Two Role Model Organizations Committed to Access

This article profiles two organizations that serve as role models to the New Jersey arts communities.

The State Theatre of New Jersey

by David Hartkern

For well over ten years, the State Theatre in New Brunswick has been dedicated to reaching out to all audiences, and making the theater as accessible as possible. As an 83-year old theater, the State Theatre has its physical challenges. However, its programs, services and its most recent construction project have eliminated many barriers, opening it up to a wider audience. Recent construction projects have resulted in more accessible bathrooms, lowered ticket windows and concession counters, automatic doors, and ongoing services include large-print programs, infra-red listening enhancement systems, sign interpretation on request, audio-taped brochures and playbills, TTY-equipped box office, and more.

This holiday season, we will partner with the American Repertory Ballet to present an audio-described performance of The Nutcracker. This is the result of both ARB’s and our ongoing commitment to attract constituents with disabilities, and demonstrates the arts communities’ willingness to collaborate to provide accessibility services. The Artistic Director of the American Repertory Ballet and the General Manager of the State Theatre are co-heading the project, along with veteran volunteer audio-describers June and Jim Connerton. The George Street Playhouse is providing the use of its transmission equipment. Patrons who wish to participate need only purchase a regular price ticket. They will receive admission to a pre-performance sensory seminar, special audio equipment to hear real-time detailed description of the ballet, and one free companion ticket. Registration for this service can be done by calling the State Theatre Box Office at (732) 236-7469.

Wheaton Village

by Susan Gogan

Wheaton Village is a complicated organization when it comes to ADA planning, and we have been working toward ADA compliance for years. In more recent times we’ve not only needed to adapt to a changing world, but also to significant transitions in our own organization. As a result, we had become a little complacent in our approach toward ADA compliance.

With the excellent tools developed by the Cultural Access Network, and their supportive technical assistance with the NJ State Council on the Arts, we embarked upon on a new ADA assessment process. This was an honest reality check of what we really needed to do to be fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Our facility consists of eighteen buildings, fourteen of which are open to the public. Our programs are accessible to approximately 65,000 walk-in daily visitors, as well as targeted groups — ranging from at-risk students to visiting artists from all over the world. As with many arts organizations, our budget is tight, relative to facility needs and program activity. For many years we have been what could be considered generally ADA compliant. All of our public buildings are wheelchair accessible, and we have two wheelchairs available on-site. We have assisted listening devices in the Museum and the Glass Studio, and if need be, they can be moved to other buildings. We use the appropriate logos in our printed materials. We offer a booklet of large print master labels of museum exhibits.

Students with both physical and psychological disabilities have benefited from our programs. Our staff is known for their accommodating and gracious hospitality, and this has clearly resulted in positive (and sometimes creative) outcomes to visitors with disabilities. Despite this and much more, after doing our most recent ADA assessment, the staff was a little overwhelmed with what still needed to be accomplished.

As we all know, the devil is in the details. For instance, some buildings are accessible except for a mere 1/2” variance in a doorway threshold. We have accessible services for which we have no visible universal signage. Our most recent building — built in 1999 by an ADA aware firm — is not fully compliant. Our ADA Plan is aggressive when evaluating our financial and staff resources, and we are already behind.

However, as our organization’s working culture continues to transcend into a learning culture, our staff, with their natural open and willing responsiveness to our audiences’ needs, will move our ADA initiatives forward. We’ll continue to make progress, even if it’s slower than we like. As arts organizations, we have an edge on the rest of the world. We are fortunate to have inherent creative resources to solve problems. We can/will make life better for Americans with disabilities, but it will only happen if we are continually absorbing and processing the needs of all those we serve.

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The Cultural Access Network is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.