The Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects - PacifiCorp

Lewis River Interpretive & Education Plan
4. The experience accommodates diversity in learning styles through
interactivity. People assimilate information in different ways. Some are
“visual learners,” integrating information primarily through what they
see, others rely primarily on audio input, and certain people rely on the
written word. Any interpretive effort (whenever possible) should use a
mix of media to convey themes and topics so that all people interacting
with the materials have an equal opportunity to learn and gain insight.
This approach is simply another aspect of making exhibits and displays
fully accessible to all people irrespective of ability.
5. Interpretation is thematic. Interpretive presentations, regardless
of media, should have the qualities of a story—they should have a
beginning, an end, and most important of all, a message or moral. This
message, to be distinguished from the topic or subject matter, is the
presentation’s theme. Interpretative presentations without themes beg
the question, “so what”— they fail to offer a major point or convey a
message.
The Audience is Disabled
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA; PL 101-336) defines a person with
disabilities as anyone experiencing “a physical or mental impairment that
substantially limits one or more of the major life activities “ (ATBCB 1990).
This definition is rather vague, to say the least, and what is more, it makes it
difficult to accurately identify the number of Americans with disabilities. The
result is that statistical estimates vary widely. Some estimates argue that 32.5
million non-institutionalized people (14.1 percent of the U.S. population)
experience varying degrees of limitation when performing “basic life activities”.
(Krause and Stoddard 1989).
When disabilities are defined in terms of the ability to perform select physical
functions, an even larger segment of the population can be considered disabled:
37.3 million non-institutionalized people age 15 and older. When all of these
disabilities are considered in aggregate, an estimated 59.4 percent of the noninstitutionalized
U.S. population experiences a physical or mental functional
limitation.
Taking an even broader perspective, many other groups not normally considered
disabled can benefit directly from the removal of accessibility barriers: pregnant
women, adults with infants, children, small people, obese people, and the 10
percent of the population considered temporarily disabled due to accidents or
other medical problems. Finally, when these individuals are combined with
the 59.4 percent discussed above, and when the friends and families of all are
considered, virtually everyone is impacted by disability.
Sea Reach Ltd • 146 NE yamhill Street • Sheridan, OR draft 3 • November 2008 • page 13