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Australia leads in making Museums accessible to the Deaf

Source: Travability Blogs

Australian First in Museum Access for Deaf Australians at the National Sports Museum

“Smart Auslan”Technology Developed by the Australian Communication Exchange

Melbourne, Australia: 4 May, 2011:

Deaf and hearing impaired Australians can now enjoy Australia’s first onsite access to Auslan and caption services at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne. The “Smart Auslan” technology was developed by not‐for‐profit organisation, Australian Communication Exchange (ACE), over an 18‐month partnership with the museum.
While hundreds of museums across Australia offer audio tours, only the National Sports Museum now offers the equivalent service for Deaf and hearing impaired Australians to gain easy access to the same information through a smartphone device.
Up until now, Deaf Australians have had to either pay for their own Auslan interpreter, or wait for a scheduled Auslan tour to fully appreciate the cultural experiences on offer at museums. With Smart Auslan on their device, they can now freely decide when and how they would like to visit museums adopting the technology.

Smart Auslan

“The Smart Auslan project with the National Sports Museum is a breakthrough in exhibition accessibility for Deaf and hearing impaired Australians,” said Sandy Gilliland, ACE Chief Executive Officer. “This partnership is part our ongoing commitment to deliver quality‐of‐life services today that will provide equal access to Deaf Australians. We see this as the first of many museums and galleries that will look to further cultural access for all Australians, by opening their doors wider for the Deaf and hearing impaired communities.”

Each year, approximately 150,000 people visit the National Sports Museum and listen to audio descriptions of iconic exhibitions. Smart Auslan provides Deaf and hearing impaired Australians with the same access to the museum display descriptions in Auslan sign language videos that can be accessed by scanning Quick Response (QR) codes with Android‐powered smartphones.

The museum will have six Android devices located for visitors to use or alternatively the application can be downloaded onto an Android smartphone from the ACE website.

Margaret Birtley, General Manager for the National Sports Museum: “This is such an exciting initiative and we are thrilled to be part of the launch of Smart Auslan in Australia. We are sure this new technology will provide our deaf and hearing impaired visitors with a more engaging experience at the National Sports Museum.”

ACE is a not‐for‐profit organisation which, for 16 years, has been at the forefront of communication solutions for Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired Australians. The organisation is constantly looking for new ways to meet the changing communication needs of its communities. Today’s technology and high speed internet makes it possible to design these new access tools that will overcome significant barriers for signing Deaf Australians. ACE is experienced in designing, delivering and promoting new communication solutions for this group. Our vision is Access to Communication for Everyone and we will continue to provide resources and expertise in this sector so our vision can be achieved.

About Australian Communication Exchange (ACE)

Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) is a national not‐for‐profit community organisation. ACE was established to facilitate equity of access to the telecommunications network for people who are Deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment.

For further information about the Smart Auslan project with the National Sports Museum please visitwww.smartauslan.com.au or email info@smartauslan.com.au or phone 1300 133 968.

Background information when reporting about Deaf and hearing impaired Australians

There is a difference between capital “D” Deaf Australians and deaf or hearing impaired. Australians who use Auslan sign language as their first and preferred language identify with themselves as belonging to the Deaf community. Usually, this group have been deaf since birth or early childhood and were taught to sign at an early age. Auslan is recognised as a community language other than English, so for Deaf Australians learning English is akin to learning a second language.

Hearing impaired or hard of hearing people have either lost their hearing later in life or as children but followed an auditory‐oral approach. The children develop English speaking and listening skills with their residual hearing and do not usually use Auslan.

Smart Auslan is accessible to both these groups because the museum information has been translated into both Auslan sign language and English captions.

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A successful 4th ICAT at Taipei, Taiwan

Dear Friends,

4th International Conference on Accessible Tourism was hosted jointly by Eden Social Welfare Foundation  & Accessible Tourism Committee, Asia Pacific Disability Forum (APDF) during  11-14 April 2011 at Taiwan Hospital Convention Centre, Taipei, Taiwan (http://www.thcc.net.tw ). More than 200 odd delegates from leading organisations /institutions and  world leaders of accessible tourism movement from across the globe, including Svayam, participated in the Conference. The Conference was inaugurated by the Hon’ble President of Taiwan  Ma Ying-jeou amidst  a cultural extravaganza. He spoke about the progress Taiwan has made in making its physical infrastructure & services accessible to every one and stressed that they still could do much more and invited suggestions from the experts who gathered at the Conference.

Ms. Abha Negi, Director-Svayam and Chair Organising Committee of TRANSED 2012 India extending invitation to President of Taiwan, His Excellency Ma Ying-jeou for active participation of  Ministry of Transport & Communication and Tourism, Govt. of Taiwan in the forthcoming 13th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for the Elderly & Disabled Persons in India during 17-21 Sep 2012.

A Gala Dinner was organised with theme “World Cultural Night,” wherein all participants were dressed up in their respective national costumes. Svayam Team/Transed 2012 Secretariat Team also participated in the Cultural Night & Gala Diner hosted by Eden Welfare Foundation – the host of 4th ICAT 2011.

Subsequently the Svayam Team consisting of Ms. Abha Negi, Mr. SC Vashishth & Ms. Kirandeep also met the Senior officials of Taiwanese Ministry of Transport & Communication who promised that TRANSED 2012 will have good representation from Taiwan government and NGOs.

Svayam was one of the sponsoring international organisations of ICAT 2011.

A stall was also put up promoting TRANSED 2012.

Here is the news coverage by China Post:

Taiwan can do much more to promote accessibility for disabled: President

 
April 13, 2011 11:12 pm TWN, CNA

TAIPEI–President Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday praised the strides Taiwan has made in developing a barrier-free environment to promote accessible tourism but acknowledged that more needs to be done.

Speaking at the 4th International Conference on Accessible Tourism in Taipei, Ma said Taiwan was working to create an environment where the physically challenged, senior citizens, and children could enjoy an accessible vacation.

“Although we have a complete law to protect the rights of the disabled, there is still room for improvement in its execution,” he said at the opening of the two-day conference called “Accessible Living Drives National Development.”

There are 1.08 million people in Taiwan with either physical or mental disabilities and 2.48 million senior citizens, all of whom require an accessible living environment, encompassing tourism, assistive devices, transportation, and housing, the president said.

Ma cited steps taken in Taipei City as examples of progress made in providing a more accessible environment, including promoting barrier-free facilities such as accessible ramps and washrooms and flattening 121,100 square meters of walkways covered by building overhangs along Taipei streets.

One of the conference’s 200 participants said that traveling to other areas of Taiwan, however, remained difficult for those with disabilities.

“The gap between platforms and public transport vehicles, like trains and buses, should be redesigned,” said Taipei City resident and wheelchair user Hanmer Fu, who relies on the train to travel with his wife to suburban areas for weekend getaways.

He also suggested that the government develop a taxi network catering specifically to the physically challenged.

“We are often caught in a difficult situation after leaving the train station because no taxi drivers are willing to take us deeper into cities,” he said.

The Taipei City Government, one of the first to launch a dedicated taxi service for disabled persons, now has 168 taxi vans available to those who apply to use it.

Though the rate is only one-third the normal taxi price, it has to be booked days in advance, which is still inconvenient for those who need help getting around.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications set up a barrier-free transportation task force in January that aimed to provide more low-floor city buses by the end of the year and make 40 more train stations around the country more accessible.

To plan accessible travel, the Eden Welfare Foundation, which organized the conference, has published a booklet that lists 38 tourist attractions, 16 restaurants, 16 accommodations, 12 tour itineraries, and 15 museums considered to be accessible.

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Qutub Minar proves Accessibility is Good Business Sense!

After Qutub Minar bacame accessible and more friendly to every one, the footfall has gone up in last two years despite the slow down in the economy! Article is silent on the reasons which are obvious! Who says Accessibility is not a Good Business Sense?

Here is the news report from Mail Today:

Click here to read from source

 Qutub Minar rakes in moolah for Delhi

Pratul Sharma, New Delhi, March 3, 2010

According to figures presented by the culture ministry in the Lok Sabha, revenue earned through ticket sales at the Qutub Minar stood at Rs 10.41 crore, much higher than that collected for the Red Fort (Rs 5.5 crore) and Humayun’s Tomb (Rs 4.8 crore) for 2009.

While the other monuments received fewer footfalls because of a drop in tourist numbers, thus affecting their revenue generation, the Qutub Minar was the only building that collected more revenue than the previous years.

It saw an increase of close to Rs 85 lakh in revenue in 2009, than the year before.

The revenue for the UNESCO-designated other World Heritage Sites – the Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb – dropped during the same period.

