Yellowstone’s Historic Albright Visitor Center Increased Accessibility with Durateq® ATV

January 16, 2016 — Houston, TX — The newly renovated Albright Visitor Center and Museum at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Softeq Development are proud to announce the completion of the Durateq® assistive technology system installation at the world’s first National Park.

Over the last two years, the remolded space has been retrofitted to withstand seismic activity and improved accessibility including a new assistive technology system intended to provide a more immersive experience for visitors who have visual and hearing disabilities. The assistive system utilizes the DURATEQ handheld device, with proprietary Disney SyncLink^TM technology. The system was developed and implemented by Softeq, a seasoned provider of full stack development services for wearables, IoT and electronics.

The DURATEQ assistive solution installed by Softeq enables all Albright Visitor Center and Museum visitors to seamlessly follow self-guided tours through the museum learning about significant periods in early United States history: Native Americans (pre-1800), the mountain men (1807 — 1840), early exploration (1869 — 1871), the Army days and early National Park Service. The tour starts following check-out of the DURATEQ device at the Visitor Center desk. Placement of infrared (IR) emitters in proximity to each major exhibit, a total of twenty four, in the Visitor Center allows automatic triggering of pre-recorded audio description content on the DURATEQ handhelds, including the bookstore and the Moran Gallery where fine reproductions of watercolor sketches by the painter and expeditioner Thomas Moran are displayed, along with the Jackson Gallery where original photographs by William Henry Jackson, of the 1871 Hayden Survey, are exhibited.

“We were honored to be a part of providing our Durateq assistive technology solution to support the efforts of the nation’s most iconic National Park, Yellowstone, in extending accessibility for visitors of all abilities,” commented Paul Fruia, VP Engineering of Softeq Development Corporation.

About Albright Visitor Center

The newly renovated Albright Visitor Center reopened in the spring of 2015. The historic structure was built by the United States Army in 1909 as bachelor officer’s quarters for the cavalry troops who protected the park before the establishment of the National Park Service. Named in honor of the legacy of Horace Albright, the first Superintendent of Yellowstone and the Second Director of the National Park Service, the building served as a museum, an archive, and even a post office, before becoming the Albright Visitor Center. The visitor center is open daily, all year round. For more information, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm.