2015 VSA accessability session
- 1. Accessibility: What’s an Evaluator to Do? Kris Johnson, Access Indy Elaine Klemesrud, Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Anna Lindgren-Streicher, Museum of Science, Boston Catherine Lussenhop, Museum of Science Boston Visitor Studies Association Conference July 16, 2015
- 2. Disability & Diversity Who are People with Disabilities? • 2010 Census Report— 20% of the people in the US have a disability • Disability doesn’t discriminate. Anyone can acquire a disability at any time. • People with disabilities are in every community How are Disabilities Categorized? • Physical • Cognitive/Developmental • Sensory • Age-related • Temporary
- 3. Understanding Obligations to Our Visitors “Equal Opportunity to Benefit” • Any person of any ability level should be able to approach and use anything in your museum • Any person of any ability level should be able to participate in any activities and events at your museum Self-Assessments • Assessing legal compliance (Federal, state and local laws) • Identifying barriers that prevent equal access for visitors with disabilities (spaces AND programs)
- 4. Identifying Barriers • Physical barriers prevent people from entering a space and/or using features within a space. • Communication barriers prevent people from receiving and responding to information. • Attitudinal/behavioral barriers prevent people from interacting in positive and effective ways. Cane Denied: When Good Policy Isn't Enough
- 5. Access vs. Inclusion Medical Model of Disability • Disability is a result of medical conditions that must be overcome by the individual • Requires specific accommodations to alleviate issues of accessibility • Often results in separation/isolation of people with disabilities Social Model of Disability • Disability is the result of barriers that exist in the environments we create • Requires that we remove barriers and reconsider our role in designing experiences for people on a broad spectrum of ability
- 6. Levels of Assessing Access & Inclusion 1. Self-Assessment of Your Position • Reviewing your daily tasks/duties, and examining your own process for incorporating access and inclusive practices into the products of your work 2. Cross-Departmental Approach • Establishing a network of communication and cooperation across departments to ensure that access and inclusion don’t slip through the cracks 3. Community Engagement of People with Disabilities • Developing relationships with individuals or advocacy groups who are willing to be advisors and provide consistent feedback 4. Institutional Assessments • Examining existing systems of strategic planning and evaluation to identify areas of operations that need improvements, and also assign accountability and metrics for success
- 7. Access Indy: A Local Knowledge Network What We Do: • roundtable discussions focused on topics related to access and inclusion • guest speakers present and lead discussions • sessions are free and open to the public • encourage staff and volunteers from any cultural arts organization to attend • welcome people from the disability community to share their insight and experiences
- 8. Accessibility Basics Elaine Klemesrud July 2015 Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
- 10. Accessibility Basics: BASELINE Where does your institution currently fulfill accessibility? ADA compliance only Universal Principles of Design How does your senior staff view accessibility as an institutional priority? What do you need to move forward? Research Money What resources to you have available that can help you move forward?
- 11. Accessibility Basics: BUILD A TEAM WITHIN Does your institution have an ADA Coordinator? Who else already advocates for inclusion? What departments should be invited to the table to create an interdisciplinary team? Visitor / Guest Services Exhibition Design Facility Maintenance A/V IT Volunteer Services Marketing Are there missed opportunities for input?
- 12. Accessibility Basics: BE REALISTIC What are you up against? Historic structure versus modern facility Where is the money coming from? Government funding Grant funding How much time will it take to ensure that it’s done right? What if we think it works and it doesn’t?
- 13. Accessibility Basics: BRING IN COMMUNITY EXPERTISE Who better to give you insights than those who you want to serve? Every community has resources. Utilize their expertise. What better way to breakdown preconceived notions and put you on the right track? Greg Fehribach and The Fehribach Group: Innovative Access Solutions AccessIndy
- 14. Accessibility Basics: BECOME SUSTAINABLE How do we remain relevant in a quickly changing world? Initiate institutional processes for building inclusion into: Programming development Staff training Promoting opportunities Remaining relevant
- 15. Accessibility Basics: Go BEYOND ADA On July 26, 1990 President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. ADA compliance meets only the minimum in accessibility requirements.
- 16. Strategies for Accessible Visitor Testing Anna Lindgren-Streicher and Catherine Lussenhop July 16, 2015 Museum of Science, Boston
- 17. • In order to meet the needs of an audience, you need to talk to that audience • This is especially true of a new audience you don’t know well • “Nothing about us without us” • Values the voices & expertise of the audience themselves The need for visitor feedback
- 18. • Answer questions you have about exhibits, programs, etc. • Help you develop relationships • Hear and value voices of people with disabilities What you can gain
- 19. • Make a universal design or access plan • Personas • Advisors • Visitor testing • Focus groups • Individual/small group user testing Complimentary approaches
- 20. • Hypothetical archetypes of real users, based on real data • Allow for user-focused design in early stages • Inform team members about audiences that may not be familiar to them Personas
- 21. • Have access-related expertise beyond their own personal experience • Education, legal code, software development, live performances, etc. • Should be paid like any expert advisor Advisors
- 22. • Speak about their own experiences as persons with disabilities • Some also have professional experience • Come in the social group they’d usually visit the museum with • Receive free admission & parking User testing
- 23. • Internal resources (Community Outreach, etc.) • City or state commissions on disability • Local disability listservs, agencies, or community groups • SPED Child and Teen Massachusetts • Mass Deaf Terp • New England Handicapped Sports Association • Schools (can present consent issues) • Group homes or independent living centers Connecting with communities
- 24. Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012, Patti Panzarino
- 25. • Recruit for a range of experiences • Use simple language. More concise = better. • Allow multiple contact methods (phone/email) Clarity is key! When we weren’t clear… • Emails got forwarded too widely • Information got distorted Recruiting visitors
- 26. Minimum info for an email: • “This involves research or evaluation” • What they would be doing/testing • “By appointment only” • “We have a limited number of spots available” • Do or do not forward this email • ASL interpreter lead time Also: accessibility survey and database Recruiting visitors
- 27. • Learn basic communication strategies, but… • …Don’t get too nervous • Value variation in experiences over large numbers • Look for physical, cognitive, social inclusion • Remember interest and learning Data collection preparation Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012, Patti Panzarino
- 28. • Invite other stakeholders (but not too many) • Prepare to reword survey or interview questions • Prompt for personal perspectives • Consider how design disables or enables learning Data collection tips
- 29. • Use universal design & social model of disability as a framework • Identify barriers to physical, cognitive, and social inclusion • Call out designs that work well and foster inclusion • Review findings with participants Data analysis and reporting
- 30. “Build a Bridge Support,” June 2015 Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River
- 31. • Involve people with disabilities in the work of the organization • Embed information about inclusive practices into communication, PD, and large projects • Engage in ongoing experimentation and reflection • Promote that design strategies are better for all Organizational change
- 32. Small group discussion • Share who you are and what work you are doing now to apply accessibility. • What is one thing you want to change or apply in your own work? • Who are your resources in your museum or community to support your work?