The Qutub Minar’s revenue earnings are second only to the Taj Mahal’s – whose revenue share also dipped.

The Taj earned Rs 14.87 crore in 2009, a drop from Rs 17.42 crore during the previous year.

Moreover, it seems Delhi was the preferred tourist destination, over even the Taj Mahal.

No wonder the Qutub Minar, the highest building in the country, raked in the money.

Being a well- preserved building with a collection of smaller monuments within the main complex, it offers more attractions to the visitors.

They are awed by the sheer beauty of its carved stones and the imposing height of the tower.

With the economic slowdown hitting tourism, revenue generation at world heritage monuments fell drastically last year.

The overall figure for revenue earned through entrance tickets at 16 centrally protected monuments during 2009 was just Rs 50 crore, as compared to Rs 66.84 crore in 2008.

The drop in revenue showed the fall in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country.

Sources said foreign tourists contribute more as each ticket for them costs Rs 250 as compared to Rs 10 for tourists from the SAARC nations.

Monuments in the country that saw a marginal increase in revenue through ticket sales last year were the Ellora Caves ( Rs 1.21 crore), the Buddhist monument at Sanchi ( Rs 1.94 crore), the Sun Temple in Konark ( Rs 1.8 crore), the Elephanta Caves ( Rs 80 lakh) and the Champaner- Pavagarh Archaeological Park ( Rs 13 lakh).

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Winter Olympic Games 2010, a catalyst in making Vancouver an accessible city

Dear Friends,

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games scheduled to be held in Vancouver are proving to be a catalyst for change. Making the city and sports facilities accessible to people with disabilities.

“We are using the Games as a driver to get people thinking about how to make (Vancouver) one of the most accessible places in the world.” says Bruce Dewar, CEO of a Vancouver not-for-profit society called 2010 Legacies Now.

Click here to read from source

Here is the detailed news

Vancouver’s hosting of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is benefitting one very deserving group of travellers: Those with disabilities.

“The Games are a catalyst for change of the very best kind,” says Bruce Dewar, CEO of a Vancouver not-for-profit society called 2010 Legacies Now. “We are using the Games as a driver to get people thinking about how to make (Vancouver) one of the most accessible places in the world.”

With an estimated one in eight people worldwide living with a disability, and $13 billion being spent annually in North America by travellers with disabilities, Vancouver has tagged the group as one of the fastest growing market opportunities in the world.

The city’s plan to make itself more accessible began as far back as 2006 when then Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan participated in the closing ceremonies of Torino’s Olympic Winter Games. The image of Sullivan, a person with quadriplegia, spinning in his wheelchair with the Olympic flag fluttering overhead symbolized Vancouver’s commitment to adapting itself for disabled travellers.

Vancouver started by developing a city-wide program that helps businesses fulfill criteria in accessibility assessment. The goal of participating businesses (such as attractions and restaurants) is to earn the right to display icons that address their wheelchair accessibility, visual accessibility, and hearing accessibility. The program also helps provide clear and consistent information to travellers with disabilities.

Tourism Vancouver got into the game next by adapting its website. Visitors searching for accommodation on TourismVancouver.com can now search specifically for accessible accommodation listings. And a number of attractions, such as Vancouver Aquarium and the Museum of Vancouver, feature their accessibility icons and information on their Tourism Vancouver listing.

With the hosting of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games on the horizon, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) also threw its hat into the rings. YVR is claiming it now exceeds national standards for people with hearing, visual or mobility impairments. Features include ticket and service counters with amplified handsets, low-mounted flight information monitors, visual paging monitors and public address systems displayed in written form, information kiosks with closed-captioned decoders, as well as accessible washrooms.

YVR’s airport vehicle rental agencies are now equipped to provide cars with hand-controls, while the YVR Airporter (yvrairporter.com) shuttle bus service can arrange transportation to Vancouver’s major hotels. Accessible cabs are also available at the airport.

Vancouver’s swift new Canada Line — the train that transports travellers from the airport to various points throughout the city — has designed its stations to be wheelchair-accessible, and every Canada Line train can accommodate four wheelchairs.

Finally, one especially heart-warming aspect of this Olympic legacy is the building of three accessible playgrounds to enable all children, including children with disabilities, to play side-by-side. The 2010 Legacies Now group partnered with Shane’s Inspiration, a not-for-profit organization, to build accessible playgrounds in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler.

