This document provides an overview of disability awareness training for cultural institutions. It discusses why institutions should make themselves accessible, including the institutional, economic, and legal perspectives. The economic perspective notes that about 19% of Americans have a disability, representing a large potential market. It also discusses how disability is defined, moving from a medical model to a social model focused on the interaction between individuals and their environment. The document outlines communication strategies for accessibility, including people-first language, and accommodations for different types of disabilities.

1. Disability Awareness
Training

2. You will be able to answer these questions:
Why make your museum, institution or site accessible to people
with disabilities?
Who are your users with disabilities?
How is disability defined?
What is accessibility? How to welcome different groups of patrons
with disabilities?
What is Universal Design?

3. WHY MAKE YOUR INSTITUTION ACCESSIBLE TO
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES?
Institutional Perspective
Economic Perspective
Legal Perspective

4. Institutional Perspective: Your Accessibility
Market – Not Only Museum Visitors
Accessibility is not just for your general public of
museum visitors! Your museum should also be
accessible for:
…your employees
…your board of directors
…your funders
…your artists, scientists, historians, performers
…museum service providers and vendors
…anyone who comes through the doors

5. Economic Perspective: Why Create
Access to the Arts?
Museums and other cultural institutions cannot afford to lose, or exclude
by omission, this large a group from their audience, staffing or funding
base.
• Almost 1-in-6 Americans, or 56 million people, age 5 and over, experience a
disability (2009), about 19%.
• 56 million Americans with disabilities have an aggregate income of $1 trillion,
with disposable income of $220 billion (larger than the highly sought-after teen
market of $170 billion). Of them 73% are heads of households; 58% own their
own homes; 48% are principal shoppers; 46% are married.
• 20.3 million of America’s 69.6 million families have at least one member with
a disability.
• The disabilities of aging – mobility, vision, hearing and cognition – are
categories that will grow as the baby boom generation ages. Half of the “Baby
Boomers" over 65 have a disability. The Administration on Aging projects that
by 2030 there will be more than 69 million people age 65 and older. It is the
fastest growing segment of the population.

6. Legal Perspective: Why Create
Access to the Arts?
Creating access is a legal responsibility, mandated by federal
statutes as well as state and local laws. If your state minimums are
higher than federal, you must meet your state’s codes.
Keep in mind that the law outlines only the minimum requirements.

7. Disability Legislation: Overview
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Defines the rights of people with disabilities.
Section 504 of this act forbids federally funded public and private
organizations from excluding or denying individuals with disabilities an equal
opportunity to receive benefits/services.
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990: Sets basic requirements
for access to all to public spaces, including museums. Covers physical
requirements for buildings/exhibits plus the need to provide equal
experiences/learning opportunities for people with disabilities.
• Telecommunications Act of 1996: Enables access for all Americans to the
benefits of the information superhighway.
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1994: Designed to
protect the rights of students with disabilities by ensuring free appropriate
public education to all, regardless of ability. Also provides federal financing
to state/local educational agencies to guarantee special education for
qualifying students.
• State and Local Accessibility Laws provide minimums for public
buildings, transportation, etc.

8. Spirit of the Law:
Equal Opportunity to Participate
The spirit of the law is that everyone must have an equal
opportunity to participate in cultural life. In the best of all
possible worlds, accessibility is transparent and integrated into
the everyday functioning of the museum or institution. It should
not be a “special” service. Participation for people with
disabilities should be:
•As independent and discreet as possible. Activities,
exhibitions and services, as much as is practicable, should not
be segregated from other visitor's experiences.
•As complete as possible. The aim of accessibility
accommodations is to provide comparable level of information
and experience as is given to visitors without disabilities.

9. ADA Resources
For more information contact your regional Disability and
Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs). They provide
public awareness materials, technical assistance, training, and
referrals on the ADA. For more information visit their website:
http://www.adata.org/
To reach the Center in your region, call toll-free: V/TTY:
1-800-949-4232
Copies of ADA publications are available at no or reasonable
cost.

10. HOWIS DISABILITY DEFINED?
Paradigm Shift: From Medical Disability Model to Social
Model
New Definition of Disability and Its Impact of Defining
Accessibility
“Invisible” Disabilities

11. Changing View of Disability
• Disability is a human reality that has been perceived differently by
diverse cultures and historical periods.
• For most of the 20th century, disability was defined according to a
medical models.
• Disability has traditionally been assumed to be a way to characterize
a particular set of largely static, functional limitations.
• This led to stereotyping and defining a person by condition or
limitations.

