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| I coordinate the American Sign Language (ASL)
Program at the Aquarium. We hire an ASL interpreter to interpret a variety
of programs on the first Sunday of every month. The interpreter works
during our busiest time, 1-5pm. Visitors who are Deaf do not always
identify themselves, but interpreters assure me that visitors who are
Deaf are in the audience. We advertise this service on a local listserve
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and on the homepage of the Massachusetts
Commission for the Deaf. Because we want to expand our services, I am
talking with a local university to make the Aquarium a site where their
fourth-year ASL/Deaf Education students would do their practicums.
J, Boston |
| My husband and I go to lots of places
together, including movies. We don't want to be separated because he's
in a chair and needs special seating--we want to sit with the friends
we brought with us. But even though we try to get to places early, we
sometimes find that the designated accessible seats are already occupied
by people who look able-bodied. That's when we need staff to be aware
of this possibility and ready to ask them to move. My husband's eyesight
has also been affected by his disability. Movies that are audio-described
work best for us. M A & M, Ohio |
| I still remember my embarrassment as
leader of a session at ASTC on accessibility and finding out that the
space we were assigned was inaccessible. One of my presenters used a
wheelchair and did he let us have it! Whoops! It could not have been
more embarrassing for him, for me, for ASTC or for the members of the
audience. And it might have been the best way to open our collective
eyes to a problem which up until then we were only paying lip service
to. J, Arizona |
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This illustration helps explain the differences in clear floor space needed for wheelchair seating on the front row and in a middle row. It's from the UFAS Retrofit Manual (page 319). Not being a wheelchair user myself, it took me a moment to understand the reason for the difference. As you will no doubt readily see, the difference is in the approach—from the side or from the front or rear. The side approach requires the removal of six seats to create a minimum space of 66 inches by 60 inches while the front or rear approach requires the removal of three standard seats to create minimum space of 66 inches by 48 inches. What is not clear from this illustration, but certainly makes good sense, is the requirement that all wheelchair seating spaces must be level. S, Washington D. C. |
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This illustration on page 75 of the
publication Accessible Temporary Events: A Planning Guide written
by The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University,
Raleigh, shows a classroom-style setup with tables, chairs, and spaces
for wheelchair users. There's quite a lot to note here, including
aisle width (minimum of five feet in side and front aisles and six
feet along the back); numbers of chairs removed to make space for
each wheelchair (two); space between tables used for wheelchair seating
(minimum of five feet). Illustrations like these (plus a measuring
tape) can be given to staff responsible for setting up chairs and
tables for events. |
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| The Settlement
Agreements listed on the web pages of the U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) help me know what to look for and consider when it comes to accessible
practices whether related to a facility or to goods and services. The
DOJ's
Agreement with the Washington Opera Company to improve their ticketing
policies does not overlook the role of staff/employees. Whether it's
a ticketed event or not, I'm sure you agree that your staff needs to
know your policies. This is from the Agreement: "The Opera will provide
training to all of its employees about the new ticketing policy and
this Agreement, inform all of its employees of the identity of the ADA
Coordinator, instruct all of its employees to comply with the provisions
of this Agreement, and distribute a copy of the new ticketing policy
in writing to each staff person." Sally, Washington, DC |
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Due to the enormous popularity of
our Mini Zoo, we get a great number of inquiries from school groups,
including those with students with disabilities. Schools usually provide
sign language interpreters, but the museum has also provided interpreters
with advanced notification. I am not fluent in sign language nor have
ever been in direct contact with someone who signs, so presenting
programs to students who sign was extremely difficult (to say the
least). Frustrated that I did not even know how to say "Hi. My name
is Ms. Cara. Welcome to our Museum," I took an introductory course
in sign language at a local college. I can now decipher when a student
is asking a question and can pick up some words to understand what
they would like to know (as someone who is not fluent in a foreign
language does by understanding some words in the sentence then linking
them to understand the whole idea). I also use "simple" signs to communicate
to students who are autistic and who use signs to communicate. So
far, I am able to ask about the color of the animal, where it lives,
and what it eats. |
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| www.astc.org |
| Copyright 2006 by the Association of Science Technology Centers Incorporated. All rights reserved. |
This photo shows the ramp that leads
to the stage in an auditorium built several years ago as part of a
building complex in our botanical garden that includes a visitor's
center, gift shop, library, classrooms, and offices. On one side of
the stage is this ramp; on the other, several steps. The ramp was
designed to fit right in so it does not look like an "add-on." Speakers
can easily use the ramp to get to the stage as can members of the
audience. Many of our visitors are older adults, and some use canes.
The handrails shown in the photo are not only along the ramp but extend
along each side of the auditorium. I have watched many people using
the handrails as they walk to their seats. MJ, Alabama