Re: Americans With Disabilities Act

[P3D Bob Wier <wier1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's something from another list that I'm on - it occurs to me
that this might be a terriffic opportunity for someone to either
voluenteer or make a little money by providing a stereo "alternate
experience" - stereo would be a perfect application in this case
where color, texture and DEPTH are an integral part of an architectural
environment...

--BW


|Sender: Old House Preservation and Restoration Discussion List
|              <OLD-HOUSE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
|From: Heidi Harendza <HEHarendza@xxxxxxx>
|Subject:      Re: Americans With Disabilities Act
|To: OLD-HOUSE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|
|In a message dated 97-09-30 07:16:29 EDT, Rosemarie writes:
|
| >> How many of you have ever considered ADA (Americans with Disabilities
|Act)
| >> regulations when working on your house?
| >>
| >
| >Actually, it is my understanding that old houses are exempt from this if
| >adding the necessary ammenities causes a change in the historic nature of
| >the house.  Thus house museums are exempt.
|
|This is only true to a certain extent. It is my understanding that (the legal
|minds out there may be able to describe this better...) the Americans with
|Disabilities Act doesn't *make* people do renovations... what it does do is
|allow anyone with a disability to hold someone liable if adequate provision
|for access isn't given in an area that is open for public use. Private homes
|are not public spaces; therefore, these regulations would not apply to them.
|
|As far as house museums are concerned, ADA requirements have spawned a whole
|new debate within the community. Historic house museums are required to make
|provision for disabilities, but they do receive more latitude in the
|interpretation of the code. Generally historic buildings will be exempt from
|the construction aspect of ADA only if they can prove the overwhelming
|historic significance of the architectural features of the building. So, for
|example, reconstructed places like some of the buildings at Williamsburg are
|not exempt from the construction aspect of ADA. Neither are many of the
|historic sites that have been renovated over the years-- Faneuil Hall in
|Boston, for example.
|
|Most house museums will also provide an "alternate experience" for those with
|disabilities. Generally this would mean something like a video, if the
|upstairs of a house is inaccessible for someone using a wheelchair, or a
|photographic tour.
|
|Accessibility for historic houses is a difficult issue. There are a lot of
|creative things that have been produced to provide alternate experiences-- I
|don't know if they will ever equal the experience of the real thing though.
|And yet... to change the buildings for accessibility is sometimes to change
|the fundamental character of the building, and that doesn't seem right
|either. Every building is different... and some buildings more successfully
|provide the right combination than others.
|
|-Heidi
|=====================
|Heidi E. Harendza
|Historic Preservation Specialist
|Ewing, NJ
|--- end forwarded text



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