Rebecca Bradley

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Museums and Accessibility

Posted by Rebecca Bradley, Apr 19, 2015 0 comments


Rebecca Bradley

On July 26, 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. I was five years old and the child of a father who was hard-of-hearing. I knew that my dad wore hearing aids, but I never really thought about it. My dad was my dad. Like most five year olds, a law as significant as the ADA was lost on me. But I needed to know why there were captions on the TV that obstructed my cartoons! I was curious why these words were on the screen. This was the beginning of my curiosity that led me on the path to become not only a disability advocate, but a museum educator. I remember when “the black box” (closed captioning box) arrived at our house. Our neighbors had a deaf son and they wanted to share this new and innovative technology with us. It’s hard to imagine that something like this was cutting edge! Especially 25 years later when I’m working with telepresence robots!

The ADA was not something I thought about until college. Growing up my friends would make fun of how my dad spoke, but I never rebutted and said, “Do you even know what the Americans with Disabilities Act is? Civil rights! My dad is just like your dad!” However, when the ADA was paired with something I was studying in college, art history, the marriage of the two seemed natural and my museum journey began. I began volunteering in Access Programs, specifically Form in Art, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Form in Art is a program that combines studio arts and art history for adults who are legally blind. During my time at the museum, I began a list of questions that I would later develop into my graduate thesis at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). If you are blind, how do you enjoy art? If you were born blind, how do you understand color? What other programs and services to museums offer for individuals with disabilities? The overarching question that I researched at RISD and that encourages me to constantly evaluate and rethink my work is this: How are museums creating equity in access to the arts for everyone regardless of age or ability?

To my surprise, museums had been opening their doors and providing services and programs to individuals with disabilities as far back as 1908! 82 years before the signing of the ADA! Programs have changed and will continue to change to reflect the needs of the community. Nearly one in five people have a disability in the United States. This number will increase in the next few years due to the aging population. Think about all of the work MoMA has done with its Alzheimer’s program and how many similar programs are popping up in museums for this population. Museums can play a vital role if we look at ourselves as learning labs for the community.

I currently work at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF). There is a long history of access at the museums. Touch tours have been offered since the 1970s and there was even a program in the 1980s called Docents for the Deaf. This shouldn’t be surprising as California was the birthplace of the independent living movement in the 1960s and the first Center for Independent Living is in Berkeley, California. The museum offers a robust calendar of access programs and visiting options, but recently announced that telepresence robot tours will now be offered for the disability community. During the pilot phase I worked closely with the disability community to better understand who our target audience was and who would benefit the most from this technology. We received feedback that placed great emphasis on this technology not being a substitute for creating barrier free buildings and environments (thanks, ADA!). The access program at the museum has changed significantly since the 1970s and I look forward to 2030 and embrace the new challenges it brings!

The timeline of museum accessibility is unique and it truly reflects community needs. In 1908 the Met was offering “rolling chairs,” in the 1960s the Philadelphia Museum of Art created a barrier free entrance, in the 1970s the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco initiated touch tours, and technology has played a key role in access in the 20th and 21st centuries. What are you doing to create equity to access in the arts?

I challenge you as arts administrators to do the following:

* Reach out to the disability community when you create programs or are testing new services. Follow the “nothing about us, without us” model and you will receive valuable feedback that will help you design and implement programs that the disability community will utilize.

*Forge partnerships with community organizations and members from the disability community. Museum programming needs to reflect the needs of the community.

* Design for everyone. All museums struggle with the functionality of an exhibition space versus the design of the space. Access should not be an afterthought, but included in the initial phases of design.

* Reach out to colleagues who work with accessibility in museums or other cultural organizations and pick their brains! There are several local knowledge networks that provide professional development workshops, share resources, and provide networking opportunities for the field of access.

Interested in joining the conversation? Meet us in Chicago for the Arts Leadership Precon during Annual Convention 2015!

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