ADA Policy Statement

In keeping with the goals of the American Disabilities Act (ADA), which guarantees equal and full access to employment and public services for people with disabilities, the Coral Gables Museum (CGM) is committed to ensuring that its programs and services are accessible to the broadest range of people with disabilities. CGM does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its services, programs, or activities. Upon request, CGM will make its best effort to provide reasonable accommodations to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in all CGM services, programs, and activities. CGM has a designated coordinator to facilitate compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as required by Section 35.107 of the U.S. Department of Justice regulations, and to coordinate compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as mandated by Section 8.53 of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations. This designated coordinator is Director, Christine Rupp.

Visitor Services Accessibility

CGM’s galleries are accessible to individuals of differing abilities through a variety of means and procedures. Physical access to the space for those with mobility issues is achievable on the sidewalk just 50 feet west of the Museum entrance on Aragon Avenue.

Within the gallery space, exhibit labels are in minimum 18 point sans-serif type, high contrast and are placed at a height of 48 inches. Pedestals and shelves are no higher than 36 inches (excluding plastic vitrine covers), so that children and visitors in wheelchairs can see and enjoy the artworks.

Technology allows access to information about the various offerings of CGM. And now, due to recent improvement in the CGM website, online financial transactions are also available. The CGM website provides 24-hour access to online visitors and allows them to take a variety of actions including reviewing accessibility policies and procedures, discovering program offerings, finding information on art collections and exhibitions, signing up for memberships, donating in support of museum programs, conducting research, and much more.

Design considerations allow for easy viewing and clear understanding of presented information. These design elements, along with others, are considered when creating pages for the website:

– Font size, style and color
– Navigation bar available on all pages
– Page topics are listed at the top of all pages
– Foreground and background colors provide sufficient contrast

The ultimate goal is to increase convenience and speed in delivering information, thereby encouraging the engagement of all people with CGM.

Future Goals

CGM is continually striving to improve and increase its accessibility for visitors so that it can serve everyone to the highest degree possible.

The primary goal for future accessibility is to fully train staff and volunteers in interpersonal communication and arts accessibility methods in order to lead tours of CGM’s exhibitions for guests with special needs.

A secondary goal for the museum is to create a series of activities or programs that would provide individuals with differing abilities a chance to experience art through the human senses other than vision. This might include presentations of objects and information selected for their tactile, auditory, or olfactory characteristics.

ADA Plan Maintenance

In order to ensure that this document remains relevant to CGM during this time of organizational growth and change the designated Disability Coordinator will review the ADA Access Statement and Plan every six months and make changes and improvements as necessary. This plan will be presented to the board for approval once every fiscal year to ensure oversight and compliance are also maintained.