Handicap access

We are building stairs down into Islendingur, the Viking ship we have on display. When we first opened, we used the stairs Gunnar had built to allow Hillary Clinton to climb on board, but they were actually rather steep and did not have a handrail. So now we are trying to build something more stable. There is unfortunately not a lot of room between the side of the boat and the fiski, the piece of wood that holds the mast in place, and we have never really figured out a good way to allow handicap access onto the ship, but at any rate, this is a step in the right direction (pardon the pun!).

Museums in the United States design for handicap people, specifically, people in wheelchairs. Turns out they are about the same height as most children, so actually, designing cases to be at their eye level is a very good way to ensure that the largest number of visitors can see the exhibition. The privileged gaze is not the gaze of the 1.8 meter tall man, who in fact has the hardest time seeing the exhibition. This is not a law in the United States, just museum professional best practice. That they can get into the building of course is, same as here in Iceland.

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