FACT SHEET

SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

AND MOUNT VERNON LADIES' ASSOCIATION OF THE UNION

On July 21, 2010, the Department of Justice announced a settlement agreement with the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, which owns and maintains the Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens ("Mount Vernon").  Through a variety of creative methods, Mount Vernon has agreed to bring its facility into greater compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") to increase access to its exhibits, programs, and facilities for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or blind, or have low vision or mobility disabilities.  This Agreement addresses an historic site's obligation under the ADA to provide equal access for visitors with disabilities to its historic facilities and public spaces as well as its exhibits and public programs. 

The Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens

Located in Alexandria, Virginia, on the banks of the Potomac River, Mount Vernon was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Open every day of the year, it is the most popular historic estate in America, attracting more than a million visitors a year. 

Visitors to Mount Vernon can see 20 structures and 50 acres of gardens as they existed in 1799.  Among the sites visitors may tour are George Washington's Mansion, a museum, the tombs of George and Martha Washington, and the nation's most important memorial to the accomplishments of 18th-century slaves.  In its new Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, Mount Vernon offers exhibits and programs in innovative formats including state-of-the-art audiovisual programs, computer interactive displays, and special effects. Mount Vernon has agreed to ensure that the experience it offers can be enjoyed by potentially millions of people with disabilities.

Highlights of the Agreement 

Over a period of 12 to 36 months, Mount Vernon will phase in a variety of accessibility features. 

For individuals who are blind or have low vision, it will –

• Provide walk-in, audio-described tours of the Mansion, the Estate grounds and outbuildings, and the exhibitions, computer interactives, and audiovisual presentations in the Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center;            
• Provide tactile access to selected objects, reproductions, and architectural features as part of the audio-described tours;      
• Provide alternate formats (e.g., audio, large print, and Braille) of exhibition label content, general public maps, and printed materials; and
• Replace or relocate objects that protrude from walls and exhibits so that they are no longer a hazard for people who do not see them or see them clearly.

For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Mount Vernon will –

• Provide closed captioning for its centerpiece films in the Revolutinary War Theater and the Legacy Theater;         
• Provide sign language and oral interpreted tours of George Washington's Mansion for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, on advanced request; and            
• Provide a script for the audio tour of Mount Vernon in a portable binding with tabs to allow easy access to information at all audio tour locations in any order the visitor chooses.           

For people with mobility disabilities, Mount Vernon will –

• Modify the main entrance for visitors to Mount Vernon by making accessible the primary walkway to the Texas Gate;     
• Complete installation of an accessible surface along the gravel walk connecting the Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center with the Historic Mansion;
• Provide greater access to the entrance and routes in the main floor of the historic mansion, by providing a shallower entry ramp and complete other modifications to the route into and out the facility;        
• Provide an accessible walk to and a level landing at the entrance of The Shops, Food Court and The Mount Vernon Inn; and     
• Modify the controls (e.g., for turning pages or raising covers to reveal information behind) of interactive exhibits so that they are accessible to visitors with mobility disabilities.       

Requirements of title III of the ADA

Title III of the ADA applies to private entities such as museums, historic sites, restaurants, and stores. It requires that public accommodations ensure that no individual with a disability is discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the entities' goods, services, and facilities. Where necessary, a public accommodation must also provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services in order to ensure effective communication.  Title III also requires removal of barriers to access in existing facilities where it is readily achievable to do so.  Any new construction or alteration to buildings, including historic buildings, facilities, and exhibitions must meet the requirements of the physical accessibility standards.

People with disabilities and tourism

The U.S. Census Bureau reported in a 2008 report that in 2005 there were more than 54 million Americans with disabilities.  This large-and-growing population of people with disabilities regularly travels, visits museums and historic sites, and eats out with family and friends.

As educational tourist destinations including historic sites, museums, aquariums, zoos, and libraries welcome this audience, it is essential that they use innovative means to provide access to buildings, sites, and interactive and multimedia exhibits.  This agreement will serve as a model for ensuring enjoyment of those activities of American life by all individuals, as required by the ADA.

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