12. Disability Redefined
Disability is the
world’s largest
minority group and it
is one that anyone
can join at any time.

13. New World Health Organization (WHO)
Definition of Disabilities
In 2001, the WHO established a new definition of
disability; it is based on human rights, or social models,
and focuses on the interaction between a person with a
disability and the environment. DISABILITY is an
umbrella term, which includes several components:
• impairments: a problem in body function or structure
• activity limitations: a difficulty encountered by an
individual in executing a task or action
• participation restrictions: a problem experienced by
an individual’s involvement in life situations

14. New View: Social or Human Rights Model
• This places emphasis on contextual factors and the role played by
societies and institutions (including cultural institutions) in defining,
causing, or maintaining a disability, or disabling experiences.
• This paradigm shift allows us to focus on strategies that minimize
disabling experiences rather than “correct” or modify the individual
with a disability.

15. Paradigm Shift: Definition of Disability
OLD APPROACH
• A diagnosis
• An person is limited by the
impairment or condition
• A medical "problem"
NEW PARADIGM
• Individuals with temporary
or permanent impairments
require accommodations to
carry out life activities
• A socio-environmental issue
involving accessibility,
accommodations, and
equity

16. Paradigm Shift:
Strategies to Address Disability
OLD APPROACH
• Fix the individual
• Correct the deficit
• Provide medical, vocational,
or psychological
rehabilitation services
• People with disabilities are
objects of intervention,
research subjects or
patients
NEW PARADIGM
• Remove barriers
• Access through
accommodations and
universal design
• Opportunities and education
for a range of abilities
• Patrons with disabilities get
involved as community
members, advisors, decision
makers

17. New Definition of Disability and Its Impact on
Defining Accessibility
Disability is a mainstream experience of being human, not
something that resides in some individuals. All of us
experience some change in ability, whether permanent or
temporary.
Disability as a contextual experience. Functional limitation
is a fact. Disability is a phenomenon of the experience that
occurs by the individual intersecting with the environment,
including physical, information, communication, social, and
policy environments.
Valerie Fletcher, Institute for Human Centered Design

18. “Invisible” Disabilities
Many people who benefit from or need accessible
accommodations may not identify themselves as having a
disability. WHY?
• Changes may be temporary, such as the result of an accident
or as a side effect of medication.
• Changes are incremental and happen slowly, so the moment
when we identify ourselves as having a disability never arrives.
• Most people over 60 have or will have “acquired limitations.”
As we age, we can’t walk as far, and our eyes, ears, and hands
don’t work as well.
• The need for accessibility – better lighting, larger print,
magnified sound, accessible elevators and bathrooms, or more
seating – will remain.

19. Accessibility
Communication Strategies
Accessible Design
Accommodations and Enhancements: Mobility,
Cognitive, and Sensory
Accessible Web

20. Accessibility Skills: Communication Strategies
People-first Language
Communication Tips: Basics
Welcoming People with Physical Disabilities
Welcoming People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Welcoming People with Autism, Alzheimers and their Families
Welcoming People who are Visually Impaired
Sighted Guide Technique

21. People-first Language
People-first language emphasizes the person, not the
disability. Disability is not the primary, defining
characteristic of an individual, but one of several aspects
of the whole person.
 Note re: Deaf Culture. Many people who are D/deaf
communicate using American Sign Language and consider
themselves to be members of a cultural and linguistic minority.
Other individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing
communicate through listening and spoken language.
As always: If you don’t know, ask the person what is preferred.

