Audiences+with+Physical+Disabilities

= = == //"Thus, the museum ensures that:...programs are accessible and encourage participation of the widest possible audience consistent with its mission and resources..."// - The American Association of Museums - Code of Ethics for Museums, 2000 = = =Introduction=

As museum educators, our relationship with the public is twofold: in institutions that seek to serve the public, we hold positions whose goal is to create safe spaces and advocate for the public, ensuring that our institutions truly welcome and serve anyone who seeks to come through our doors and experience what we have to offer.

To advocate for the public means to advocate for //everyone//, and to advocate for every part of the visitor. More than that, it means that we value every potential visitor, meeting them where they are and providing for them what they seek from the museum. Our job is all about removing barriers: barriers to learning, certainly, but also barriers to access. If a visitor who uses a wheelchair cannot traverse a flight of steps to reach an exhibit, a visitor who is blind cannot read a flat map to find where to begin the museum experience, a visitor who is hard-of-hearing cannot listen to an uncaptioned introductory video, then our museums reject the validity of the right of an entire segment of the population the experiences we provide. We must work to break down first those obstructions that bar people with physical disabilities from making full use of our institutions.

Our job does not end at the front door or the information desk, however. As we seek to provide for the whole visitor, so too we must provide a whole experience, not one that makes no accommodations for visitors with physical disabilities. We expand our horizons about perception--do you need to see a painting with your eyes in order to know it?--to provide programs, tours, interactives, and objects that are just as fully articulated and exciting as those utilized by our visitors who do not have low vision, who are not hard of hearing, or who do not use wheelchairs. We are invited to think creatively about our museums, just as we invite our visitors--all visitors--to think creatively and interact with exhibitions and programs. There are no disadvantages to working to expand the audience that has access to our valuable materials and educational experiences.

Audience Profile
According to the latest press release (12/18/08) on Americans with disabilities from the U.S. Census Bureau, about one in five U.S. residents - 19 percent - reported some level of disability in 2005. These 54.4 million Americans are roughly equal to the combined total populations of California and Florida.

Both the number and percentage of people with disabilities were higher than in 2002, the last time the Census Bureau collected such information. At that time, 51.2 million, or 18 percent, reported a disability. Among those with a disability, 35 million, or 12 percent of the population, were classified as having a severe disability, according to [|Americans with Disabilities: 2005]

Nearly half (46 percent) of people age 21 to 64 with a disability were employed, compared with 84 percent of people in this age group without a disability. Among those with disabilities, 31 percent with severe disabilities and 75 percent with nonsevere disabilities were employed. People with difficulty hearing were more likely to be employed than those with difficulty seeing (59 percent compared with 41 percent).

A portion of people with disabilities — 11 million age 6 and older — needed personal assistance with everyday activities. These activities include such tasks as getting around inside the home, taking a bath or shower, preparing meals and performing light housework.

Other important findings:
 * Among people 15 and older, 7.8 million (3 percent) had difficulty hearing a normal conversation, including 1 million being unable to hear at all. Although not part of the definition of disability used in the report, 4.3 million people reported using a hearing aid.
 * Roughly 3.3 million people, or 1 percent, age 15 and older used a wheelchair or similar device, with 10.2 million, or 4 percent, using a cane, crutches or walker.
 * Nearly 7.8 million people age 15 and older had difficulty seeing words or letters in ordinary newspaper print, including 1.8 million being completely unable to see.
 * More than 16 million people had difficulty with cognitive, mental or emotional functioning. This included 8.4 million with one or more problems that interfere with daily activities, such as frequently being depressed or anxious, trouble getting along with others, trouble concentrating and trouble coping with stress.
 * The chances of having a disability increase with age: 18.1 million people 65 and older, or 52 percent, had a disability. Of this number, 12.9 million, or 37 percent, had a severe disability. For people 80 and older, the disability rate was 71 percent, with 56 percent having a severe disability.
 * Among people 16 to 64, 13.3 million, or 7 percent, reported difficulty finding a job or remaining employed because of a health-related condition.
 * Among people 25 to 64 with a severe disability, 27 percent were in poverty, compared with 12 percent for people with a nonsevere disability and 9 percent for those without a disability.
 * Median monthly earnings were $1,458 for people with a severe disability, $2,250 for people with a nonsevere disability and $2,539 for those with no disability.
 * Parents reported that 228,000 children under age 3, or 2 percent, had a disability. Specifically, they either had a developmental delay or difficulty moving their arms or legs. In addition, there were 475,000 children 3 to 5 years, or 4 percent, with a disability, which meant they had either a developmental delay or difficulty walking, running or playing.
 * There were 4.7 million children 6 to 14, or 13 percent, with a disability. The most prevalent type was difficulty doing regular schoolwork (2.5 million, or 7 percent).

For more detailed information, please see the following pages:


 * __People who are blind or have low vision__**
 * __People who are deaf or hard of hearing__**


 * __People who have mobility impairments__**

=Legal Obligations=

Regardless of size or income, most museums have legal obligations to provide and maintain accessibility for visitors with disabilities. Privately operated museums are covered as public accommodations under title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Museums operated by state or local governments are covered by the ADA's title II, while museums receiving Federal funding - whether they are covered by title II or title III - are also covered by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

[|Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]

[|Fact Sheet: Your Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act]

=Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design=

This document sets guidelines for accessibility to places of public accommodation and commercial facilities by individuals with disabilities. These guidelines are to be applied during the design, construction and alteration of such buildings and facilities to the extent required by regulations issued by Federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

[|ADA Standards for Accessible Design]

=Effective Strategies=

Technology and Amenities
= = =**Practical Applications**=

= = = = =Potential Partners and Resources=
 * Has your institution implemented a particularly successful program? Click here to add your ideas to the Practical Application section!**