The Science Communication Tour with a Sign Language Interpreter

Abstract

In February 2018, 70-people with hearing loss indicated the lack of necessary information or knowledge at museums in Japan. The visitors who are d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing want cooperation with sign language interpreters in museums. The researchers planned a tour with a sign language interpreter in the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Japan, on 29th April 2019. The evaluation of the tour with sign language interpreters indicated that the levels of effectiveness, satisfaction, and necessity were high, and that the level of learnability by sign language was acceptable but in writing was low. Simultaneously, this experimental guided tour showed that sign language was necessary to improve information accessibility and science communication in science museums for d/Deaf visitors facilitated by sign language in Japan.