American Association for State and Local History An Accessible Past

An Accessible Past: Making Historic Sites Accessible to All helps historic sites and house museums understand what they need to do in order to be legally compliant, and then, going beyond legal compliance, find creative ways in which to make their sites and museums accessible to visitors with a variety of types of disabilities. An Accessible Past helps historic sites overcome barriers to accessibility by clarifying what historic sites must do in order to be legally compliant; in addition, this edited volume provides case studies of creative ways visitors can engage with the museum while retaining the historic integrity of the places and spaces in question. This book will help readers think outside the box when it comes to accessibility at historic sites, regardless of their size or budget.This book is for practitioners and students in the fields of public history and museum studies. Offers practical and low-cost ideas for increasing accessibility at historic sites, while retaining the historic integrity of the places and spaces in question.Provides an overview of legal obligations and ideas for making historic sites accessible.Demonstrates how, by being more accessible, historic sites and museums will be able to invite new audiences to their locations, strengthening the sustainability of these organizations and promoting the relevancy of history to more visitors than in the past.