Spy Museum to Make Exhibits Accessible
Blind Visitor's Complaint Spurs Agreement With Justice Dept.

By Jacqueline Trescott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The International Spy Museum yesterday announced a wide-ranging agreement with the Justice Department to make exhibits more accessible to persons with disabilities, especially those with hearing or vision impairments.

A complaint by a blind visitor in August 2004 was the catalyst for the federal effort to get the six-year-old museum to bring its exhibits, public programs and physical spaces into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

E. Peter Earnest, the executive director of the Spy Museum, said the for-profit attraction has spent about $400,000 making the improvements and will be making more changes over the next two years as part of the agreement. "We intend to exceed what they are asking for," Earnest said.

Among the changes called for in the 22-page agreement:

· New closed captioning in video presentations that visitors can activate with a special card.

· A 90-minute tour for the visually impaired, with a guide to describe the exhibits (there will be one tour a month, starting in July; others can be arranged by request).

· Providing objects (both real and replicas) from the history of espionage that can be handled by the visually impaired.

· Sign language guides provided by request.

· A tactile map for visually impaired visitors.

· Improved wheelchair seating areas and companion seats in theaters and the cafe.

· Lower mirrors in the restrooms.

· A lower visitors' desk to make it easier for people in wheelchairs to buy tickets.

· Appointment of a museum official responsible for ADA compliance.

The Justice Department cited a wide range of failings, especially in the areas of exhibition communication and comfort. For instance, they said too much force was required to open the doors to the restrooms. All the door handles have been changed and the door closers adjusted.

"Since 2005 the museum has undertaken remedial measures, and in some instances, has installed state-of-the-art technologies in the museum to comply with ADA," the report said.

How could the museum have opened with so many problems?

Amanda Abrell, the museum's media relations manager, said, "Architectural standards are very clear but there is no set of standards for exhibits and programs."

Jamie Hais, a spokeswoman at Justice, said the 2004 complaint was the first the department received about the Spy Museum.

Other institutions, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, have been leaders in providing materials for the visually impaired, said Ford W. Bell, president of the American Association of Museums.