Hi, folks. You may be interested in this piece of correspondence regarding
the accessibility of a Missouri museum.
Gary
From: Chris Nusbaum [mailto:dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2015 7:34 PM
To: praymond at theworldwar.org
Cc: kfitch at theworldwar.org; abouma at comcast.net; gwunder at earthlink.net;
Cherylandmaxx; officeofthepresident at nfb.org
Subject: Audio Tour Inaccessible to the Blind
Chris Nusbaum, Vice President
Maryland Association of Blind Students
Taneytown, Maryland
January 2, 2015
Patrick Raymond, Director of Operations
National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial
Kansas City, Missouri
Dear Mr. Raymond:
I am writing to you to address a problem I encountered while
visiting your museum which prevented me from having full access to the
educational experience it provides. This is a problem which, if not
addressed, could have a lasting impact on all blind people who may visit
your museum in the future. Moreover, it could even affect the museum itself.
On December 27, 2014, I visited the museum with some members
of my family. As we purchased our tickets at the front desk, I inquired
about the availability of an audio tour which could describe and expand upon
some of the artifacts located in your exhibits. Kristen Fitch, who was
working at the reception desk at the time, told me that such a guide was
available. Upon handing me the device, however, she explained that the guide
is operated by typing a number corresponding to a certain display into a
number pad located on a flat-panel touch screen. None of the buttons on the
device, excepting the "play", "rewind", and "fast forward" buttons, are
raised at all. This means that in order for me to successfully use the
guide, a sighted person had to enter the desired number on the keypad.
Furthermore, the map which outlined the stops on the audio tour and their
corresponding numbers was available only in inkprint, meaning that it could
only be read by a sighted person. Therefore, as a device purchased
specifically for the blind, it is inaccessible to the very people for whom
it was intended.
Your purchase of this audio guide indicates your interest in
ensuring that the wealth of information your museum has to offer is
accessible to blind visitors. However, the inaccessibility of the device
used to get at this content only allows us to enjoy partial access.
Therefore, I would respectfully request that you, in your capacity as
Director of Operations, explore the replacement of your current audio guide
with one which has a raised number pad rather than a touch screen. I would
also ask that you or your staff bring this issue to the attention of the
manufacturer of the device you are presently using, in the hope that they
would resolve it. I have visited many museums in other parts of the country
whose audio tours have such keypads, so I am confident that you will be able
to find one.
Additionally, it would be helpful if the accompanying maps could be
transcribed into Braille, whether as a text-only list or as a tactile
graphic. There are many companies around the country which transcribe
various kinds of literature into Braille, including maps. I believe there is
at least one such company located in your area, though I do not know its
name. A search on the Internet should allow you to find one which could
transcribe your literature.
I am also a member of the National Federation of the Blind,
this nation's oldest and largest organization made up primarily of blind
people. As a consumer organization with over 50,000 members nationwide, our
collective voice is the loudest and most powerful in the field of work with
the blind. In addition to our advocacy work on behalf of blind people, we
serve as a resource to organizations like yours on blindness and
accessibility. Through the collective experience of thousands of blind
people and the knowledge of America's premier experts on accessibility, we
have amassed much experience in this field and have helped organizations
large and small improve the accessibility of their products and services.
Our organization would be happy to help yours in this effort. I have copied
some of our leaders on this letter, including the Presidents of our Missouri
affiliate and our Travel and Tourism division. I hope you will take
advantage of the experience and expertise our organization can provide
yours.
I am very appreciative of the efforts your museum has
already made to accommodate the needs of your blind visitors. I therefore do
not bring this issue to your attention to criticize or confront, but rather
to help you in improving upon what you have already begun so that future
blind museumgoers will be able to enjoy full and equal access to the
education you provide. We in the National Federation of the Blind are
prepared to lend our experience to you that we may work together to realize
our dream of access to all information for the blind. I am also willing to
help as I am able. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my colleagues in
the Federation if we can be of any assistance as you and your staff work to
achieve this end. I thank you in advance for your attention to and
consideration of this letter and look forward to partnering with you and
your organization in the future. May 2015 be a year of progress and
prosperity for you and for the museum.
Sincerely yours,
Chris Nusbaum, Vice President
Maryland Association of Blind Students
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
CC: Kristen Fitch, Retail Supervisor
National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial
Gary Wunder, President
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Cheryl Echevaria, President
Travel and Tourism Division, National Federation of the Blind
Mark Riccobono, President
National Federation of the Blind