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A Message from the Chairman
“A cultural institution and its constituents benefit when farsighted board members and administrators look beyond minimum standards to broaden the potential for usability of space and facilities for all potential staff, constituents, visitors and audiences.” — Jonathan Katz, CEO, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
We are happy to spotlight The Forum Theatre and Creative Heartworks who have gone beyond the minimum standards and are offering programs that integrate and fully embrace people with disabilities. These organizations are reaching new audiences and through their innovative programs are enriching the lives of their staff, general audiences and constituents.
The newsletter also features information that can serve as a valuable resource in hiring individuals with disabilities, researching and soliciting support for access programs and services, as well as national and state resources that will assist organizations in marketing their services.
To better understand the cultural participation and consumer behavior patterns of people with disabilities, The Cultural Access Network has been busy developing a survey and conducting a series of focus groups to explore the interests, buying patterns and participation in cultural events among people with hearing loss, deafness, vision loss, and mobility impairments. As part of the Building Cultural Participation Project, a program made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and by funds from the Wallace Foundation, the Cultural Access Network partnered with eight county offices serving people with disabilities, the New Jersey Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and VSA Arts New Jersey.
RL Grubbs, a research specialist from the Georgia Technical Institute, conducted eight focus groups in eight counties around the state. The results of those discussion groups and the findings from a statewide survey, to be conducted this summer, will be shared in a report to the arts community to provide arts managers and volunteer leadership with guidance and a better understanding on how to effectively market and serve people with disabilities. This information will not only be useful in serving individuals with disabilities but will have a positive impact on how organizations serve the broader public.
Remember, arts access is not the responsibility of just one person, but the responsibility of everyone at your organization, so please share this information with your staff and hold onto this newsletter for future reference. If you have an arts access question or would like someone from the Cultural Access Network to conduct a workshop for your board and staff, please call Magaly Roig at 973-540-0515, ext. 15. We look forward to continue to work with the arts community to ensure that New Jersey remains a leader in cultural access.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy summer.
Sincerely, 