Hi All,
The standards relating to access to information are perhaps not
discussed as much as they should be . You highlight a well-known
problem with exhibiting objects (it gets even worse in historic houses -
see Smith, forthcoming). For those interested, there's also a whole
group (MAGDA - museum and gallery disability association) dedicated to
access.
There is more than one way to skin the rabbit, and a lot of literature
on the subject. As a dyslexic myself, my favourites tend to involve
graphic, rather than numeric, solutions (for example using photographs
of objects within any text which is separated from the object). There
are also problems with in-case text (you can't put your nose on it, if
that's what you have to do in order to be able to read it). In short:
one path of access to any single piece of information isn't enough (and,
under DDA, it's illegal).
But the good news is, good design (aka universal design or accessible
design) is not necessarily more resourse-intensive than poor design.
The DDA, by the way, does not set standards for print size, contrast,
etc. You are probably thinking of the RNIB's "See it Right" guidelines
and the Dyslexia Association's guidelines.
To answer Will's question:
>Does the DDA provide for short-sighted tall people?
Yes, it does. There is a 'reasonableness' clause, which means that if a
combination of circumstances is very unlikely, it's unreasonable to
provide solutions that meet all the needs, and the institution doesn't
have to. But one disability increases the potential of further, so it's
reasonable to assume that of one's partially sighted visitors, there
will be a number who will be using wheelchairs, and a number who are
unable to bend down to seated-hight labels. So, under DDA, access to
label information must be provided in format or formats that serve both
potential users.
The sad thing is that this isn't rocket science, and it's not new. Nor
is it a "frill" that benefits "them" - it's basic good practice.
[/rant]
Best wishes to all,
Pat
--
Pat Reynolds
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"It might look a bit messy now,
but just you come back in 500 years time"
(T. Pratchett)
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