The Houston Museum of Natural Science is introducing another innovation of accessibility on campus, assistive tech by ReBokeh for low-vision visitors.

“HMNS is thrilled to extend our accessibility offerings to include free, assistive technology for visually impaired guests,” said Matti Wallin, the museum's accessibility programs manager. “We hope to learn a lot from this partnership so we can continue to grow and serve the low vision community as best we can because here at the museum, we believe that science is for everyone.”

Founded in 2019, ReBokeh is a mobile app-based tech company that specializes in aiding low-vision individuals through their smart devices. Using the device's camera, the app can be set to various filters that account for the user's unique visual needs, including difficulty with contrast, color hue, zoom, and lighting. In addition, it uses AI-driven descriptions of exhibits to help the user better appreciate what they are looking at.

The partnership with ReBokeh allows museum visitors to use the premier-tier software for free while on the Houston Museum of Natural Science campus. According to ReBokeh, 85 percent of visually-impaired visitors have some remaining vision, making the app helpful to visitors who may otherwise have missed aspects of the collection.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the most popular museums in America, featuring four floors of dinosaurs, mummies, gems, energy, and special exhibits. It has been specializing in improving accessibility over the last decade. Virtually all exhibits are now available through multiple languages in both signage and audio tour apps. Extra care has been taken in new exhibits such as the shark presentation in the basement to place as many portions as possible at wheelchair height. Several exhibits already come with their own built in audio descriptions for visually-impaired visitors as well as Braille descriptions.

“The visual experiences that are available at the Houston Museum of Natural Science can inspire a lifelong passion for science and learning — especially among young people,” said Rebecca Rosenberg, founder and CEO of ReBokeh. “We couldn’t be more excited to help open the door for people with low vision to engage with every aspect of the museum — from the Cockrell Butterfly Center to the Burke Baker Planetarium, in new and exciting ways.”