[Travelandtourism] Your Trip Description

[Mary Donahue]

Hello Jewel and everyone,

	That was a good description of your 
Washington trip. I am not sure my trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, will be quite
as descriptive, as I will be visiting my mother and getting re-acquainted
with my brother and his family. Needless to say, I will find something about
which to tell.

Mary Donahue


-----Original Message-----
From: travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jewel
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 10:26 AM
To: NFB Travel and Tourism Division List
Subject: [Travelandtourism] A recent visit to Washington DC

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I went to Washington, DC. We visited the
Smithsonian Institute (the Castle),the American History Museum, the Natural
History Museum, and the Air and Space Center. We were pleased by the way the
Smithsonian has made their museums more blind-friendly, and wanted to share
some of the things we discovered with you all.

We came in on the Amtrak train (as usual, we don't fly...we ride the train).
Getting from the train station to the hotel meant taking the metro, which we
did with little trouble, since there are people everywhere to ask for
directions as needed. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on C street, which is a
good low-cost hotel within a few blocks of the Mall.

First thing on Saturday morning we were off to the Smithsonian Institute,
also called the Castle. This is a red brick building that my boyfriend
claims "looks like the Taj Mahal." Inside, we did what we always do in a new
place....we visited the customer service desk to ask about accessibility.
There were a number of things they could offer to us: a Braille guide to the
museums (free), another Braille guide to the traveling exhibits in each
museum ($2), and a suggestion that next time we visit we should call ahead
to get a tactile tour at our favourite museum (it requires 2-3 weeks
notice). We also viewed a tactile map of the mall, from the LIncoln memorial
to the Capitol building. We also had the pleasure to explore a 3-D model of
the mall that really made it easier for me to understand where we were
going.

On to the American History museum! There, we found tactile images at some
stations, such as the Philedalphia gunboat (which kinda looks like a rowboat
with a big gun plopped down on it). The transportation area had a
beautifully detailed tactile image of how the ships used the buoys to get
into the harbor, along with some lovely stone figures of people from history
"waiting for the train." Lunch came quickly, and we headed downstairs to the
cafe, where a greeter was more than willing to explain what was available
and make suggestions (I had a fried eggplant sandwich which was delightful).

After lunch, we went to the Natural History museum. Here, too, they had
tactile images, raised models, and in the mammals exhibit, models of their
skulls to feel.The evolution of man exhibit also had skulls from
Osteolopithicus to homo sapien, and there was no one telling us we couldn't
touch....touching and explorign was encouraged. There was also a video in
this exhibit, which was fully narrated so I could follow it very easily.

Our final stop was the Air and Space museum, where they haven't quite gotten
as far as the other museums yet. Upon asking about tactile images, they
provided booklets that could be borrowed (one for each
exhibit) full of Braill and raised line images. The Air and Space center is
planning to put tactile images on their stations during the next renovation,
date undetermined as of yet.

We did have one issue at the Air and Space museum, which was when we went to
watch an IMax show. We requested DVS for me (which we had been told was
available). First, they tried to hook up closed captioning.
Then they spent twenty minutes (during the show!) trying to figure out what
I needed, though my boyfriend kept telling them "Descriptive Video Services
for the Blind." We finally recieved the right device twenty minutes before
the end of the show, and gave the staff an earful about it. My suggestions
for anyone needing DVS at the IMAX in the Smithsonians would be to get there
half an hour early, ask for the descriptive video services for the blind
(blind being a key word) and note that it is the device that looks like the
top half of a stetheoscope. The more detail, the more likely they are to get
it right.

Overall, we were quite proud of how well the Smithsonians have made their
museums accessible. It is a step in the right direction and a model for
museums across the nation. We had a great time in DC, and hope if you go,
you will too!

Yours Amiably,
Jewel

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