User:Shalor (Wiki Ed)/ABS

{db-spam|help=off}} Art Beyond Sight (ABS) is a non-profit organization that works with museums to increase the accessibility of their exhibits and facilities for blind and low-sighted patrons, as well as patrons with other disabilities. The organization also works with schools that have a focus on museum studies.

Background
ABS was founded in 1987 in New York City, New York by Elisabeth Salzhauer Axel as the Art Education for the Blind group. This move was prompted by Axel's grandmother, an art lover, beginning to lose her sight and Axel realizing how few accommodations there were for the blind.

Teaching Modules
ABS’ work and research conducted in conjunction with museums is separated into 6 teaching modules:


 * Module 1 – State of the Field: Museum Accessibility
 * Module 2 – Understanding Our Stakeholders: The Disability Community
 * Module 3 – Communicating and Interacting with People with Disabilities
 * Module 4 – Museum Access: Universal Design
 * Module 5 – Museum Access: Multimodal Engagement
 * Module 6 – Museum Access: Inclusive Practices in Museums

Module 1 - State of the Field: Museum Accessibility
Module 1 first goes into the laws that are in place in America that are the driving force behind museums making accessible features more widespread - the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA), and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The ADA in particular made accessibility requirements for museum and other public facilities stricter and more in depth.

Museums must balance modern accessibility features without affecting exhibit authenticity.

Module 2 - Understanding our Stakeholders: the Disability Community
According to the 2010 census data, 56.7 million Americans are living with a disability. In particular, the module describes visual, hearing, and mental impairments. The module proceeds to discuss other artists that had visual impairments and how their sight may have affected their work. The module demonstrates how the artist may have seen their work through an interactive simulation. Finally, the module discusses an art exhibit titled “EveryBody: An Artifact History of Disability in America” at the Smithsonian.

Module 3 - Communicating and Interacting with People with Disabilities
The five main disabilities that museum staff (Visitor Services, Educators, Security, Docents, Volunteers) will come in contact with most are: Blind or Visually Impaired, Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Mobility Impairments, Cognitive Impairments, and Invisible Impairments. ABS strongly recommends that museums use People-First Language. “People-First Language emphasizes the person, not the disability. A disability is not the primary, defining characteristic of an individual, rather just one of several aspects of the whole person.”

Blind or visually impaired visitors should be asked if they “would like assistance” and directed to admissions desk staff. Admissions should have braille or large print versions of museum guides handy, and should be equipped with the proper training to address these patrons in a respectful manner. For these visitors, audio-equipped guides may be the most useful when traveling independently around a museum.

Module 4 - Museum Access: Universal Design
For more information, visit the Universal Design page. Universal design in general refers to building practices that make structures universally accessible by all - and can include wheelchair ramps, textured walking surfaces, or color coded steps.

Module 5 - Museum Access: Multimodal Engagement
In this module, the idea of having a multimodal engagement philosophy is discussed. “Multimodal refers to the diverse formats available for delivering content and communicating messages. “ The museum must approach the idea of content and message delivery through different formats in order to reach patrons with different accessibility needs. In particular, the module focuses on physical accessibility, cognitive accessibility, social access, and emotional access. Multimodal engagement can be achieved through making guide-led tours more dynamic, more interactive museum exhibits, and larger and more easily readable museum literature, among others.

Module 6 - Museum Access: Inclusive Practices in Museums
This module specifies how each individual department in a museum can assist in making a museum more accessible. For example, museum leaders are in charge of making sure all exhibits and the structure are accessible, while educators are more in the frontline and should be the first worker to speak out when a visitor has need for accessibility. Volunteers can orient visitors towards the proper building spaces as well as provide guidance. Conservators and curators focus on the idea of physical and programmatic access, and exhibition designers must follow government guidelines for accessibility for visitors with disabilities. The technology department is responsible for adapting and deploying new technology, such as self-guided audio tours, that would allow for visitors to access the exhibits more easily.

Major Contributions
Art Beyond Sight has in recent years pioneered a series of museum accessibility studies and research. Research is conducted in conjunction and in collaboration with large metropolitan museums, university museums and historic sites - partners have included the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Seattle Art Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum. Major developments from these studies include conducting the first ever focus group of blind and low-sight visitors, as well as the development of informational tools for museums to improve their accessibility programs. In general, conducting focus groups revealed some visitors' dissatisfaction with current states of museum accessibility and staff training, as some were made to feel unwelcome. These studies provided valuable insight and data into how museums could improve.