The Museum of Possibilities

I visited the Museum of Possibilities in Chennai in 2024. I love that the museum is centered around accessibility, and what catering to it makes possible for people with certain disabilities our society is not built for. One of the display themes was tech tools which bridge accessibility gaps for people. These tools were in working states. I particularly loved this e-pen which reads text out loud as you slide it over any page with words. It can even save said text as a file.

The museum displayed many accessible house games as well, including such versions of several popular games we play with friends and family to enjoy while competing. Everyone should be able to have fun, and so it would be great if this added feature becomes a standard rather than something you have to hunt for and buy separately.

The interesting thing is that all such features can be just as useful to people without certain disabilities too. Like the e-pen saving your book highlights to a file and maybe syncing it to your phone & computer. This dual-use reminds me of a thoughtful old blog post by the developers of the elementary computer operating system: Accessibility features are just features.

Much like curb cuts—the slopes on sidewalks designed to make traversal with a wheelchair possible—many “accessibility” features can be used to improve the experiences of everyone, regardless of any specific ability or impairment.

This post is my submission to the IndieWeb Carnival’s theme for March 2026: Museum memories by James. It’s posted based on encouragement at an in-person IndieWeb Club meet in Bangalore to participate in this global blogging festival.

P.S. I love how James describes museums:

Museums and galleries are places we can go to learn about the past, think about the present, and consider the future. Museums are places we can connect: with times, people, and place.