Vancouver’s playground will be located at Kitsilano Beach Park. Richmond’s along the Middle Arm Waterfront Greenway, close to the Olympic Oval. And the Whistler playground, already open, is next to Celebration Plaza, where the Whistler-won Olympic medals are being awarded.

“The part of this project that excites me the most is how tourism has embraced it,” says 2010 Legacies Now’s Dewar. “The Games are the tipping point and things will carry on from here.”

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Congratulations to ESG and BITS Pilani for their successful efforts in making Film Festival Venue Accessible

Dear Friends,

Congratulations to Enertainment Society of Goa to have made the venue of Annual Internal Film Festival disabled friendly and also to those who facilitated and handholded the process.

News Source: Net Indian, Appended below is the detailed news.

regards,

Svayam Team

ESG honoured for making IFFI venue disabled-friendly

February 15, 2010

The Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) was honoured here recently for making the venue of the annual International Film Festival of India (IFFI) disabled friendly. The honour was bestowed on the ESG at the We Care Film Festival on Disability here by its organisers, the BITS Pilani Goa Campus, Brotherhood, the National Trust, United Nation Information Centre, UNESCO, and Asian Academy of Film and Television of India (AAFT) in association with the local organizations Sangath and Disability Rights Association, Goa .

The recognition was received on behalf of ESG by its General Manager Venancio Furtado, who appreciated the objectives of the We Care Film Fest and its participatory rating process. He gave an assurance that the ESG would be happy to associate with the We Care Film Fest in the near future.

The festival, which travels to educational institutions to create greater acceptance of the differently-abled as part of mainstream society, witnessed the screening of 32 documentary and short films on various forms of disability from India and overseas. The festival is travelling to around 15 venues in the country over the next three months. It has introduced a participatory rating process in which the students and the audiences rate each film and an indepent jury judges the films on the basis of these ratings.

BITS Pilani Goa Campus Director K E Raman appealed to the students to think about the various issues of persons with disabilities and make use of their knowledge to promote their rights as set out in the various acts like PWD Act, the National Trust Act and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disability which came into force on May 3, 2009. He said BITS had been organizing various national-level cultural and other educational events in its Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad and Dubai centres, but it was the first time that it had organized a festival on disability issues. He promised that BITS would continue to support the We Care Filmfest and take it to other centres of BITS as well.

Mr. Avelino D’Sa, President of the Disability Rights Association of Goa, welcomed the holding of the We Care Fimfest in the state and said the event would be taken to various corporates, State Government departments and owners of shopping malls to sensitize them on disability issues.

Mr. Vishram Gupta, Chairperson of Sangath Goa, said short films are very effective in sensitizing general public, students, children and persons with disability and their parents. He said the festival would be taken to schools and other educational institutions of Goa .

We Care Filmfest founder Director Satish Kapoor said: “a world that truly embraces diversity is one where the rights, dignity, and well-being of individuals are realized regardless of differences in race, faith, gender – or ability. People living with disabilities often surprise us with their abilities, with what they can do rather than what they cannot do, but not many tell their stories.” He said the festival was an opportunity for all students to develop their understanding and perspectives relating to disability issues besides contributing to the process of participatory rating. This would help the students whenever they plan to make short films/documentaries on disability. It would also help sensitise the general audience on various issues of disability, he said.

Source: http://netindian.in/news/2010/02/15/0005343/esg-honoured-making-iffi-venue-disabled-friendly

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Inviting comments on Draft Research Study on Accessible Tourism in India

Dear Colleagues,
 
Greetings from Svayam!
 
Union Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India commissioned a research study on Prospects of Accessible Tourism March 2009 which has been completed and the draft research report has been opened for review and comments of the stakeholders yesterday. The research was conducted at five destinations i.e. Taj Mahal (Agra), Amber Fort (Jaipur), Qutub Minar, Delhi), Sun Temple (Konark), Mamallapuram (T.N) and Old Goa churches.
 
The study aims at eliciting some of the critical attributes of this segment- viz. their travel behaviour, travel requirements and purchasing power. Needless to state, a study of this nature is a concerted move to evolving better understanding of various attributes of the tourists with disabilities, thereby, contributing to the existing information base. That, in turn, can provide a broad direction and to help in framing appropriate policies and programmes in such a manner to their better facilitation as well as exploring tourism potential.
 
