The Museum as an Inclusive Community: A Blueprint for Moving Forward
This paper is a law and policy writing focusing on enforcement and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Architectural Barriers Act.
Abstract
The focus of this study is museum accessibility for patrons with
disabilities. The history of museums and their evolution into institutions that
strive to create an inclusive community means that many aspects of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as well as the Architectural Barriers
Act of 1968 are applicable. Developing a tool for assessing museum
compliance with the law was key to gathering data to use for improving
compliance with the law. Using this data and comparing current compliance
in four museums to three major legal cases against museums showed
common areas for improvement in accessibility in all facilities involved in
this study. Technical solutions for creating an inclusive museum are pulled
from legal settlements as well as accessibility websites and presented here.