In response to the query made by Leah at MoMA in New York about brochures for people who are deaf or hard of hearing....... I would encourage people everywhere to think "inclusion". Please do not think about creating programs for people who are deaf. And oh, gosh, now we have to create programs or materials for people who are blind or have low vision. Oooops, then we have to create things for people who use wheelchairs or scooters! This creates an incredible amount of work and is extraordinarily labor intensive. Please think about creating inclusive programs, materials and services. This will not only add depth and breadth to your museum, but create a far more enjoyable visitor experience. Let me explain..... When I headed up the education department at Lincoln Park Zoo, I also formalized the universal access initiative there. I established an advisory board of members from the community (Mayors Office for People with Disabilities, Univ of Illinois Dept of Disability and Human Development, rep from Lighthouse for the Blind and Chicago Hearing Society and so on).....I worked with an architect especially trained in the Americans with Disabilities Act to develop a Transition Plan for all public spaces on zoo grounds (contained things that were not accessible, suggestions for change, estimated cost and level of priority to be done). The Transition Plan took about 6 months to complete -- a great document for fundraising, with which to educate staff and to refer to when re-designing physical space. I conceptualize and implemented disability awareness training for all zoo staff and all volunteers. We reviewed the Americans with Disabilities Act (briefly) and then talked about various medical conditions and diagnoses. I suggested effective ways to interact with people who had those conditions. There was a marked change in how staff and docents interacted with visitors with disabilities following that training. As head of education, I provided training to my 16 educators -- specifially how to work with people who have developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, etc. I worked with staff in guest services to acquire motorized scooters for those visitors with mobility or endurance problems. I worked with graphics and communications staff to re-design the zoo map -- to simplify the existing map and make it almost 15 times larger so it could contain large print, higher contrast colors, simpler design. Yes it can be expensive, but I wrote grants to cover those costs. I also translated the zoo map/legends and zoo guidebook into Braille, working with The Lighthouse for the Blind in Chicago. There is lots more that was done, but finally, I worked with the graphics dept to design a brochure on "Universal Access at Lincoln Park Zoo". It highlighted why it was important and identified everything the zoo had to offer the visitor with a disability.....so that everything was in one document -- tri-fold about 6" x 9" when folded.....great colors, etc. --- this brochure was then available at the information center on zoo grounds. It was also distributed to Board members, volunteers, staff, etc., schools, community agencies, special advocacy groups, hospitals and recreational therapy depts at rehab centers, etc......... If you approach universal access as an inclusive process and phase in projects over the years, you will be much happier with your result and your progress. Please feel free to give a call or an email if you have questions. Kind regards, Terrie Terrie Nolinske, Ph.D. Principal www.tniconsultants.com [log in to unmask] TNI Consultants 930 North Bouelvard Oak Park, IL 60301 708.386.1331 A Certified Woman-Owned Business A Certified Woman Owned Business ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fox, Leah" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 11:53 AM Subject: Access Brochures > The Museum of Modern Art currently produces an Access Brochure outlining all > programs and services for individuals with disabilities and special needs. > We are looking into creating a brochure to cover programs and services > specific to visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing. Can anyone refer to me > examples of such brochures that other museums currently produce? I would be > interested in brochures for deaf and hard of hearing visitors not only from > art museums, but any type of museum. > > Thank you for your assistance, > Leah > > MoMA Access > The Museum of Modern Art > 11 West 53rd Street > New York, NY 10019 > 212.708.9864 > 212.247.1230 TTY/TDD > http://www.moma.org/momaqns/special_needs_access.html > Subscribe to our free MoMA Education E-News http://www.momaenews.org > > ========================================================= > Important Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).