I've been reading the thread and wanted to consolidate
thoughts. The feedback I've read thus far is
wonderful. It's great to see so many of you have made
real progress in accommodating People with
Disabilities (they're people first and disabled
second--as opposed to calling them "the disabled").
Remember that, in the US, the Americans with
Disabilities Act is more than 10 years old. If your
institution isn't making efforts in this regard, you
may be in violation of the law, and it's probably past
time to do something. You can find the law in the
Topics Section of my Employment Website (in my
sigfile--see the link entitled US DOJ ADA, or look for
it on the EEOC site). If you're just starting out, it
really behooves you to make yourself familiar.
With respect to John's question, I believe there are
exemptions in the law having to do with the age of
facility; however, if you remodel, you need to put in
place physical accommodations.
Someone suggested you have a person who uses a
wheelchair try to maneuver within your building. I
have a couple of suggestions.
o Why don't you try it instead? Trying it yourself
may make it easier than you think, and borrowing a
chair may not be that difficult.
o Try it with a blindfold and see what you can find
out about your exhibits.
o Tie a semi-sheer scarf around your eyes, and try to
envision how the exhibit comes through.
o If you have an exhibit that has a "talkie" of some
sort, check it out with ear plugs and see what you are
missing.
Personalizing it may help you to better plan for the
visitor with impairments.
But, as has been pointed out, there's a possibility
that one or more of your staff members may have a
disability. As such, for the benefit of visitors and
staff, you may wish to check out Jan Web and see if
you can glean suggestions for accommodation.
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar/index.htm
Finally, there's a category of disability that
frequently gets overlooked "in polite society."
People acknowledge sight, mobility, or vision
impairments. But they are less astute/capable, and
more frequently frightened or embarrassed when dealing
with those with mental impairments. I'm not just
talking folks with Down Syndrome. People with
schizophrenia, those with autism, people with
Tourette's. Have you considered how you might
accommodate them so as to retain their dignity? Just
some food for thought.
The kindess you extend--without pity--can do wonders
to the health and well being of those who come to your
institution (whether for work or for the experience).
If Van Gogh walked through your door today, how would
he be received?
For reference, there are other disability-related
resources on my web page, also in the Topics section.
http://victorian.fortunecity.com/stanmer/414
--- "Siegel, Betty" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> For the past four years the Kennedy Center
> Accessiblity Program has held a conference which
> focuses on accessibility to cultural institutions
> programs and facilities. This is a great conference
> - wonderful, knowledgeable people from all over the
> country attend this conference and share
> information, resources, ideas on policies and
> planning, how to approach accessibility for
> patrons/visitors with disabilities and for older
> patrons who may be encountering age-related
> disabilities.
>
> This year the Leadership Exchange in Arts and
> Disabilities conference and training for ADA/504
> Coordinators and Accessiblity Managers in the
> Cultural arts will be held August 12, 13, 14th at
> the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The
> highlights will include discussions on universal
> design, exhibit and label design, ticketing
> policies, and then special focus on legal issues
> with an open dialogue with John Wodatch, Chief of
> the Disability Rights Section in the Civil Rights
> Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and
> another session that focuses on marketing and
> audience/visitor development.
>
> The conference fee for non-profits is only $125. If
> you want more information or to receive a conference
> brochure with more details please email me at:
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Sincerely,
> Betty Siegel
> Manager of Accessiblity
> The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
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