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As occupational therapists, we are often challenged to help individuals with disabilities enjoy a vacation destination. Two popular vacation destinations, Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California, are committed to full accessibility for all types of disabilities. Disney's engineers recently created a new handheld assistive device-simply known as Disney's Handheld Device-to help individuals with hearing or vision impairments enjoy the full experience of Disney Parks.
The Device
Disney's Handheld Device is delivery of accessible design as an art form. Mandated by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the device adapts the magic for guests with limited vision and hearing.
Adaptation is nothing new at Walt Disney Parks. Phone text and visual door knock indicators are available in Disney Resort Rooms; specially trained theatrical sign language interpreters are available free of charge with two week's notice; large maps at wheelchair height incorporate Braille; and Disney even has its own sign language.
Disney's Handheld Device is an updated Assistive Technology Device (ATD), or Durateq Assistive Technology Version (ATV), for vision and hearing impairments. They are available at the parks' Guest Services offices with a $25 deposit, which is refunded when the device is returned that same day.
The new device was unveiled earlier this summer-specifically on June 27th to honor Helen Keller's birthday. It provides amplified sound for partial hearing loss; handheld captioning with streamed written descriptions for profound hearing loss; and audio description for visual impairment. The device also triggers closed captioning activation of written descriptions on screen during pre-attraction shows.
The 7.2 ounce wireless device uses infra-red signals and GPS technology similar to the satellite technology used to seamlessly transition recorded background announcements from one themed resort or theme park to another while riding Disney transportation.
The Scripts
Scripts for Disney's Handheld Device were written with assistance from Boston's public broadcasting station WGBH, which is known as an authority in descriptive scripts.
Janet Stankus of WGBH said the experience was a "feast" to write for Disney. "It's a wonderful thing to experience because the feeling gets infused into the writing," she explained. "Our goal is to make it come alive the way it would visually."
Stankus and the team of administrators, engineers, writers, researchers, editors, narrators, managers for operations, and describers set a goal to insure that individuals who are blind will be able to enjoy every attraction along with their sighted companions.
Disney Imagineer Greg Johnson made use of his own background in theater arts and an eye for detail as a former Walt Disney World technology photographer to create quality descriptive scripts for the handheld devices. "We've included outdoor audio descriptions, area descriptions, attraction information, food and beverage information, locations for the closest restrooms, merchandise locations, and entertainment information," he explained.
Testing
Greg Johnson, Walt Disney World assistive technology coordinator, explained that the device went through several prototypes and tests with guests such as members from the Association for the Blind in order to be sure that Disney was offering the best technology possible.
Zoraya Suarez, manager of media relations for Walt Disney World, stressed that cast members provide valued insights and suggestions for modifications and accommodations.
Suarez explained that feedback was also gathered via Disney's CastABLE, a group specifically developed for cast members with disabilities, as well as among the other 60,000 cast members. "We have every type of person [working here], so we tap into that diverse group for feedback," she said. "Walt [Disney] wanted the parks to be accessible to everyone, so the mindset is to constantly ask how we can make that happen."
"We live and breathe assistive technology," added Johnson. "To my knowledge, we are THE accessibility team. We have a never ending 'To Do' list."
Bob Minnick, technical director and senior manager of Worldwide Safety & Accessibility for Walt Disney World Parks and Disney Cruise Lines, described the importance of guest feedback in designing and refining the devices. "We have guest letters and feedback coming in all the time," he said. "We've seen everything from tears of joy to happy letters, but we don't think of everything on our own and when something isn't right, we respond with services and solutions."
Chris Howard, CEO of Softeq, a software and hardware development company involved in the development of the handheld device, stressed the importance of user-friendly design. "One of the critical parts was designing the buttons," he said. "The high contrast helps you see where the buttons are located, and we used shapes like squares and triangles."
"Disney puts a lot of time and energy into making their parks truly accessible to everyone," added Howard. "We've solved the technology part."
And the technology is award winning already. Disney Parks' creative innovators have won honors including the da Vinci Award for Assistive Technology, the National Association of the Deaf Access Award, the Invisible Disability Advocates 2009 Corporate Honors and, most recently, the 2010 National Society of Professional Engineers® New Product Award in the Mega Company Category. In addition, Disney freely licenses this device out to other companies so they can benefit from the solution.
Walt Disney was a "perfectionist" when it came to creating multi-sensory themed environments, Minnick concluded. "Guests who are vision or hearing impaired could miss a significant amount of the messages and ambiance that is so uniquely Disney," he explained. "We are blessed to work with Walt's philosophy of guest service. We always remember that Walt said the parks would never be finished."
Sandra Bostwick, MA, OTR/L is a private practice OT with Creative Learning Studios, LLC in Morris Plains, NJ and a school-based OT at The Calais School. She is an adjunct professor at County College of Morris, specializing in learning strategies and writing skills for college students with learning disabilities. She co-moderates an online travel resource for special needs at http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/vacationing-your-way-your-special-needs/ and enjoys freelance writing. She can be reached at sbostwicktherapy@yahoo.com. A collection of her articles can be found at http://sandrabostwick.wordpress.com/ .
To learn more about the new handheld device, click here.
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