Accessibility in the Arts Online Convening

1. Video: Access on a Shoestring Budget  by Sam Gould, President, Open Door Theater
   • Open Captioning? ASL Interpretation? Audio Description? Sensory Friendly Programming? If we can do it for a song, so can you! Let’s discuss best practices in a way that is affordable for all AND that your board will buy into.
   • Open Door Theater is an all volunteer, non-profit, multi-generational community theater with a social justice mission of access, inclusion and diversity since 1980. It was awarded the Most Accessible Cultural Organization in the Commonwealth from the Massachusetts Cultural Council Up Initiative in 2019.
   • Volunteer President and Executive Producer who has been contributing to Open Door Theater’s accessibility work for over 22 years, J. Samatha Gould, Esq. ("Sam Gould”) is an attorney, mother, leader and innovator. She’s been known to direct, produce, costume, construct, style, and writes most of Open Door’s grants. Her initiatives have brought ASL interpretation, ASL workshops and advocacy, captioning at all performances, adding audio description and tactile tours for the blind, creating sensory-friendly events, and creating safe spaces for education opportunities for audience members, and training in the creation of relaxed performances. Sam Gould was recently recognized for a lifetime achievement award for her work in accessible theater by Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters in 2020 and in 2017 by the Federation of Children with Special Needs.
   • Sam PDF Presentation 
2. Video: Introduction to 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and Barrier Removal  by Tess Stanton, Trainer, Rocky Mountain ADA
   • Participants will receive an overview of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and how to use them. We will discuss common barriers to facility access in existing facilities, some of the minimum accepted scoping and technical requirements for common elements, and practical solutions for barrier removal.
   • Tess PDF Presentation
3. Video: Accessibility Requirements for Arts Organizations  and Brief Accessibility Checklist by Katharine Hayward and Beth Bienvenu, National Endowment for the Arts
   • Federally funded projects must be accessible to people with disabilities. The National Endowment for the Arts requires applicants to consider physical and programmatic accessibility as an integral part of each project’s planning and budgeting process. The presenters will review accessibility requirements for applicants and examples of planning for accessibility such as including the cost of access accommodations in the project’s budget (e.g. sign language interpreters and audio describers) or conducting programs in accessible venues other than their own organization in order to meet accessibility requirements.
   • Beth and Katharine PDF Presentation

• Access Granted, a Rocky Mountain ADA Blog with ADA News and Updates
• Accessibility Planning and Resource Guide for Cultural Administrators
• Accessible Presentations Guide
• Accessible Social Media Guide
• ADA 30th Anniversary Toolkit and Information
• ADA Checklist for Existing Facilities
• ADA Compliance Checklist
• Campaign for Disability Employment Fact Sheet
• Designating an Accessibility Coordinator for Your Organization
• Disability Etiquette
• NEA Brief ADA Checklist
• North Dakota Assistive
• October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
• Resources to Help Ensure Accessibility of Your Virtual Events for People with Disabilities
• Rocky Mountain ADA
• Rocky Mountain ADA Course Catalog with free, self-paced ADA classes
• Voices from the Field: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

NDCA Main PDF Presentation