- 33. Presenter contact information Kris Johnson iaccess@iupui.edu Elaine Klemesrud eklemesrud@indianamuseum.org Anna Lindgren-Streicher alstreicher@mos.org Catherine Lussenhop clussenhop@mos.org
Editor's Notes
- #23: -In this presentation we will focus mostly on individual/small-group user testing, but much of it applies to focus groups as well.
- #24: There is a disability community in your area. Here are some possible places to look. Make sure it is appropriate to post on a site or listserv by contacting the administrator. SPED Child and Teen = aggregate website with listservs, events, and other resources Mass Deaf Terp = Yahoo group with event postings of interest to the Deaf/deaf/HoH community in MA NEHSA = Volunteer nonprofit to involve PWD in sports and recreation School examples: Perkins School for the Blind
- #25: Story time: I had been working in the field for barely a year, working on a study on the impacts of an exhibition. The team was including PWD as an audience, so I was asked to help recruit some people. Went back to an existing listserv and got in touch with people who hadn’t been able to participate the last time we did access testing. One woman replied with something totally unexpected: “I am Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2012, and I would like to attend wearing my sash and crown and have photographs taken.” Now, this had never happened before (or since!), and I had a moment of (minor) panic about photography and IRB and consent and was that ok? Was this going to be a publicity event? We worked it out, her husband came and took photos, we did the testing and had a great time. Now normally we wouldn’t include names with photos of our participants due to IRB considerations, but when we asked to use the pictures her husband took, Ms. Panzarino explicitly asked us to include her name and title. Not only did I get her input on the exhibit we were studying, but I learned about the work that Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Foundation does.
- #26: Range: as broad as you can with physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, Deaf/deaf/HoH, autism spectrum, etc.; also think about what you want with personal and professional experiences. Different ages. Simple language: aside from being a good idea in general, esp good for people with cognitive, learning disabilities, and some people who are Deaf and use ASL for whom English is not their first language. Methods: just like any audience, people have different levels of comfort with email. Accessibility is another layer in people’s preferences. Don’t assume for example, that people who are blind can’t use smartphones or email or that people who are Deaf don’t use telephones.
- #27: Minimum info beyond, of course, logistical info like time frame for testing and how they should get in touch with you. Give reasoning behind each one. -R&E: I know it might make it sound scarier, but it’s important for informed consent and for the setup of your study. -What testing: not just “general accessibility,” because they may misinterpret that. If prototype exhibits, make that very clear. -By appointment: without that, people might just show up expecting that they could test whenever -Limited spots: if you have to turn people away for any reason, it helps if they’ve been told in advance that spots were limited. Always offer to keep their info for next time. -Do or do not forward: be clear about which is ok. Forwarding can be like a game of telephone. Even if we thought it was ok to forward, it got overwhelming. -ASL: at MOS we say minimum 2 weeks are needed for an interpreter.
- #29: -To address focus groups as well: focus groups can be enjoyable for participants and feel like a community setting. Facilitating a focus group for participants with disabilities means you should practice effective facilitation skills, just even more so. Facilitators may direct the flow of conversation more and verbally describe situations in the room (e.g. “I see 7 people have their hands up…” or “One of our participants will be using ASL, so please allow a moment for the interpreter.”)
- #31: Story time: A recent example and success story. For a new exhibit about the local river in Boston (Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River), we are developing some hands-on building activities. In this one, the visitor places bridge supports in flowing water and then uses metal pieces to complete the roads in 1-3 different places. Seems accessible, right? Multisensory, hands on? What the team didn’t know was if visitors who are blind would have difficult perceiving the effects of different bridge designs (input vs. output). They could feel the water flowing, but how would this translate into building the bridge? We invited a few groups that included people who are blind, and had them use this activity. These visitors used their hands to feel the tactile dashes on the roads, and built bridge supports by placing different pieces in the flowing water and using their hands to feel if they moved or not. They also used their hands to gently feel their bridge designs. We learned that we needed to make the road sections clearer by creating more of a tactile difference between road and “ground.” Visitors who are blind also wanted sets of building pieces instead of our random assortment so they could be more systematic in trying things out.