KEY TO ACCESSIBILITY SYMBOLS
BLIND OR HAVELOW VISION
BLIND ORHAVELOWVISIONsymbolmaybeusedtoindicateaccessforpeoplewhoareblind or havelowvision,including:aguidedtour, a pathto anaturetrailor ascentgardenin a park;andatactiletouror amuseumexhibitionthatmaybetouched.
SYMBOLFORACCESSIBILITY
SYMBOLFORACCESSIBILITY,knownasthewheelchairsymbol,shouldonlybeusedtoindicateaccessforindividualswithlimitedmobility includingwheelchairusers.Forexample, thesymbolisused toindicateanaccessibleentrance, bathroomor thataphoneislowered forwheelchairusers.Remember thataramped entranceisnotcompletelyaccessibleiftherearenocurbcuts,andanelevatorisnotaccessibleifitcanonlybe reached viasteps.
AUDIODESCRIPTION
AUDIODESCRIPTION isa servicefor personswhoareblindorhavelowvisionthatmakes theperformingarts,visualarts,television,video,andfilm moreaccessible.
Descriptionofvisualelementsisprovidedbya trainedAudioDescriberthroughtheSecondaryAudioProgram (SAP)oftelevisionsandmonitorsequippedwithstereosound.Anadapter for non-stereoTVsisavailablethroughthe American Foundationfor theBlind,800-829-0500.ForliveAudioDescription,atrainedAudioDescriber
offerslivecommentaryornarration(viaheadphonesand a small transmitter) consistingofconcise,objectivedescriptionsofvisual elements:i.e., atheater performanceora visualartsexhibition.
TELEPHONETYPEWRITER(TTY)
TELEPHONETYPEWRITER(TTY)deviceisalsoknownasatexttelephone(TT),ortelecommunicationsdevice forthe deaf(TDD).TTYindicatesa deviceusedwith thetelephonefor communicationwithandbetweendeaf,hard ofhearing,speechimpairedand/orhearingpersons.
VOLUME CONTROLTELEPHONE
VOLUMECONTROLTELEPHONE symbolindicatesthelocationoftelephonesthathavehandsetswithamplifiedsoundand/or adjustablevolumecontrols.
ASSISTIVE LISTENINGSYSTEMS
ASSISTIVE LISTENINGSYSTEMStransmitamplifiedsoundviahearingaids,headsetsorotherdevices. Theyincludeinfrared,loopandFMsystems.Portablesystemsmaybeavailablefromthesame audiovisualequipment suppliersthatserviceconferencesandmeetings.
SIGN LANGUAGEINTERPRETATION
SIGN LANGUAGEINTERPRETATION symbolindicatesthatSignLanguageInterpretationisprovided foralecture,tour,film,performance,conferenceorotherprogram.
ACCESSIBLEPRINT(18pt.or Larger)
Thesymbolforlargeprintis"LargePrint"printedin18pt.orlargertext.Inadditiontoindicatingthatlargeprintversionsofbooks,pamphlets,museumguidesandtheaterprogramsareavailable,youmayusethe symbolonconferenceormembershipformstoindicatethatprintmaterialsmaybeprovidedinlargeprint.Sansseriformodifiedserifprintwithgoodcontrastisimportant,andspecialattentionshouldbepaidtoletterandwordspacing.
THEINFORMATIONSYMBOL
Onethemostvaluablecommodity oftoday'ssocietyisinformation; to apersonwith adisabilityandothersareessential.Forexample,thesymbolmaybeusedonsignageoron afloorplan toindicate thelocationof theinformationor securitydesk,wherethereismorespecificinformationor materialsconcerningaccessaccommodationsand servicessuch as "LARGEPRINT" materials,audiocassetterecordingsofmaterials,orsign interpretedtours.
CLOSEDCAPTIONING(CC)
CLOSEDCAPTIONING(CC)symbolindicatesachoiceforwhetheror not to displaycaptionsfora televisionprogramorvideotape. TV setsthathave abuilt-inor a separatedecoderareequipped todisplaydialoguefor programsthatarecaptioned whenselectedbythe viewer. TheTelevisionDecoderCircuitryAct of1990requires TV sets(withscreens13" or larger) to havebuilt-in decodersas ofJuly1993.Also,videosthatarepartofexhibitionsmaybeclosedcaptionedusing thesymbolwith instructionto
pressabuttonforcaptioning.
OPENEDCAPTIONING(OC)
OPENEDCAPTIONING (OC) symbolindicatesthatcaptions, whichtranslatedialogueandothersoundsinprint,arealwaysdisplayedonthevideotape,movieor televisionprogram.OpenCaptioningispreferredbymany includingdeafand hard-of-hearingindividuals,and people whosesecond languageisEnglish. Inaddition,itishelpfulinteachingchildrenhowtoreadandinkeepingsoundlevelsto a minimuminmuseumsandrestaurants.
BRAILLESYMBOL
BRAILLESYMBOLindicatesthatprintedmaterialisavailablein Braille,includingexhibitionlabeling,publicationsandsignage.