Reasons to Apply Principles of Universal Design
Much of the information on this page has been kindly provided by Kristin (Schumacher) Johnson. and adapted by Jim Angus for this presentation.
There are several reasons why museums should apply the Universal Accessibility concept to their museum Web sites:
- Reach as many people as possible.
- Allow for backward compatibility - access for people using older computers, slower modems, or different browser.
- Allow access for people who have disabilites and/or use adaptive technology to gain Internet access.
- Beneficial to everyone.
- Enable search engines and other automation tools to access, index, manipulate, and reuse Web information.
- It's the law.
- It's the right thing to do.
A universally accessible site will provide helpful options for those in the mainstream. Examples include:
- People who are in a noisy area who cannot hear the audio clips.
- People who turn off graphics due to temporary slow connection or a site having heavy use of graphical features.
- People who are accessing information from public places that do not allow speakers to be on, like in a library or classroom.
- People who are getting older.
- People who can't read or write.
A universally accessible site enables search engines and other automation tools to access, index, manipulate and reuse Web content information. At present, many web pages are "invisible" to search engines because they lack text alternatives to graphical images. By incorporating the principles of Universal Design, the museum ensures that the site will be indexed by search engines and thus visited by more people. In most cases, more visitors to the web site directly translates into greater visibility for the museum and greater appeal to Corporate Sponsors.
United States Laws that Govern Access
- 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Covers commercial companies, non-profit and private organizations as well as all units of government except the federal government which require "reasonable accommodations" for people with disabilities.
- 1973 Rehabilitation Act
The federal government is covered in the 1973 Rehabilitation Act which require communications with people with disabilities to be "effective."