About the author: Julia Triezenberg is the Education Supervisor at Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria. She oversees the museum's adult education programming and the Volunteer Program.
Our team at Columbia River Maritime Museum (CRMM) in Astoria was inspired to be more intentional in the way we welcome visitors to the museum after attending a conference session on accessibility with the Council of American Maritime Museums in 2021.
We formed a Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) committee in April of that year that included representatives from each department: Administration, External Engagement, Education, Curatorial, Guest and Retail Services, and Facilities.
First, we evaluated offerings that were already intended to make the museum a more welcoming environment. For example, CRMM already participated in Museums For All, which provides reduced admission for all visitors with an EBT card (eventually expanded to EBT and WIC). We highlighted where accessible parking was located, firmed up our service animal policy, and took note of the wheelchairs we had available for complementary use.
Our next step was to identify what access items we could accomplish given that our budget had already been set for 2021. We started with more affordable projects like creating a social narrative, which gives a preview of the museum experience to visitors. The narrative highlights where the front doors, admissions desk, and restrooms are located as well as other sensory or wayfinding information that may be important to our visitors’ time at CRMM.
Over the last couple years, the DEAI committee has slowly built up the museum’s access offerings - but until recently, we had no good place to store them. Education Department representatives offered to look at options for mobile cart storage in early 2024 with a goal to test-run the system over spring break. This would give us time to troubleshoot and see what questions were most common before heading into peak season over the summer.
The cart contains two pairs of Enchroma color-blindness correcting glasses; two sensory backpacks featuring a salmon stuffed animal, fidgets, noise-dampening headphones, a verbal communication card, and access map; three sets of noise-dampening headphones; freebies from the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program; six audio tour devices for a Spanish translation of two of the museum’s largest galleries; and disposable handheld magnifiers that visitors can take with them after their visit.
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This image assists CRMM staff and volunteers with the locations of each item in the Comfort Cart.
Staff fill out a half sheet outlining the checkout procedure for each of these offerings, which are free to use. Some items, like the audio tour devices, require an I.D. or credit card as collateral. Others, like the magnifiers, can be handed out without worrying about their return.
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The checkout procedure for Comfort Cart items involves filling out a half sheet and sometimes giving staff a form of collateral.
Not only were our guests excited to learn about the newly-dubbed “Comfort Cart” and its offerings, but this became a great opportunity for staff to answer more general interest and wayfinding questions that may be lingering during their time at CRMM.
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The Comfort Cart's grand introduction!
The Comfort Cart is regularly out for 1-2 hour shifts during the museum’s peak season, but the items inside are available for use year-round. To learn more about Columbia River Maritime Museum’s access offerings, visit our website at https://www.crmm.org/accessibility.html or email accessbility@crmm.org.
Use these links to learn about the some of the vendors we use:
