In our commitment to ensure that our immersive experience is as inclusive and accessible as possible, we provide numerous alternative ways for it to be experienced to accommodate individuals with disabilities.
Mobility:
If you have special mobility concerns. Throughout, the exhibition is outfitted with ramps, and all entrances and exits are designed wide enough for manual wheelchairs, canes, walkers, or alternative manual mobility devices.
For those with reduced mobility (RM), we have a few different options available to accommodate you:
1) Guests with reduced mobility and requiring the assistance of a companion
To provide better guidance and to have a more enjoyable experience, companions of people with reduced mobility are strongly encouraged to do the virtual reality component as well. The intention is for both parties to share the virtual universe. One companion is entitled to free admission. Manual Transport Wheelchairs are available on-site free of charge for visitors to use.
2) Guest with reduced mobility attending alone
During the virtual reality component of the experience, we can activate a slightly larger virtual protection radius around you. This is to help visitors respect your distance while you're in the virtual space.
Options for Motorized Wheelchairs:
The free-roaming portion of the experience is not accessible to all types of motorized wheelchairs. As a result of their weight combined with the motion of their wheels, motorized wheelchairs cause torsion that could damage the sensors underneath the free-roaming portion of the virtual experience. The following options are available to individuals with motorized wheelchairs.
1) Motorized Wheelchairs that can be put in manual mode operate similarly to a Manual Transport Wheelchair and are therefore safe to use in manual mode during the free-roaming part of the experience. You're entitled to a free admission for your companion who is encouraged to do the virtual reality component with you.
2) For those in Motorized Wheelchairs who are unable to operate in manual mode, there's also an option to see an edited seated documentary version that lasts approximately the same duration as the free-roaming part of the experience. While it's not interactive, it's a 360-degree immersive documentary that lets you experience life aboard the International Space Station.
3) We can also provide a Manual Transport Wheelchair on-site free of charge.
We highly advise you to call in advance if you require the use of one of our Manual Transport Wheelchairs to ensure that it will be reserved for you.
For visitors who experience motion sickness or vertigo:
For those who experience motion sickness or vertigo, we have a few options:
1) We have the option for the experience to be done with the use of a tablet and augmented reality technology. This will let visitors share the same experience alongside their friends and family, and see what they're seeing.
2) We've also created an edited seated documentary version that lasts approximately the same duration as the free-roaming part of the experience. While it's not interactive, it's a 360-degree immersive documentary that lets visitors still experience life aboard the International Space Station.
For visitors who are hearing impaired:
English subtitles are available.
For visitors who wear hearing aids, the experience can be done while wearing them. The headsets have headphones attached to them and the volume can be adjusted as needed.
For visitors who are visually impaired:
While it may seem like a medium so dependent on vision can't accommodate individuals who are blind or have difficulty seeing, it's still possible for them to participate in a version of the experience. Sound design in virtual reality is effective and interesting. VR technology allows for the realistic placement of sounds within a virtual space. This means that visitors can turn their heads and the sound will correspond to the placement of their head—it would still give the sensation as though they were really aboard the ISS. This is called ambisonic sound, and there's ongoing research being done into the benefits of virtual reality, ambisonic sound design, and its application in creating experiences for the visually impaired. These visitors would, unfortunately, be limited to the seated experience to reduce the possibility of collision with other users in virtual reality. They're equally entitled to a free ticket to accommodate a companion.
For visitors with service dogs:
Due to the nature of the multi-user tracking technology, service dogs are permitted for the Space Walk portion of the experience. These visitors would, unfortunately, be limited to the seated experience to reduce the possibility of collision with other users in virtual reality. They're equally entitled to a free ticket to accommodate a companion.