiatives that OSV has recently implemented to address accessibility within the Village, CRISAccess is the one that has received the greatest accolades from both the public as well as our advisory board of user/experts."

Debra Friedman
Senior Vice President, Visitor Experience
Old Sturbridge Village

Carding Mill