And a hello back at you, Jay.

I certainly didn't wish to get off target from my end goal of learning what visitors had to say about exhibits, but you bring up some points I will be happy to address.

First, I only consider organizations such as you mention useless if they waste the taxpayers money, siphoning off the bulk of it for administration costs resulting in little going to the end purpose.  (don't even want to go there at the moment...).  

Of course people respond in different ways to different media. Precisely why I say there are teaching disabilities.  One method of presentation works for some, another method may work better for others.  To accomplish successful education, you must find the key to making that individual respond, comprehend and, hopefully, appreciate.  That was the point of my question:  *what* exhibit presentation approaches pique peoples' interest - especially those not educated in the arts at all?   These evaluations will shed more perspectives on that very question. 

Personally, I rarely take audio tours when I go thru art exhibits for the same reason as you. Depending on the museum genre, I may consider it.  An outdoor tour of nature, historic villages or other genres may have some titillating stuff in a well-designed audio tour. 

But it would be presumptuous of me to assume that everyone thinks like you or I.  Certainly, if you are blind or partially blind, an audio tour is hardly a distraction.  Of if you are a teenager with no knowledge of pottery, you could better appreciate a lekythos if told a story about ancient Greece and wine making, putting the pottery in context. Most children museums find large success in interactive projects... building something, working with colors... something physically involving that helps them to understand.  

Everyone wants to learn when they have interest ... learn to ski, to paint, how to open a beer bottle... it may not be the arts, but it is "learning".  I constantly search for ways to help people become more curious.   Afterall, presentation is everything.  

_________________

>Hi Terri:
>
>> Since I'm a firm believer that there are no learning
>> disabilities, just teaching (or presentation) disabilities,
>> the more we learn about what triggers a visitor's
>> involvment, the more effective and diverse our
>> supplemental audio guides can be.
>
>        I assume you'd consider useless the Learning Disabilities Association
>of America <http://www.ldanatl.org/>, the National Center for Learning
>Disabilities <http://209.190.217.242/index.html>, the National Adult
>Literacy and Learning Disabilities  Center
><http://www.nifl.gov/nalldtop.htm>, and other organizations devoted to
>helping people overcome learning disabilities?
>        Don't you recognize that people learn better in one way than another?
>Some people process visual information better . . . others are better
>with audio, olfactory, tactile modes of presentation.
>        I have been to many a museum where I choose to avoid audio tours as I
>find they distract me from actually LOOKING at the objects -- be they
>artistic, anthropological, scientific, technical, etc.  I am a visual
>person . . . enjoy looking at things, finding detail and nuance.  I'd
>rather read a text than listen to some disembodied voice on an audio
>guide read to me.  Sure, there are people who run straight for the audio
>guides . . . it's just a preference.
>        And, let's face it: Some people don't ever learn some things because of
>a lack of interest (or ability).  For example: Practical aspects of
>science and math have always stumped me, but the theoretical aspects are
>easily within my grasp.  Is that a learning disability or a lack of
>personal interest/ability?
>
>Sincerely, Jay Heuman
>
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