Topics
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- Communication
Access Symbols
Access symbols can identify important accessibility features, which promote inclusivity and help individuals with disabilities navigate public spaces confidently and independently.
- Essentials
Accessibility Coordinator
An accessibility coordinator leads an organization’s efforts to ensure legal compliance and foster inclusion for people with disabilities by coordinating accommodations, advising on policies, and serving as a liaison with the community.
- Communication
Accessible Digital Materials
Arts and culture organizations must ensure that their digital materials are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, as these resources are often visitors’ first point of contact with an institution and should be available in multiple formats to support inclusive engagement.
- Programming
Accessible Instructional Practices
Accessible instructional practices ensure equitable access to education for people with disabilities by addressing learner variability across cognitive, sensorimotor, and communication domains.
- Communication
Accessible Print Materials
Organizations should ensure that their printed materials are accessible and available in multiple formats to reach a broader audience and promote equal engagement, including for people with disabilities.
- Communication
Accessible Social Media
Arts and culture organizations can make social media content more accessible by incorporating practices like alt text, captions, and plain language, all of which promote equity and engagement while also complying with legal accessibility standards.
- Services
Assistive Listening Systems
Assistive Listening Systems (ALSs) enhance sound accessibility for d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals by using microphones, transmitters, and receivers to improve listening experiences in public spaces.
- Services
Audio Description
Audio description provides narrated visual descriptions for individuals who are blind or have low vision, which enhances accessibility during live performances, exhibits, and media displays.
- Services
Braille
Braille is a tactile writing system that enhances accessibility for blind or low-vision individuals. Cultural organizations can improve engagement by providing braille materials like programs, signage, and guides in accordance with ADA requirements.
- Essentials
Budgeting for Accessibility
Budgeting for accessibility reflects an organization's commitment to inclusivity and equity by integrating accessibility expenses into routine operations, which ensures sufficient institutional resources for meaningful and sustainable change.
- Services
Captioning (open, closed, CART)
Captioning converts spoken language and audio cues into written text, ensuring accessibility for people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. It can be applied to in-person, virtual, live, and recorded events to enhance inclusivity and comprehension.
- Spaces
Care and Convenience Features
Providing care and convenience features like rest seating, courtesy wheelchairs, and private spaces can make cultural institutions more accessible, comfortable, and accommodating for all visitors, especially those with disabilities.
- Essentials
Centering the Disability Community
Disability work should be led by people with disabilities, since centering disabled perspectives in all planning and decision-making can foster greater trust, representation, and intersectional approaches to access.
- Spaces
- Specific Spaces
Classrooms, Meeting Rooms, and Studio Spaces
In arts and cultural spaces, instilling accessibility features into specific spaces like classrooms, meeting rooms, and studios (as well as general public areas) is crucial for providing equal access to all the opportunities your organization offers.
- Communication
Communicating Access Information
Communicating clear, accessible, and up-to-date accessibility information helps foster inclusivity, transparency, and comfort, which empowers all visitors to plan and enjoy their experience with confidence.
- Essentials
Defining Disability
Advocates and activists continue to expand our definition of disability beyond mere legal protections and services, urging others to view disability as a natural part of human diversity, culture, and identity.
- Essentials
Disability History, Culture, and Justice
Understanding disability history, culture, and justice are essential for appreciating disabled people's rich identity and ongoing struggle for equal rights, as well as for encouraging cultural organizations to foster greater inclusivity.
- Essentials
Employment of People with Disabilities
When organizations hire people with disabilities across all levels of staffing, they benefit from a diverse workforce that brings valuable perspectives and talents, even when this means that all employment practices must be reshaped with accessibility and equity in mind.
- Programming
Evaluation and Feedback
Evaluation is crucial for ensuring equitable participation in arts programming, since gathering feedback from individuals with disabilities can drive continuous improvement and foster more inclusive practices across your organization.
- Spaces
- Specific Spaces
Food Service
Arts and culture organizations should integrate accessibility features into food service spaces through thoughtful design, clear communication, and staff training.
- Spaces
- Specific Spaces
Galleries, Collections and Exhibits
Arts and culture organizations should implement specific accessibility best practices into all galleries, collections, and exhibits to ensure meaningful and inclusive engagement for visitors.
- Spaces
- Specific Spaces
Gardens and Outdoor Spaces
Arts and culture organizations should incorporate accessibility best practices into the design of gardens and outdoor spaces to ensure that all visitors can enjoy sensory experiences, community building, and engagement with nature.
- Essentials
Grievance Procedures
Clear and effective grievance procedures are essential for resolving disability discrimination complaints fairly and promptly, since they uphold the rights of individuals with disabilities and ensure an organization’s compliance with ADA and Section 504 requirements.
- Spaces
- Specific Spaces
Historic Spaces
Designing accessible historic spaces involves working creatively and collaboratively with both the disability and historic preservation communities to enhance physical, programmatic, and communication access.