Accessibility Coordinator
General Overview
An accessibility coordinator is an individual responsible for leading and advancing an organization’s accessibility work. This person is often referred to as the ADA coordinator, 504 coordinator, or accessibility coordinator (although the title can vary). This role is crucial in ensuring legal compliance as well as fostering an inclusive environment for individuals with disabilities. An effective accessibility coordinator helps create an accessible working and public-facing environment for all, including coordinating accessibility for visitor programming and internal meetings, as well as helping develop organizational policies, procedures, and practices to promote inclusion. They also act as a liaison between organizations and the community, guiding efforts to remove barriers and implement modifications or accommodations. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act, certain institutional entities (based on type and size) are required to designate at least one responsible employee to coordinate accessibility and legal compliance. However, there are many benefits to having a knowledgeable accessibility coordinator, even for entities that are not required to have one. This does not have to be a separate full-time position.
Implementation
While there are specific responsibilities that are typically assigned to an accessibility coordinator, keeping these ideas in mind is also important for empowering accessibility across your organization:
- Shared accountability
The role and the work of the accessibility coordinator should not exist in isolation. For accessibility work to be effective and sustainable, there must be collaboration between people and departments, as well as a shared sense of commitment and accountability to the work. - Institutional culture and buy-in
If you create and foster a culture of accessibility across your entire organization, it will help ensure the efficacy, authenticity, and impact of all your work.
Below is a list of recommended responsibilities and characteristics of an accessibility coordinator, including items that must be fulfilled to achieve legal compliance (if required for your organization) as well as items that are considered best practice:
- Work collaboratively with board, staff, leadership, and stakeholders to create an organizational culture of access that values diverse abilities, encourages open dialogue about disability, and ensures that access is embedded into all aspects of the organization.
- Foster opportunities for people with disabilities to serve as employees, board members, and stakeholders.
- Establish and lead an access advisory committee that includes internal and external stakeholders and includes representation of people with disabilities.
- Oversee and/or support internal accessibility policies and practices, including: budgeting, hiring, employment, internal grievance procedures, staff training, inclusive and anti-ableist communication, ongoing self-evaluations and audits, and the creation and implementation of transition or accessibility plans.
- Oversee and/or support external accessibility policies and practices, including: accommodation requests and fulfillment, effective and responsive grievance procedures, inclusive and anti-ableist communication and advertising, and consistent communications on services provided to ensure equitable access and the participation of people with disabilities.
- Perform regular accessibility audits of procedures, policies, and infrastructure.
- Establish and cultivate relationships with the disability community, disability organizations, user/experts, and service providers.
- Continually review and increase knowledge of accessibility through training and professional development to ensure up-to-date understanding of laws, emerging technologies, and best practices.
- Support efforts to identify funding opportunities for accessibility initiatives (if applicable).
Additionally, here are some recommended qualifications of an accessibility coordinator:
- Lived and/or personal experience with disability
- Experience providing and addressing accessibility for a range of types of disability
- Connection with the disability community
- Knowledge of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and the Rehabilitation Act
To learn more about the accessibility coordinator role, please see the Learn More section below.
Associated Legal Requirements or Obligations
Please note that, while this content was developed by people with expertise in the ADA and legal requirements related to access, it was created for informational purposes and should not be considered legal advice.
- Title II of the ADA
Organizations that employ 50 or more individuals are required to designate an ADA coordinator to oversee compliance, public communication, and complaint resolution. (28 CFR 35.107)
- Title III of the ADA
While not required, places of public accommodation are strongly encouraged to appoint an accessibility coordinator to ensure programs and facilities comply with accessibility standards.
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Organizations that receive federal funding may be required to appoint a 504 coordinator based on the specific requirements of the federal entity providing the funding. (29 U.S.C. § 794)
- Organizations should verify their funding source’s specific requirements regarding the designation of an accessibility coordinator.
- Organizations receiving direct or indirect funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), or the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) must appoint a 504 or accessibility coordinator.
Learn More
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Experts
- Access/VSA Office, Kennedy Center
- Abilities Dance Boston
- Arts Access North Carolina
- ArtsKC Regional Arts Council
- Alexandra V Asbury
- Alexander Jones
- Amazement Square
- Beth Bienvenu, Ph.D.
- Charles G. Baldwin
- Elise Schaffer
- Embraced Body
- Emily Ladau
- Mayo Performing Arts Center
- Miles Schlagel
- Move to Include
- Omnium Circus
- Piper Hutson
- RA Arts for All
- Ren Elias
- Think Outside The Vox
- Access Gallery
- Even Grounds
- Mort Sajadian
- Museum Arts and Culture Access Consortium
- Lorena Bradford
- All Kinds Accessibility Consulting
- Heidi Swevens
- Axis Dance Company
- Jennifer Skulski