National Endowment for the Humanities
In June 2020, the White House Historical Association was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The grant enabled the Association to expand and improve the White House Experience mobile app, addressing accessibility issues and enhancing the use of the app as a distance learning tool. The Association was one of 317 cultural heritage institutions nationwide to receive funding.
Gallery
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The enhanced app includes short videos that explore the history of eight spaces in the White House. In this video, White House Historical Association Chief Education Officer Dr. Matthew Costello discusses the history behind the iconic layout and significant objects in the Blue Room.
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In the White House 360 Virtual Tour, users can replicate the experience of walking through the White House, as they would on a public tour. Users can get even closer to historic objects and artwork as they freely navigate between rooms.
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Detailed floor plans and interactive models in the White House 360 Virtual Tour allow users to understand the relationship between rooms.
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Audio accessibility has been fully integrated into the core White House tours in the White House Experience app.
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Visitors to DC can hear about the history of buildings and landmarks within walking distance to the White House, thanks to new audio capabilities in the White House Neighborhood walking tour.
The White House Historical Association
Through the NEH grant, the Association added additional features and functions to the White House Experience app, which enables virtual visits to the White House, enhances the in-person visitor experience, and provides teaching tools for K-12 educators.
Accessibility
- Audio and Multi-Language Tours: To increase audience accessibility, multilingual and audio versions of the core White House Experience app tours were added. The addition of these new tours were based on the recommendations of the White House Visitor Center and United States Secret Service, who interact daily with White House visitors. French, simplified Chinese, and Spanish, the most frequently requested foreign languages, were made available. In 2023, Arabic was also added.
- Improvements to Web-Based Version of the WHE App: Among the most frequent suggestions from teachers was the need for an improved browser-based version of the app to use in classrooms. The addition of a browser-version of the app addressed a gap in access for teachers and increased usability for populations who may have difficulty viewing text or images on smaller screens. Access the browser-based version.
Improved Content Through Immersive Distance Learning
- Enhanced Virtual Tour of the White House with 360-degree Photography, Integrated Maps, and Video: 360-degree photography with integrated maps was added to create a fully immersive virtual tour, allowing users to guide and orient themselves through the two floors of public rooms at the White House. This component enabled a true virtual visit to the White House, in which users can examine paintings, objects, and details previously inaccessible. Take the 360-degree tour on our website.
- Educational Videos: A series of eight short videos featuring Association historians were filmed and produced, providing supplemental content about the history of the public rooms on a White House tour. Each video is about two minutes long and was developed with virtual and in-person classroom instruction in mind. The videos also assist visitors to the White House, who are often curious about the historical details of the public rooms on the tour. View the videos on our website.
- Specialized Tours: To enhance distance learning opportunities, more specialized history tours were added, adapted from articles previously published in White House History Quarterly. These specialty tours debuted throughout 2021 and early 2022.
WHHA acknowledges the National Endowment for the Humanities for their generous support. Cuseum, Long Story Short Media, Bruce White Photography, and the Office of the Curator and Office of the Chief Usher at the White House assisted with the successful completion of this grant.
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