22. People-first Language
People-first Language
 people with disabilities
 he has an intellectual disability
 my son has autism
 she has Down syndrome
 he has a learning disability
 she has a physical disability
 he’s of short stature or he’s short
 she has an emotional disability
 he uses a wheelchair
 typical kids or kids without disabilities
 she receives special education
services/additional support services
 accessible parking, bathrooms, etc.
 she has a need for…
Labels Not to Use
• the handicapped or disabled
• the mentally retarded
• my son is autistic
• she’s a Downs kid, a
mongoloid
• he’s learning disabled
• she’s crippled
• he’s a dwarf (or midget)
• she’s emotionally disturbed
• he’s wheelchair bound or
confined to a wheelchair
• normal and/or healthy kid
• she’s in special ed
• handicapped parking,
bathrooms, etc.
• she has a problem with…
This material is reprinted with the permission of
© 1999 The North Carolina Office on Disability and Health

23. Common Stereotypes to Avoid
• Representing or treating a person with a disability
as dependent or as an object of pity
• Putting the person with a disability on a pedestal
• Representing the person with a disability as having
special gifts or abilities because of his or her
disability

24. Communication Tips: Basics
• Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.
• Treat adults as adults.
• Don’t make assumptions about what a person can or
cannot do.
• Ask before giving assistance. If you offer help and the
person says “no,” don’t insist. If the answer is “yes,” ask
how you can best help and follow directions.
• If someone with a disability is accompanied by another
individual, address the person with a disability directly.
Don’t speak through the other person.
• Expect diversity of preferences and opinions.

25. Welcoming
People with Physical Disabilities
• Personal space includes a person’s wheelchair,
crutches, cane or other mobility aid. Never move them
without permission.
• Do not push a person’s wheelchair or grab the arm of
someone walking with difficulty without first asking if you
can help.
• When speaking to a person using a wheelchair for more
than a few minutes, try to find a seat for yourself so that
the two of you are at eye level.

26. Welcoming
People who Are D/deaf or Hard of Hearing
• Ask the person how he or she prefers to communicate.
• If you are speaking through an interpreter, remember that the
interpreter may lag a few words behind. Pause occasionally.
• Talk directly to the person who is D/deaf or hard of hearing, not to
the interpreter.
• Before you speak, make sure you have the person’s attention
and that he/she is looking at you. A wave, a light touch on the
shoulder are appropriate ways to get attention. If an individual
uses listening and spoken language, saying the individual’s name
is an appropriate way to get his or her attention.
• Speak in a clear, expressive manner. Do not over enunciate or
exaggerate words, or raise your voice.
• The goal is communication; don’t pretend to understand if you did
not. Ask the person to repeat it or write it down.

27. Speech- or Lip-reading: Things to Remember
• It is important to note that not all D/deaf individuals can lip-read.
• At best it is about a 50% guess, with the remainder
understood through context. Sometimes words are
missed and many words look the same on the lips, such
as when forming words containing “f” and “v”, “s” and “z”,
“sh” and “ch” and “b”, “m” and “p”. As a result, names of
people, places, or things (words that cannot be “figured
out”) should be spelled out.
• Make sure there is lighting on your face, and keep your
hands and other objects away from your mouth.
• Face the person directly and maintain eye contact. Don’t
turn your back or walk around while talking.

28. Welcoming
People who Are D/deaf or Hard of Hearing (cont.)
• If the person uses sign language, and you know any American Sign
Language (ASL) or fingerspelling, try it.
• If you offer museum programs in ASL, consider training an
individual who is fluent in ASL to facilitate your program.
• Have staff trained to take calls via relay from D/deaf callers.
• If you can provide an Email address for reservations (as opposed
to a phone number), this is much easier for many D/deaf to use.
• People who are D/deaf or hard of hearing use assistive listening
devices, hearing loops, captioned films, and captioned museum
tours.
• One option is CART (Communication Access Real-time Translation,
also referred to as real-time captioning; can done via the
Internet). Often, your visitor can voice for herself (expressive
communication) and uses CART to understand what others are
saying, especially in meetings, classrooms, or large events
(receptive communication).

29. Welcoming People with Dementia
and their Families
When first meeting a visitor with dementia:
• Be open hearted. People with dementia respond
well to genuine hospitality.
• Speak directly to the person. Assume that
he/she is capable of responding.
• Wait for a response. It takes people with
dementia longer to process information,
especially when they are in a new environment.

30. Welcoming People with Dementia
and their Families (cont.)
When greeting a visitor with dementia:
• Make eye contact with the person. Get to eye level.
Shake hands upon greeting.
• Introduce yourself. Ask, “And you are?”
• Give clear directions to waiting areas, coat room,
restrooms (one at a time).
• Use gesture to clarify directions.

