THINKING OUTSIDE THE SHIP: EXPANDING HISTORIC SHIP EXPERIENCES FOR VISITORS WITH DISABILITIES
THINKING OUTSIDE THE SHIP: EXPANDING HISTORIC SHIP EXPERIENCES FOR VISITORS WITH DISABILITIES
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Issue Date
2005
Authors
Phillips, Lynne M.
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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify the obstacles to accessibility in historic ships and to investigate ways to improve the methods used and/or seek new and innovative methods to make these structures and experiences more accessible. There is a contradiction between the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), and various historic building regulations, such as the National Historic Preservation Act. The crux of the matter—the reason that the historic ship experience remains partially or completely inaccessible—is that organizations see this contradiction and believe there is no way around it when in fact, there are ways to expand the historic ship experience beyond the ship itself. Another problem is that ships are not only historically, but structurally unable to be modified. Other considerations for accessibility include fire and building safety codes, financial resources, historic preservation guidelines such as those prescribed by the National Register of Historic Places, and the desire to communicate the mission of a museum to the greatest number of people possible. These considerations are often at odds with each other. For example, an organization may want to open the lower deck to the public, but fire codes require two exits and there is only one. Also, even if they were able to open this deck, people with limited mobility would be unable to see it because they do not have the room to install a chair lift on the stairs, besides which, their state historical society has deemed that installing a chair lift would interfere with the historical integrity of the structure. This seems to be an insurmountable problem. However, with proper planning using input from different stakeholders including people with disabilities and their advocates, visitors to the museum, staff, and representatives of historical preservation entities, alternative solutions can be explored and implemented.