Jefferson National Expansion Administrative History

¹The Architectural Barriers Act of 1969 and Section 504 of the Architectural Rehabilitation Act of 1973 required that Federal Buildings be accessible. Although not applicable to Federal facilities, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 brought much greater public attention to accessibility issues. Despite the concerted efforts of the JEFF staff, there were still facilities and programs which remained inaccessible to visitors with severe mobility impairments at the beginning of the 1990s. These included the load zones, the trams and the top of the Arch, as well as the upper floors of the Old Courthouse and the "top of the dome" tours. See memorandum, Superintendent Gary Easton to all JEFF park employees, June 4, 1992; copy, JEFF historian's files.

²JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6. All Superintendent's Annual Reports may be found in JEFF Files, A2621. See Chapter 5 in this administrative history for further information on the Old Courthouse rehabilitation.

³JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1987.

⁴Ibid.

⁵"Video and Accessibility: A Tool For the Future," by Bob Moore, NPS Interpretation, copy in JEFF historian's files; JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1989, p. 14.

⁶Ibid.; see also JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1986, p. 6.

⁷Interview with Al Bilger, JNEHA Audio-Visual Production Specialist, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob Moore, July 17, 1992.

⁸Ibid.

⁹JEFF Superintendent's Annual Reports for 1989, p. 14, and 1990, p. 18.

¹⁰The Accessibility Plan was based on an accessibility self-evaluation conducted by Tom Richter, Acting Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation, and Chief Ranger Ivan Tolley, the Park Safety Officer. Paraquad (a local support organization for people with disabilities), participated in the self-evaluation, presenting the park with many practical and useful ideas. A copy of the self-evaluation may be found in the historian's files, JEFF.

¹¹JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1990, p. 2.

¹²JEFF Superintendent's Annual Report for 1991, p. 2.