31. Welcoming People with Dementia
and their Families (cont.)
When giving a group tour:
• Provide a name tag in a large, bold font for each participant.
• Introduce the group leader.
• Use simple, bold signage to enhance orientation (example: 4th
floor go right →). These signs may be generated specifically for
the visit.
• When moving through the museum, be clear about where you are
going. For instance, say, “We are taking this elevator to 4.”
• People with dementia do not want sympathy. Include them in
conversation and activities.
• Listen. People with dementia may have surprising and
remarkable insights to share.

32. Welcoming People with Autism
Basics
• Autism is a broad spectrum disorder. Some people with
autism are unable to verbalize. If a person does not
respond to a verbal question, assume they understood
you, but may not be able to speak.
• If possible, offer another means of communication, such
as pen/paper, or an iPad.
• Many people with autism have auditory processing
issues. Do not give multi-step commands or use run-on
sentences. Straightforward, clear remarks are best.
• Some people with autism are sensitive to touch, and
some may react with intensity when touched. Museum
staff and security should be aware of this.

33. Welcoming People with Autism (cont.)
Stimming
• Many people with autism appear disconnected, may not
make eye contact, and may have stereotypy (“stims”)
such as handclapping or rocking (and some have verbal
stims). Do not assume that they are not taking everything
in; they are.
• People may stim for a variety of reasons, such as
because they are in an unfamiliar place or are excited.
Stimming may be how the person with autism regulates
incoming sensory stimulation to avoid being
overwhelmed by stimuli. Do not discourage them –
unless, of course, it presents a danger.

34. Welcoming People with Autism (cont.)
• People with autism may have visual processing
difficulties. In particular, sudden and unexpected
movement can be disturbing to them. Security staff
should avoid rushing up to someone who, for instance, is
stimming.
• Crowds can be challenging for people with autism.
Museum personnel should know where there is a quiet
space to which they can direct families, if needed.
• Loud noises can be disturbing and, conversely, low-level
noises, such as buzzing from fluorescent lights (which
also might flicker) can be bothersome. Be aware that
something most people might not react to could be an
issue for a person with autism whose sensory system is
very sensitive.

35. Welcoming People with Autism (cont.)
Social story
• If providing programs for groups of children or
adults with autism, develop a social story about a
visit to the museum that can be made available to
the group or families with members with autism prior
to the visit.
• Previewing an experience and having a sense of
what to expect is important to people on the autism
spectrum. See the example in the resource section.

36. Welcoming People with Autism (cont.)
When giving a group tour:
• At the beginning of a group visit, set clear
parameters and explain how long you will be doing
certain activities.
• Reminders are important as well. For many people
with autism, transitions can be difficult, so letting
them know that a transition is coming up is
important.
• Alert people in advance if you are entering a space
with films or videos that include bright lights, loud
noises, abrupt actions.

37. Welcoming People with Autism (cont.)
Preparing for eventuality
• Have a system in place to assist a person with
autism who is lost in the museum. This is
particularly important for someone who is non-verbal
or has limited verbal skills.
• Consider providing special name tags or badges to
families/groups that include a people with autism.
This would help reunite someone who is lost with
his/her group.

38. Welcoming People who Are Blind
or Have Low Vision
• Don’t assume that help is needed. Always ask
before providing assistance.
• Never push, pull or grab a blind person. This can
be frightening and it’s often embarrassing.
• Don’t shout. Most blind people have normal
hearing. Speak clearly and strongly if you know that
an older visually impaired person also has a hearing
problem.
• Introduce yourself. Not everyone recognizes
voices or remembers them.

39. Welcoming People who Are Blind
or Have Low Vision (cont.)
• Identify yourself when entering a room and let
the blind person know when you are leaving.
Don’t leave a blind person talking to an empty
room.
• Don’t leave a blind person standing alone in an
open space.
• Don’t hesitate to use words like “see” and
“look.”
• Give explicit directions to a blind person, such as
“on your left,” “to the right of your plate,” “three
blocks north.”
• Do not use hand signals.

40. Sighted Guide Technique
Basic technique:
The person who is blind
or has low vision holds
the guide’s arm lightly
above the elbow and
allows the guide to walk
one-half step ahead. This
allows him or her to feel
and follow the guide’s
direction.

