The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) has embraced an approach to inclusive design that will set new Canadian and world standards for universal accessibility, its president announced today. Cutting-edge technology, nation-wide input from the disability community, and pioneering Canadian research have ensured the Museum visitor experience is designed – right from its early planning phases – to include the full range of human diversity. “In our Museum, disability will not be treated as a special condition, but as an ordinary part of life that affects us all,” CMHR president and CEO Stuart Murray said at today’s news conference with members of the disability community, the Museum’s Inclusive Design Advisory Council and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. Smithsonian guidelines for accessible design will be met or exceeded, as will the most stringent criteria under the National Building Code and Web-based accessibility standards. A national testing group has also been created. Murray also announced a memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Inclusive Design Research Centre at the Ontario College of Art and Design University to help develop interface/input devices for touch-screen and kiosk-based exhibits. Centre director Jutta Treviranus said their uniquely Canadian approach to digital accessibility, adopted by the CMHR, has become a guiding example for the United States government, European Union and other jurisdictions around the world. Winnipeg human-rights lawyer Yvonne Peters, who is blind, said access issues go far beyond moving wheelchairs through doors. “I get very frustrated when I go to Museums and often feel alienated,” she said. “I want to be included in an experience that is designed to include me, where my needs are not considered as an afterthought.” Laurie Beachell, national coordinator of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, welcomed the Museum’s commitment to address accessibility issues on an ongoing basis – creating modular components that can be updated as needs arise and technology evolves. Concerns initially identified by members of the disability community have helped guide the Museum’s current approach, including creation of a nation-wide Advisory Council to provide analysis and feedback on a wide variety of elements. The CMHR is hosting a meeting tonight with members of the disability community to explain its inclusive design approach and Museum content related to disability rights. Examples of the Museum’s approach to inclusive design and accessibility can be found in the attached backgrounder. Currently under construction in Winnipeg, the CMHR is the first museum solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights in Canada. It is the first national museum to be established since 1967 and the first outside the National Capital Region. To read about some more details of the museum go to Canadian Museum of Human Rights.