Accessibility - Omaha Payphone Project

Accessibility Instructions for the Payphone

• There is a headphone jack and we will have headphones available for use too. There is no bluetooth for wireless headphones.

• The phone will continue to play what the headphones are hearing (plugging in headphones does not shut down the main phone. Two people can listen at the same time that way too.

• Braille on original keypad on #5 and will be added to the keypad (pictured below) on #5 as well.

• Wipes with bleach will be available to sanitize as needed.

• The keypad shown below that is included will act like the receiver once the headphones are plugged in.

• When you pick up the receiver, there is a dial tone and it will prompt you to choose English or Spanish.

• If you dial 00# it pulls up the artist directory and you can use that to guide it. There is a digital phonebook in the system.

• There is also a printed phonebook with the installation that will have artist information, thank yous, bios, printed pieces, and other information that lives on the website as well.

• When you pick up the phone, there is a dial tone. It says, "for English, Press 1, for Spanish Press 2." It then goes into the prompt for these four options: Dial a number; Press 5 to randomly play through tracks; Press 6 to take you to the next track; Press 4 to take you to the previous track.

• There is an “app” on the website where you can access all of the tracks by clicking on the receiver then dial 5 for a random track and #00 for the artist directory. To get to the track number you want, type the number plus the # sign. Ex: 009#. Dial 402# to leave a voice message on the app.

• Here is the "app" link: Omaha Payphone Project App

• The NFC tag is on the keypad as seen below and has a little image of three curved lines. If you tap it with your phone it will take users directly to the project website.  

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​A black numerical keypad with an NFC tag at the bottom of the apparatus and a headphone jack icon on the left side

 

 

 

About Our Approach to Accessibility 

Accessibility is a focus for the Omaha Payphone Project. Not only are we making outdated technology available to the public for hands-on interaction, usage, and learning, but we also did our best to design with the disability community in mind. We collaborated with All Kinds Accessibility Consulting for this work. Thank you to Shelby Seier at All Kinds for taking on this project as a volunteer!

 

In our research phase, we met with a braille consultant, held meetings with local Deaf people, consulted American Sign Language Interpreters, and met with representatives from Iowa School for the Deaf. Our learnings are immense and our takeaways are that accessibility is a big, bold, beautiful and multifaceted task, and that it takes time, intention, and dedicated resources to enact it well. Our accessibility efforts for this project are only scratching the surface of what is possible. We are eager to implement more creative accommodations into future iterations of the Omaha Payphone Project. 

 

Here is what we were able to achieve in the realm of accessibility for the current iteration:

• Cast a wide net for the call for participants, creating a simple application in hopes that artists in all stages of creative practice and from various life experiences apply. 

• Select artists that represent Omaha’s rich and diverse cultural fabric.

• Work with a disabled accessibility consultant, Shelby Seier of All Kinds Accessibility Consulting, to learn about accessibility. 

• Enact ADA compliance in the Payphone itself, paying particular attention to accessible operable parts, reach ranges, intuitive design, Universal Design, and legibility. 

• Research best practices in TTY accessibility and how it might translate to the payphone. 

• Share with all participating artists the accommodation of description of audio to collaborate on accurate descriptions for each piece, giving access to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. 

• Provide transcriptions of each work and audio descriptions in the “phonebook."

• Provide sanitization wipes to reduce the spread of germs amongst public usage.

 

Future Goals and Feedback

Again, our accommodations only scratch the surface of what is possible for accessibility considerations! This project is primarily audio-based and we are curious about expanding visual accessibility in future iterations to better include people who are deaf and hard of hearing. 

 

We are interested in hosting events that feature ASL interpreters and open captioning on visuals, so that signing can occur simultaneously as people listen.

 

Ideally we would love for audio and written text to be provided in multiple languages that represent the incredible communities in our city. We are currently working on a Spanish translation of each song and poem that will be released when completed.

 

As with all work happening in the world, we experience barriers of budget constraints, capacity restraints, and the awareness of what living in this complex moment in our shared history holds. But the connection, collaboration, and appreciation for each moment and detail is fuel for creative fires and will live in the work as it and we grow. This project has reignited hope for the future; so much is possible when we band together. 

 

Thank you for taking part in this project. If you have accessibility questions, issues, or brilliant ideas, please contact info@allkindsaccessibility.com !