41. Accommodations Used to Create
Equal Access for All
There are three basic types of accommodations or
enhancements that make an environment more
accessible for people with disabilities:
• Mobility enhancements
• Cognitive enhancements
• Sensory enhancements.
Some of them we have already mentioned.

42. Mobility: Not Just Wheelchairs
Keep in mind:
• Wheelchairs come in a variety of styles and sizes, with
many types of attachments available. Only some are
assisted by someone who pushes the chair.
• Other assistive devices include Segways, service dogs,
canes, walkers, and adaptive devices for gripping
objects, writing or drawing, or for activities of daily
living, such as drinking or eating.

43. Sensory Enhancements
• For those who have difficulty accessing
visual information, accommodations
include large print and Braille, verbal and
audio description, tactile and sound
experiences, and magnifying devices and
other assistive technologies.
• For those who have difficulty accessing
aural information or sounds,
accommodations include: Sign language
interpreters, assistive listening devices,
text transcripts, captioning, and
descriptive cues.

44. Cognitive or Learning Enhancements
Information can be presented in a variety of ways.
Examples of alternate representations of content
Include:
• Visual: Images or diagrams, maps, charts or
graphs
• Tactile: Tactile diagrams, maps and graphics,
Braille, other tactile experiences
• Auditory: Audio-guides, music, sound effects
• Text: Large print, digital media, captioning

45. Cognitive or Learning Enhancements (cont.)
During group tours or other structured programming,
cognitive accommodations might include:
• Adjustments in pace, content, and choice of language
• Allowing extra time for transitions in activity or location
• Keeping group size small
• Modifying light and sound levels
• Avoiding perceptual and sensory overloads

46. Creating an Accessible Environment
Universal Design
Universal Design for Learning
Accessible Web

47. What is Universal Design?
Universal Design is part of a spectrum of
making places, things, programs, policies, and
information usable by all people, to the greatest
extent possible, without the need for adaptation
or specialized design.

48. Principles of Universal Design*
• Equitable Use: The design does not disadvantage or stigmatize any group of
users.
• Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual
preferences and abilities.
• Simple, Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of
the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration
level.
• Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information
effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory
abilities.
• Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse
consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
• Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and
with a minimum of fatigue.
• Size and Space for Approach and Use: Appropriate size and space is
provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user's
body size, posture, or mobility.

49. Accessible Exhibit Design Elements
• Easy to understand regardless of user experience,
knowledge, language skills, or concentration levels
• Clear organization of important information
• Redundant, multimodal presentations: Pictorial,
verbal, tactile, audio
• Inclusive, not segregated experiences
• Provide choice in how to use and allow user to
adapt pace
• Minimize fatigue: physical and sensory
• Allow size and space for approach and use: Line of
sight and reach, whether seated or standing
• Adequate space for assistive device or personal
assistance

50. Universal Design for Learning Principles
(CAST, www.cast.org)
Components of a universally-designed learning
environment:
• Multiple means of representation
– learners have a variety of ways to acquire
information and knowledge
• Multiple means of expression
– learners have alternative means for demonstrating
what they know
• Multiple means of engagement
– learners' interests are piqued; they are appropriately
challenged and motivated to learn

51. Accessible Web
• Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can
perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with a
website, and that they can contribute to the Web.
• Remember that your whole site, and not only its
accessibility section, needs to be legible and accessible.
• Web accessibility benefits other users as well, including
older people with changing abilities due to aging. Web
accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect
access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical,
speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.

52. The following people/organizations contributed to this presentation:
• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• David Barclay, LCSW-C, Ph.D., Gallaudet University
• Peggy Becker, NY Metro Chapter of the National Autism Association
• Valerie Fletcher, Institute for Human-Centered Design
• Nancy Lee Hendley, Alzheimer’s Association, New York City Chapter
• Lise Hamlin, Hearing Loss Association of America
• Laurie Hanin, Ph.D., Center for Hearing and Communication
• Kristen Johnson, Ph.D,, Ohio State University,
• Sabeeha Rehman. NY Metro Chapter of the National Autism Assn.
• Kim Mack Rosenberg, NY Metro Chapter of the National Autism Assn.
• Robert I. Roth, University of Washington, Seattle
• Lisa Rudley, NY Metro Chapter of the National Autism Assn.
© 2011 Art Beyond Sight/Art Education for the Blind