increasing access to pittsburgh arts and culture
TRANSCRIPT
Increasing Access to
Pittsburgh Arts and Culture
ABC@PCG,
Jeremy Bert
What We Do…
Objectives Actions
Educate arts and culture workers on how
to provide accessible programs, venues,
events, communications, and workplaces
• Workshops covering broad range of accessibility
issues
• Co-created regional system to gather data on
how many people with disabilities are engaging
with arts and culture
Deliver technical assistance and
resources to help organizations offer and
promote accommodations for a variety of
disabilities
• Provided free workshop teaching American Sign
Language Interpretation for performance
• Co-sponsored audio description and open
captioning trainings
• Free staff training and assistance with
organizational assessments
Build a supportive network of local arts
managers, people with disabilities, and
advocates for people with disabilities who
are interested in addressing accessibility
issues in our region
• Accessibility Peer Group
• Advisory Committee of representatives from
disability community
• Speakers with disabilities featured at each
accessibility workshop and in other GPAC
programs
Strengthen Pittsburgh’s connections to
people working on arts and disability issues
at all levels
• Provide scholarships to the national Leadership
Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD)
Conference
• Present on accessibility at national arts
conferences
First Five Years: The NumbersStatistics capturing work done from January 2011 to July 2015.
Workshops Presented 22
Organizations Participating 86
Workshop Attendees 519
Presenters with Disabilities 30
2012 – 2015 Pittsburghers at LEAD 60
Access Peer Group Members 70
ABC@PCG,
Jeremy Bert
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: WorkshopAccessibility Field Trip: Assistive TechnologyFebruary 23, 2015; 30 attendees
University of Pittsburgh, Human Engineering Research Laboratories
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Capacity Building
Stage Craft: ASL Interpretation for Performance
Hands Up Productions
March 8 and 9, 2014 at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Trained 22 Interpreters
Hot Jam Pittsburgh Glass Center
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Technical Support
ABC@PCG,
Jeremy Bert
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: WorkshopWorking with Artists with DisabilitiesMarch 26, 2014, City Theatre: included performances by and a panel of six artists
with disabilities, 35 attendees
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Technical Support In depth support for regional arts organizations including staff training,
organizational assessments, regular and sustained email trouble
shooting, and facilitating work with artists with disabilities.
OJO
by Bricolage
An immersive
theatre
production
exploring life
without sight
featuring two
actors who are
blind. One of
these actors,
Ann Lapidus,
left, now serves
on the
Bricolage Board
of Directors
Lessons Learned…
1. Arts organizations DIY
a. Workshops must provide skills for
DIY accessibility
b. Peer to peer learning network
2. It takes years to earn trust
a. Speakers with disabilities at every
workshop
3. Equity not compliance
a. Civil rights resonate
b. Customer service crucial
Things that did not work:
1.Funding for facility assessments
2.Funding for facility improvements
WHY?Most arts organizations do not own
their spaces.
Filling the Gaps:Keys to effective support
1.A person to call with questions - peers
or me
2.One-on-one holistic support for small
arts organizations
3.Funding for first attempt at programmatic
accommodations
4.Supported data collection
Start with Art
Pittsburgh
In 2015 every baby
born at three local
birth centers began
life as an art collector.
Each baby received
an original signed
photograph by a local
artist. with a new
image for every
month. All the photos
were audio described
by local poet Jessica
Server.
Access Microfund Reimbursements of up to $500 for one time programmatic
accommodations.
#nofilter by Terry Boyd
Arts Access Data ProjectPartnered with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to develop metrics to measure
arts engagement by people with disabilities
Uses Survey Monkey for Quarterly reporting
of:• How many wheelchair seats and companion seats
were used by patrons;
• How many patrons received Braille, large print or
electronic materials;
• How many patrons used ASL interpretation; Audio
description; Captioning; Sensory/autism-friendly
adaptations; Accommodations for people with
dementia; Assistive listening devices;
Arts Access Data ProjectPartnered with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to develop metrics to measure
arts engagement by people with disabilities
Uses Survey Monkey for Quarterly reporting
of:• Whether accommodations were part of a scheduled
accommodated event;
• OR at the request of a patron
• OR as part of a disability-specific outreach or
educational program.
• The number of employees, volunteers and artists
with disabilities
FeedbackQuotes from emails and anonymous surveys
“This is a great and much
needed program. Glad GPAC is
doing it!”
“Thank you so much for offering
these workshops. With budgets as
tight as they are, it is so valuable to
have this information for an
affordable cost.”
“It is interesting to hear about other's experiences
and techniques and good to know that in many
ways we are doing the same things at our home
institution. I also wholeheartedly agree that
accessibility techniques can work for all
groups/patrons.”
“I just wanted to follow up from Monday's workshop and let you know that my colleagues and I had a
great time. It was very exciting and informative and we look forward to attending future workshops.
As we move forward to make our museum more accessible, it was exciting to learn that workshops
like these happen and happen often.”
“Don’t ever stop providing
information on
accessibility.”
“Looking forward to
a stronger and
deeper
partnerships!”
“The speakers are intellects
in their fields. The event
was high quality. I like the
format (lunch and learn).”
“Presenters are extremely knowledgeable,
personable, and have great connection with
their audience.”
Over five years, arts organizations
participating in workshops, peer group
meetings, or receiving accessibility
grants have drastically improved the
inclusion of people with disabilities -
as patrons and participants - on a
regional scale.
People with Disabilities
Engaging In Art
In 2014 - four of the largest regional arts
organizations provided the following
accommodations at a single venue:
Above: Knit the Bridge. Below: Students speaking about
their experience at a local dance performance
Audio Description 243
Captioning 106
Large Print Programs 1157
Assistive Listening Devices 4989
The depth and breadth of
accessible cultural events
and venues has expanded.
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
presented a sensory-friendly
performance of The Lion
King, installed a dedicated
audio description booth and
purchased individual
captioning devices.
Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre and Texture
Contemporary Ballet
offer audio description
Pittsburgh Symphony
Orchestra held one of the
first sensory-friendly full
symphonic performances
in the nation
The Pittsburgh Glass Center offers ASL
interpretation at its Hot Jam series of
glass blowing demonstrations
Kelly Strayhorn Theater
hosted two dance
residencies featuring
dancers with mobility
impairments
Pittsburgh New
Works Festival
offers ASL
interpretation
and audio
description
In 2013 The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
presented the first sensory friendly
Nutcracker and added a sensory
friendly Beauty and the Beast in 2014
Impact ...
A (Micro) History of World Economics, Danced By Pascal Rambert, Presented by City of Asylum Pittsburgh
Anne MulgraveManager of Grants and Accessibility
http://pittsburghartscouncil.org/programs/accessib
ility