Thursday, July 22, 2010

Mount Vernon & ADA

There are major changes coming to George Washington's home to comply with ADA law. A deaf visitor had complained to the Justice Department about the lack of services for those with hearing or vision loss at the residence located west of the Potomac River in Virginia. Specfically, the complaint mentioned that films shown at Mount Vernon were not closed captioned. The group that maintains the home have agreed to make $400,000 in alterations to bring the national landmark into full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Among the changes which should be completed within a year: all centerpiece films in the main theaters will include closed captioning and ASL tours will be offered to visitors. More than a million people come to Mount Vernon each year.