This article describes and evaluates a 3-D scanned and printed exhibit created by students and faculty in collaboration with a local museum to increase accessibility to archaeological and historical collections for audiences with visual disabilities, neurodivergence, and sensory processing differences. 3-D technologies allowed for the creation of a hands-on exhibit, accompanied by a variety of accessible solutions, such as audio, video, and braille, allowing audiences to explore reproductions of artifacts through touch. Surveys of museum attendees and students who participated in the project revealed that the tactile exhibit and design experience were extremely positive. As museums and public historians strive for universal design and access in programs, this technology provides another opportunity for engagement. The authors explain methods and applications for public historians, museums, and outreach.

The “Faro a Colón,” or “Columbus Lighthouse,” is perhaps the largest memorial to Christopher Columbus in the world. Inaugurated in 1992 as a celebration of the five-hundredth anniversary of Columbus’s first arrival in the Americas, it is visible throughout much of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This article argues that the typical presentation of the monument is badly misaligned with the historical record, but that a historically and historiographically informed interpretation can lead to a truer understanding of the violence and greed of colonization. Contrary to what its designers wanted to show about Columbus, and in some ways in spite of itself, the Columbus Lighthouse conveys with unusual clarity the problems of memorializing one of the most (in)famous figures in world history.