This is a total aside.

I have seen the inventor Dean Kamen interviewed in a number of venues about the segway, including live at my current site. He has been asked publicly about the use of the Segway as a device to assist the disabled both permanent and temporary. He is quite intentionally cagey on the topic and very much the show man. He knows, and states openly, that were he to make such a claim or agree with anyone else who makes the claim, he would immediately be under the regulation of the proper FDA branch that approves these devices. He hints, he nods, he winks, but never makes the claim, nor does his company. Another poster noted the company explicitly disavows the claim.

This would tell me that the Segway has no such approval as an assistive device and the makers have no intention of submitting themselves to the rigor and delay of seeking such approval.

I am absolutely no expert on this type of law, and I would absolutely insist that you consult someone who is, but it seems to me to be illogical to claim that we are under any requirement to allow someone to use a Segway in a manner we deem unsafe for the purposes of assisting a disabled person when the Segway is not legally recognized as such a device.

What would you do if someone on a Segway hurt another visitor? Who would be liable?

I also do not think that we are obligated to make our sites accessible to anyone completely and solely on their terms whether disabled or not. Having a safe and approved wheelchair available for them to change to would be the same as airlines making wheelchair users check their chairs or scooters  and use the ones designed for airplane aisles.

Like I said I am no expert. I would be happy to send this to our accessibility officer for her thoughts.



Matthew White

Director, Hands On Science Center

Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History

202/633-3698

[log in to unmask]

On Jul 19, 2007, at 12:20 PM, Cindy Boyer wrote:

I'm curious to see the responses to this.

Are there people for whom a Segway increases accessibility?  I would
think that the skills and strengths needed to stand upright and direct a
Segway are the same as those needed to walk (core strength, flexibility,
etc) In other words - a wheelchair is an accessibility tool, a Segway is
a - what? 

I think there is a huge difference between a Segway and a motorized
wheel chair. Wheelchairs don't usually tip over and dump out their
passengers. And - although this would be hard to qualify - most
motorized wheel chair users are very experienced in operating their
vehicles - they have to be, they use them all the time for their basic
transportation needs.  My impression of Segway users is that of a
leisure user.

Will the site be required to allow those motorized Razor scooters in the
house museum?

Cindy Boyer
Director of Museums and Education
The Landmark Society of Western New York
Rochester, NY
(585) 546-7029 x12
[log in to unmask]

www.landmarksociety.org

The Landmark Society of Western New York
1937-2007  - Serving for 70 years!

Our mission is to discover, protect, and revitalize 
the architectural and related cultural heritage 
of the Rochester region, and to educate and 
inform our community about that heritage.



-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Kristin Herron
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:01 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Segways in historic house museums

I am posting this on behalf of a National Park Service historic site,
which includes a historic house museum.
They are being required to develop policy on the use of a Segway within
the historic house.  The argument is apparently that it is no different
than a motorized wheel chair.  Does anyone have experience with requests
to use a Segway during a historic house museum tour, or has developed
policy on this topic? 

Thanks.

Kristin Herron




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