Interpretive accommodations for National Park Service visitors who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing
2014-09
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Interpretive accommodations for National Park Service visitors who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing
Authors
Published Date
2014-09
Publisher
Type
Scholarly Text or Essay
Abstract
The National Park Service (NPS) works to protect natural and cultural landscapes for the American people. Part of achieving their mission includes providing the best possible services to visitors, including interpretive services. The goal of interpretation is to increase the visitor’s enjoyment and understanding of the parks. It is stated that the “NPS will ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that persons with disabilities receive the same interpretive opportunities as non-disabled persons, in the most integrated setting possible” (National Park Service, 2005-2011, section VIII.I, para. 1). About 7.6 million people in the U.S. (3.1%) experience a hearing difficulty, “defined as experiencing deafness or having difficulty hearing a normal conversation, even when wearing a hearing aid." Many national park units experience high visitation, yet provide varying levels of accessibility offered for interpretive services. This study provides an overview of the interpretive accommodations currently provided to NPS visitors who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (HoH) through a survey of national park units. Results show that most park units do provide some form of interpretive accommodations for visitors who are d/Deaf or HoH. Many park units have also completed accessibility assessments, which have been used to guide the provision of accommodations for visitors with disabilities, including visitors who are d/Deaf or HoH. Still, results also indicated that many park units perceived their unit was not sufficiently meeting the needs of visitors who are d/Deaf or HoH, and many respondents felt that their unit should be doing more. This along with a high overall survey response rate v suggests something other than an attitudinal barrier to ensuring non-hearing visitors and hearing visitors have similar interpretive experiences. Respondents indicated that barriers to providing interpretive accommodations included budget and staffing constraints, competing priorities for general and interpretive budgets and staff time, lack of knowledge or familiarity with possible services used by visitors who are d/Deaf or HoH, and limited knowledge of legal responsibilities or guidelines pertaining to visitors who are d/Deaf or HoH.
Description
A thesis [actually a Plan B] submitted to the faculty of University of Minnesota by Elsa Marie Hansen in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Education, September 2014. Committee names: Julie Ernst (Chair), Nancy Diener, Chris Johnson. This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present.
Related to
Replaces
License
Series/Report Number
Funding information
University of Minnesota, Duluth. College of Education and Human Service Professions.
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Hansen, Elsa Marie. (2014). Interpretive accommodations for National Park Service visitors who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/187440.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.