Meeting Participants with Intellectual Disabilities during COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Improvisation

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we all suffered from several restrictions and measures regulating interaction with one another. We had to wear masks, use hand sanitizer, have open-air meetings, feel a combination of excitement and frustration, and eventually depend on online video calls. The combinations of these additional requirements and limitations, while necessary, affected how we could involve users in the different stages of design. It has profoundly hindered our chances of meeting in person with people with temporary or permanent disabilities. In our project, involving people with intellectual disabilities in the museum context, we also had to deal with museums being closed and physical exhibitions being canceled. At the same time, guardians and caregivers often turned to a stricter interpretation of anti-COVID measures to protect people with intellectual disabilities. This paper aims to discuss these challenges and share our lessons about coping with challenging and unpredictable situations by using improvisation.