Creating an accessible immersive virtual reality experience of Mail Rail

自十六世纪成立以来，邮政署在工业和社会方面取得了巨大的进步。它的档案，皇家邮政档案，被联合国教科文组织列入世界记忆名录。邮政博物馆提供最广泛的进入皇家邮政档案馆、博物馆收藏和邮局地下铁路的途径。邮政博物馆最吸引人的地方是邮路。在1927年至2003年间，无人驾驶的窄轨列车在伦敦的分拣办公室之间转移邮件，这一功能在整个20世纪的邮政服务中是不可或缺的。这些火车不是用来载人的；邮政博物馆建造了火车，把参观者带进铁路隧道，进入投射的灯光动画戏剧体验其历史。然而，许多患有肢体残疾或幽闭恐惧症、感觉残疾或癫痫的游客并不能完全获得这种体验。参观者必须能够在没有人帮助的情况下，在不平坦的表面上步行至少100米，最少照明，至少走70级台阶。为这类参观者提供了视听表演，但它并没有提供与乘坐邮寄铁路一样的公平体验。残疾人平等进入博物馆是博物馆的核心优先事项，而虚拟现实是与广泛的残疾相关的无障碍的极好工具。我们希望创造一种无障碍的邮件铁路体验，这与乘坐本身具有同等的价值。我们将采用以人为本的方法来制作一份设计概要，以提供无障碍和身临其境的Mail Rail虚拟现实体验，专门容纳和回应参观者的残疾，并可由用户调整。邮政博物馆拒绝满足于目前为残疾人士提供的服务。邮政博物馆和ScanLab Projects Ltd将探索残疾人士的需求和无障碍要求；制作设计概要；探索想法并快速开发原型；与残疾人一起测试原型；并为Mail Rail无障碍身临其境的虚拟现实体验的设计研究和开发提供具体简介。该项目将产生一种新的途径和方法，在专门为残疾人服务的文化部门提供身临其境的虚拟现实体验。目前，为文化部门开发这些产品的项目很少：这项工作反过来将更广泛地影响身临其境的虚拟现实体验的创造。

"Since its inception in the sixteenth century the Post Office has pioneered enormous industrial and social advances. Its archive, the Royal Mail Archive, is on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The Postal Museum provides the widest possible access to the Royal Mail Archive, Museum Collection and Mail Rail, the Post Office underground railway. The Postal Museum's standout attraction is the Mail Rail Ride. Between 1927 and 2003, narrow gauge, driverless, trains transferred mail between sorting offices in London, a function which was integral to the postal service throughout the 20th century. These trains were not built to carry people; the Postal Museum has built trains take visitors into the rail tunnels and into a projected light animated theatrical experience of its history. However, this experience is not fully accessible to many visitors with physical disabilities or claustrophobia, sensory disabilities or epilepsy. Visitors must be able to walk unaided for a minimum of 100 metres on uneven surfaces with minimal lighting, and up at least 70 steps. There is an audio-visual show for such visitors, but it does not offer an equitable experience to riding Mail Rail.Equal access for people with disabilities is a core priority for the museum, and virtual reality is an excellent tool for accessibility in relation to a large range of disabilities. We want to create an accessible Mail Rail experience which is of equal value to the ride itself. We will adopt a human-centred methodology to produce a design brief for an accessible and immersive virtual reality experience of Mail Rail, which specifically accommodates and responds to visitors' disabilities and is adjustable by its users.The Postal Museum refuses to be satisfied with its current offer to people with disabilities. The Postal Museum and ScanLAB Projects Ltd will explore the needs and accessibility requirements of people with disabilities; produce a design brief; explore ideas and develop prototypes at speed; test the prototypes with people with disabilities; and deliver a specific brief for the research and development of the design for an accessible immersive virtual reality experience of Mail Rail. The project will result in a new approach and method to immersive virtual reality experiences in the cultural sector which is specifically for people with disabilities. There are currently very few projects developing these for the cultural sector: this work will, in turn, influence the creation of immersive virtual reality experiences more generally."