Some museums offer the assistant free admission and a discount for 
accompanying friends and family.  Others, to promote good will and customer 
relations, admit at no charge all those accompanying the assistant or person 
with a disability, figuring that people will contribute revenue in retail 
(e.g., gift shop, cafeteria).

I have taken the following information from  The Americans with Disabilities 
Act Title II Technical Assistance Manual covering Public Accommodations and 
Commercial Facilities (pages 9-13). The term "disability" means, with 
respect to an individual means any one of the following:
  1. individuals who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially 
limits one or more of the major life activities (e.g., seeing, hearing, 
dressing, working, cooking, cleaning, hygiene, leisure activities)

      e.g., cosmetic disfigurement, anatomical loss (amputation) or 
physiological disorders or conditions affecting one or more of the following 
body systems,         neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs 
like speech, vocal cords, soft palate, tongue, respiratory, cardiovascular, 
reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic / lymphatic, skin and 
endocrine.  Examples of physical impairments might include, but be not 
limited to,  orthopedic, visual, speech, hearing impairments, cerebral 
palsy, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart 
disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, drug addition and alcoholism. 
Mental impairments include mental pr psychological disorders such as mental 
retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness and 
specific learning disabilities.

  A person with a minor vision impairment such as 20/40 vision does not have 
a substantial impairment of the major life activity of seeing.  A person who 
can walk for 10 miles continuously is not substantially limited in walking 
merely because, on the 11th mile, s/he begins to experience pain, because 
most people would not be able to walk 11 miles without experiencing some 
discomfort.

  2. a record of such an impairment (a protected group)

      e.g., a person who has a history of an impairment that substantially 
limited a major life activity but who has recovered, might include people 
who have histories of mental or emotional illness, drug addition, 
alcoholism, hear disease or cancer.

  3. being regarded as having such impairment
      e.g., individuals who are regarded by a public entity as having 
physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life 
activity, whether or not the individual actually has an impairment.  Three 
typical situations are covered by this category:

  a.  someone with mild diabetes, controlled by medication, is barred by the 
staff of a private summer camp from participation in certain sports because 
of the diabetes.  Even though the diabetes does not substantially limit a 
major life activity, the individual is protected under the ADA because s/he 
is treated as though s/he does.

  b.  an individual who has a physical or mental impairment that 
substantially limits major life activities ONLY as a result of the attitudes 
of others towards the impairment (e.g. a three year old child has a facial 
disfigurement and has been refused admittance to a day care program on the 
grounds that her presence might upset others...the disfigurement does not 
substantially limit major life activities, but the attitudes of others 
towards the disfigurement does.

  c.  an individual who has no impairments, but who is treated by a public 
accommodation as having an impairment that substantially limits a major life 
activity (e.g., an adult is refused admittance in an academic program or 
membership into a special interest group because people believe rumors that 
the individual is infected with HIV/AIDS virus.  Even though these rumors 
are untrue, the individual is protected under the ADA, because the 
individual is being discriminated against.

  As has been mentioned within this listserv, one cannot ask someone if they 
have a disability;  rely on trust and honesty.  If someone uses the system, 
at least you provided excellence in customer service!

  When you write about the roman chariot like devices, are you referring to 
scooters?  Scooters for home use usually go about 6 miles per hour, the 
scooters used in grocery store go about 2- 2/12 miles per hour and scooters 
used at theme parks are programmable, they can be adjusted.  They are set at 
the factory but can be changed to meet the needs of where they are being 
used by staff, not visitors.

  Hope this helps.  Feel free to contact me off line.


Terrie

Terrie Nolinske, Ph.D., OTR (licensed occupational therapist)
Principal
TNI Consultants LLC

A Woman Business Enterprise
Member, Tampa Chamber of Commerce

Phone:  813. 973. 2102
Email:  [log in to unmask]
URL:  www.tniconsultants.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Candace Perry" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 1:16 PM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Free Access for persons with disabilities : 
Guidelines


>I would say, very briefly, that you can't ask someone whose disability is
> not visible who is saying he/she is disabled.  You just have to let them 
> go,
> and hope no one is abusing the situation.
> Candace Perry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
> Behalf
> Of Glyn Balkwill
> Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 12:04 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Free Access for persons with disabilities : Guidelines
>
> Hullo Museum-l'ers
>
> Could you please offer me some assistance here' The museum is currently
> hosting an exhibition of works of persons with disabilities. The 
> organisers
> of the exhibition negotiated free access for persons with disabilities for
> the duration of the exhibition.
>
> A number of issues have arisen for which I asked the organisation 
> concerned
> and my management to provide guidelines. Naturally none were forthcomimg 
> and
> for raising the isssue a got handed the task of developing the guidelines.
> Since the issue is urgent and I need something in place for the front of
> house staff this weekend when there is no-one present for them to refer
> difficult issues to.
>
> We are well aware of the issues with assstane animals and have no problems
> there. The issue is with the human assistants. While I have no problem 
> with
> one assistant I need guidance where the person insists the whole family
> should enter free because they are all `assisting'.

    > The second is how to define / identify a person with a disability. 
While I
> am extremely short-sighted and have an extreme stigmatism for which I
> require spectacles whose cost far outstrips the medical aid limits, I am
> still not classified as disabled in terms of the revenue services in order
> to be able to claim the shortfall. People who would not think twice about
> paying under normal circumstances are now claiming they are persons with
> disabilities
>
> While it is easy to identify a person who is physically challenged, how to
> you deal with persons claiming they are bipolar, manically depressed, etc.
>
> What is the position with these roman chariot-like devices that can move
> very rapidly?
>
> I know these issues have been discussed here but I was hoping that some of
> my fellows out there had an easy-to-use set of guidelines I can give my 
> poor
> front of house staff who sit in the firing line on the weekend dealing 
> with
> an issue which management has failed to think through thoroughly before
> implementation.
>
> Thank in advance for your help
>
> Glyn ([log in to unmask])
>
>
> Glyn Balkwill
> Senior Curator, Collections Management
> Northern Flagship Institution
> National Cultural History Museum
> PO Box 28088 Sunnyside, Pretoria, 0132 RSA
> 149 Visagie Street, Pretoria Central
> Phone +27 (0)12 324 6082
> Fax     +27 (0)12 328 5173
> Cell    +27 (0)82 770 7826
> Home +27 (0)82 468 9462
> Email [log in to unmask]
>
> =========================================================
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>
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