The objectives of research study are:
 
1. To examine the socio- economic background of the physically challenged tourists visiting different destinations in India;
2. To analyse their travel behaviour;
3. To examine the problems being faced by them and status of special provisions, if any, in those attractions/ facilities ;
4. To examine their expenditure pattern and purchasing power;
5. To suggest suitable mechanisms to better facilitating the travel needs of this segment.
 
As a part of Technical Advisory Committee on Accessible Tourism, Svayam has been assigned the responsibility to collate the comments and views of the stakeholders on the research report. Since the research report runs in to 138 pages, it will only be circulated to those who wish to provide valuable comments/views on the same. Those who are keen on offering their views may kindly indicate so by replying to us on email: subhash.vashishth@jindalsaw.com, subhash.vashishth@svayam.com so that we can send you the draft research report.
 
We request you to kindly study the report and offer your comments/views to make this research report a first valid and credible research document brought out by Govt. of India on Accessible Tourism. The likely stakeholders are Tourists with disabilities, senior citizens, ladies with infants, children and any potential tourist with reduced  mobility, among others.
 
Kindly respond within the given time frame so that the same could be constructively used for finalisation of the Research Report.
 
Warm regards,
 
Subhash Chandra Vashishth
Programme Coordinator – Svayam
Jindal Centre, 12, Bhikaji Cama Place
New Delhi – 110066
Board Numbers: +91 (11) 26188360-74, Direct: 41462323
Mobile: 9811125521, Fax: +91 (11) 26161271, 26170691
email: subhash.vashishth@svayam.com, subhash.vashishth@jindalsaw.com Web: www.svayam.com

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Access in public infrastructure remains neglected

Dear Friends,

Inaccesss to built infrastructure, roads, pedestrian infrastructure  and public transportation are becoming tools of oppression, discrimination and marginalisation when it comes to disabled and the seniors.

India needs to gear up to the needs of the elderly and the disabled in terms of its infrastructure at the earliest if it doesn’t want to loose out on tourism opportunities, hosting international events of any kind and above all if it wants to escape bashing by activists due to its lackadiasical attitude towards monitoring implementation of access in the infrastructural projects in the present scenario.

India is at the thresh hold of development. Major cities are grappling with the problems of managing public transportation. Sustainability and accessibility can go hand in hand if State thinks in inclusive terms for all its citizens.

It was evident from the recent difficulties faced by international athletes who  were here in Bangalore to participate in “International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports World Games” that India is hosting. The athletes faced problems bnt in track and field, but in gaining access to the stadiums, hotels, transport systems and public places around Bangalore. 

The answer lies in ensuring that all properties, infrastructure and  transporation system that are created henceforth is accessible and inclusive to all to avoid such embarrassment to the nation. This will also make the country more equitable and inclusive to the elderly and the disabled citizens.

Here is the report from Indian Expresss

Here is a different report form Times of India

regards

Subhash Chandra Vashishth

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Now another heritage site, Maquinez Palace, Panaji becomes accessible

Dear Friends,

Maquinez Palance, Panaji has become another Heritage site to become accessible, this time with the efforts of Goa Disability Rights Association and the Govt’s pro-active support to provide accessibility.

Congratulations to Mr. Avelino D’Sa, The President of DRAG and his team for their perseverence and achieving this success in making yet another site accessible to all!

Here is the coverage, To read from source click here.

regards

SC Vashishth, Program Coordinator, Svayam

Maquinez palace gets lift for disabled

PANAJI: Chief minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday inaugurated a special lift for specially challenged people at the Maquinez palace, Panaji.

The lift will help specially challenged people to view movies in the two theatres in the Maquinez palace during the upcoming International Film Festival of India.

Talking to the media after inaugurating the lift, Kamat said, “The facility will benefit disabled persons and specially challenged children to gain access to the theatres in the Maquinez palace. Specially challenged persons were demanding the installation of this lift and now they are satisfied. It will give them an opportunity to watch movies here.”

Avelino D’Sa, president of Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG), also expressed satisfaction at the installation of the lift. “We have been fighting for this for a long time. It is not only during IFFI that we come here, but we attend functions all through the year. INOX is also being made disabled friendly,” D’Sa said.

D’Sa said other government buildings, streets and buses are still not made disabled friendly and that DRAG was working to bring about changes there. Officials from Graand Prix elevators, who installed the special lift at a cost of Rs 19 lakh, said the lift is aesthetically better than normal lifts and can be installed without making any structural changes to the building. This was especially important in Maquinez palace as it is a heritage building.