At MuScure, we believe that science thrives when everyone is included. Inclusive science not only reflects the diversity of our world but also unlocks new ideas, insights, and innovations that can change lives. Through our project, we have identified several focus areas: gender, accessibility needs, socioeconomic status, global outreach, and empowering future generations. These areas shape our commitment to ensure that our work is accessible, impactful, and empowering for all communities. Together, we can create a world where diverse minds contribute to groundbreaking discoveries that benefit all of humanity.
We believe that real change and the power to shape the future begins today. Education is the foundation of that change, and it starts from a young age. By inspiring future generations—especially middle schoolers and even younger audiences—we can nurture a passion for science early on.
People are most curious when they are young, and this curiosity enhances their brain's ability to learn, helping them retain information even if the subject is not initially interesting to them. This makes fostering curiosity in childhood essential for long-term learning and growth.
To achieve this, we created an engaging and easy-to-understand animation video designed to capture the attention of young minds. Our goal is to make science fun, relatable, and exciting for them.
When designing our content, we used specific techniques to simplify the language so that even children could understand it. For example:
To captivate young minds, we created several animated videos that were both fun and informative:
ADD LZF PART HERE
In China, while tremendous strides have been made in reducing poverty, many children still face significant socioeconomic barriers, particularly in rural areas. By 2020, the government successfully eradicated extreme rural poverty, yet as of 2018, 19% of children were still living in multidimensional poverty, which includes limited access to education, healthcare, and other essential resources. [2]
To do our part, we traveled to a rural area in Sichuan, where we engaged with local children, introduced our project, and raised awareness about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Through activities and discussions, we aimed to inspire curiosity in science and provide them with the tools to envision a brighter future.
Ensuring that our wiki is accessible to individuals with diverse cognitive and visual challenges, such as autism, dyslexia, color blindness, low vision, and ADHD, was a priority for our team. Drawing from research on digital accessibility and user-centered design, we implemented a range of solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of these user groups. Below is a detailed breakdown of the steps we took, why we made these choices, and how we implemented each accessibility feature.
Many individuals, including those with autism, dyslexia, color blindness, low vision, and ADHD, face challenges when interacting with digital content. Common issues include difficulty processing overwhelming visuals, navigating unclear structures, and reading non-accessible fonts or low-contrast text.
Research shows that individuals with autism often experience difficulty processing overwhelming stimuli, which can lead to anxiety and frustration when navigating digital environments. According to the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, individuals with autism benefit from predictable patterns, consistent layouts, and minimized sensory input,This allows them to better process and engage with information.
Individuals with dyslexia often struggle to read standard fonts, as they can appear distorted or jumbled. According to Annals of Dyslexia, specialized fonts such as Dyslexie and OpenDyslexic improve readability for dyslexic individuals by reducing letter confusion through distinct shapes. Additionally, avoiding excessive italics or underlining improves text clarity.
Individuals with low vision or color blindness face challenges in distinguishing between colors and reading small, low-contrast text. According to the World Blind Union and research on low-vision accessibility, high-contrast color schemes and adjustable text sizes are critical for making digital content readable.
We began by reaching out to 包国红老师, an expert from the China Braille Press, to understand the specific needs of visually impaired individuals. Her feedback was invaluable in guiding the adaptations required to make our booklet accessible for those with vision impairments
From 包国红老师, we learned about the different categories of accessible formats, such as Braille, large-print books, and audiobooks. We were also made aware of key design principles, such as:
We decided to create an audiobook version of our booklet to ensure full accessibility for individuals who are blind, have low vision, or simply prefer auditory learning.
Research shows that approximately 8% of the global population is visually impaired, with around 2.2 billion people affected by some form of vision loss. Additionally, studies have found that up to 20-30% of people prefer learning through auditory methods, as it allows them to multitask and absorb information more effectively.
To ensure our content reached this significant portion of the population, we conducted research on the best practices for creating accessible audiobooks. This included selecting high-quality audio recording tools, ensuring clear and well-paced narration, and working with native speakers for the various language versions of the audiobook. By following guidelines on audio clarity and structure, we were able to produce an audiobook that is inclusive, engaging, and easy to follow, catering to the needs of individuals who rely on auditory content.
To maximize the global reach and inclusivity of our project, we strategically selected Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, English, and French for translations. These languages were chosen because they are among the most widely spoken languages in the world, allowing us to connect with a significant portion of the global population. In total, these languages cover more than 3.2 billion speakers, or about 40% of the world's population.
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To ensure that these languages were well-integrated into all aspects of our project, we took a multifaceted approach:
To make our educational content accessible to a wider audience and foster inclusivity, we ensured that our materials are produced in both English and Chinese. This bilingual approach allows us to reach a diverse audience, bridging cultural and linguistic gaps.
For our lab experiments, we made sure to provide comprehensive educational content. Each video covers the entire experimental process, from start to finish, ensuring that viewers can fully understand each step. To make the material even more accessible and clear:
We have taken a dual-platform approach to make our content globally accessible:
This strategy ensures that our educational resources are available to a broader audience, fostering cross-cultural exchange and making science and education accessible to people across different regions and languages.
Global outreach was a key priority for us, as we aimed to make our content accessible to people from all over the world. To achieve this, we translated our booklet into four of the most widely spoken languages: Chinese, Arabic, English, and French, and also created accompanying audiobooks in these languages.
Additionally, we expanded our efforts to make our promotion video available in five languages—Chinese, Arabic, English, French, and Dutch—further broadening our reach. By making our educational content available in multiple languages, we emphasize the importance of inclusivity and ensure that people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds can participate in and benefit from our project.
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To ensure that our hardware design catered to different cultural backgrounds, we developed two distinct devices to accommodate the preferences and needs of diverse users.
For our Asian audience, we created a scented bag, inspired by the cultural significance of scented sachets, particularly in Chinese culture. These sachets, often filled with aromatic herbs, are deeply rooted in tradition, symbolizing health, protection, and good fortune. This made the scented bag design a culturally relevant and familiar choice for users in Asia, where such items are frequently used in daily life and traditional festivals. By incorporating this design, we aimed to blend our scientific solution with cultural practices, making it more acceptable and attractive for users in these regions.
At the same time, to accommodate users outside of Asia or anyone who prefers a more discreet and modern option, we designed a bracelet. This allows the device to be more inconspicuous and seamlessly integrated into daily wear, making it both practical and stylish. The bracelet caters to those who may prefer a more subtle solution.
By offering two distinct designs, we ensure that our hardware is not only functional but also resonates with the cultural and aesthetic preferences of our global audience.
We conducted interviews with individuals from diverse regions to gain insights into how the illness manifests across different populations. Among our interviewees were Ms. Zheng and Mr. Zao from Asia, as well as Mrs. Sara Levitt an IBD advocate from Canada. These conversations helped us understand the unique experiences and challenges faced by people in different geographical areas. Additionally, we shared our survey on international platforms, allowing participants from around the globe to contribute their responses, providing us with a broader perspective on the global impact of the illness.
Mr. Zao and Ms. Sara Levitt @saralevs
[1] Cell Press. (2014, October 2). How Curiosity Changes the Brain to Enhance Learning. ScienceDaily.
[2] World Bank. (2018, September 19). Poverty and shared prosperity 2018: Piecing together the poverty puzzle.