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10 Steps to ADA Compliance for Arts Organizations
1. Insure that you have internal support to
create and implement ADA compliance.
Get everyone on board, and that means everyone—from
the Board chair to the volunteer ushers.
2. Become familiar with the law and how it relates to your organization.
Be aware that state laws can be more stringent than federal regulations, so
consult experts in your area. See the Resources sidebar for pertinent websites.
3. Gather your Access Team together. Form a committee made up of staff,
volunteers, patrons, board members and community members. Look for people
who have an interest in access, who have a disability themselves, or who have
the need to be involved, such as front of house and box office staff.
4. Assess the current organizational access. Find a survey instrument
that works for you. A good place to start is The Design for Accessibility:
A Cultural Administrator’s Handbook (see Resources). The form will lead
you through architectural, programmatic, marketing, and other policies that
are barriers to accessibility.
5. Create an ADA plan. Take each section and determine if the barriers
that exist are short-term or long-term concerns. Your plan should include
a timeline, the people who are in charge of each item, and the budget if the
item requires funding. Prioritize! Patch for the present while you plan for
the future.
6. Publicize and adopt the plan internally. Take the plan from committee
to the wider organization. Get feedback and incorporate changes. Make sure
it is adopted as part of the organizational strategic plan so it will move
forward.
7. Implement the plan. Don’t let your plan sit on the shelf! Start
working on the short-term steps and build up to the long-term ones as you
begin the process.
8. Do training. Education is an important part of an access plan. Get
those with disabilities to train staff, volunteers, board members, ushers,
etc. on disability etiquette and access issues. Incorporate this training
into your ongoing orientation sessions and materials.
9. Market your access. Hold a press conference, print a brochure, go
out into the community to independent living sites and rehabilitation facilities.
Be sure to include access symbols in your marketing materials.
10. Evaluate the plan. On a yearly basis, go back to the plan and look
at the goals, timeline, marketing, training, and budget and evaluate what
still needs to be done.
Condensed from a handout by Deborah Lewis, Executive Director of the ELA Foundation
and presenter at the Leadership Exchange for Arts and Disabilities conference
in August 2006.
©2007 Dramabiz Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
