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Spy Museum more accessible to blind, deaf patrons - Examiner.com
A popular museum that explores the world of espionage is offering tactile maps, audio tours and other features to help visually and hearing impaired visitors under an agreement announced Tuesday that settles a federal investigation.
The agreement between the International Spy Museum and the Justice Department establishes a new level of access to museums for disabled visitors, officials said. The changes include providing tactile maps of the museum's floor plan, adding closed-captioning to many audiovisual exhibits, and offering audio tours in which guides describe various films and exhibits.
"I hope that the Spy Museum will set the example for other museums here in the Washington, D.C., area and across the country," said Grace Chung Becker, the Justice Department's acting assistant attorney general for civil rights. "They've really been a leader in this area."
Officials were unable to provide the exact cost of the changes but said the Spy Museum spent about half a million dollars. The improvements come after a blind man complained to the Justice Department in 2004 that the museum's exhibits were inaccessible.
"From day one, we have tried to be a welcoming museum to all the public," said Spy Museum Executive Director Peter Earnest, explaining that the 6-year-old museum already was largely wheelchair accessible. "There are numerous other things that can still be done, and that is what we learned in working with the Justice Department."
Earnest said the changes include providing hearing impaired visitors with a device the size of a credit card dubbed the "spy's eye." Worn around the neck, the device triggers closed-captioning when visitors approach a film or interactive computer program. Text on the walls next to exhibits also will accompany audio narration or ambient sound.
And beginning in July, visually impaired visitors can schedule tours at least two weeks in advance to have special guides provide detailed descriptions of the exhibits. Visitors also will be able to touch replicas of weapons and other gadgets on display.
By the fall, the museum will provide visitors with maps that use Braille and raised lines to indicate the different areas of the museum, Earnest said.
Many museums have worked to make their exhibits more accessible, said Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums. But the Spy Museum's approach is the most far-reaching.
"It's just so extensive ... in terms of the range of activities that are involved," Bell said.
About 16 million Americans have a disability that affects the senses, according to the Justice Department. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act requires that where necessary, public accommodations provide aids and other services to ensure effective communication.
The Spy Museum has had more than 4 million visitors since opening in 2002.
A popular museum that explores the world of espionage is offering tactile maps, audio tours and other features to help visually and hearing impaired visitors under an agreement announced Tuesday that settles a federal investigation.
The agreement between the International Spy Museum and the Justice Department establishes a new level of access to museums for disabled visitors, officials said. The changes include providing tactile maps of the museum's floor plan, adding closed-captioning to many audiovisual exhibits, and offering audio tours in which guides describe various films and exhibits.
"I hope that the Spy Museum will set the example for other museums here in the Washington, D.C., area and across the country," said Grace Chung Becker, the Justice Department's acting assistant attorney general for civil rights. "They've really been a leader in this area."
Officials were unable to provide the exact cost of the changes but said the Spy Museum spent about half a million dollars. The improvements come after a blind man complained to the Justice Department in 2004 that the museum's exhibits were inaccessible.
"From day one, we have tried to be a welcoming museum to all the public," said Spy Museum Executive Director Peter Earnest, explaining that the 6-year-old museum already was largely wheelchair accessible. "There are numerous other things that can still be done, and that is what we learned in working with the Justice Department."
Earnest said the changes include providing hearing impaired visitors with a device the size of a credit card dubbed the "spy's eye." Worn around the neck, the device triggers closed-captioning when visitors approach a film or interactive computer program. Text on the walls next to exhibits also will accompany audio narration or ambient sound.
And beginning in July, visually impaired visitors can schedule tours at least two weeks in advance to have special guides provide detailed descriptions of the exhibits. Visitors also will be able to touch replicas of weapons and other gadgets on display.
By the fall, the museum will provide visitors with maps that use Braille and raised lines to indicate the different areas of the museum, Earnest said.
Many museums have worked to make their exhibits more accessible, said Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums. But the Spy Museum's approach is the most far-reaching.
"It's just so extensive ... in terms of the range of activities that are involved," Bell said.
About 16 million Americans have a disability that affects the senses, according to the Justice Department. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act requires that where necessary, public accommodations provide aids and other services to ensure effective communication.
The Spy Museum has had more than 4 million visitors since opening in 2002.