JOIN
DONATE
Hero

Resources

Arts Organizations: Checklists, Handbooks, and Plans

Tools designed to help arts organizations assess barriers, plan, and take specific steps to increase access for people with disabilities.


12 Step Plan to Access – A guide to help arts organizations identify their weaknesses in accordance with the ADA and to create a plan that will complete their access needs.

ADA Checklist for Existing Facilities – PDF checklist to help assess existing facilities and accommodations for people with disabilities.

Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrator's Handbook – A handbook created by the National Endowment for the Arts to provide guidance on making access an integral part of an organization’s staffing, mission, budget, and programs.

Disability Language Style Guide – A style guide to help people use the correct language when talking about individuals living with disabilities. Created by the National Center on Disability and Journalism.

Guide to Accessible Meetings, Events, and Conferences – This guide covers site selection, pre-event activities, physical and audio-visual considerations, food service, personal assistants and service animals, tips for presenters and attendees, and emerging promising practices.

Section 504 Self-Evaluation Workbook - Designed by the National Endowment for the Arts to help arts organizations evaluate the current state of accessibility of their programs and activities to disabled visitors and employees.

CT Website Accessibility Compliance Guidelines  – Guidelines for CT state agency websites.

The Venue Assistive Listening Toolkit – A toolkit to help venues and event organizers participate in and promote the use of Assisted Listening Devices.

 

Web Content Accessibility


Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – The WCAG are a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium, the primary international standards organization for the Internet. These guidelines are widely accepted as the industry standard for all web content.

Understanding WCAG 2.1 –  A comprehensive guide to help understand and implement the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool – A free evaluation tool to help test your website and make your web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Creating Accessible Electronic Content in Microsoft Office and Adobe – A collection of accessibility "cheatsheets" developed to assist anyone who is creating accessible electronic content.

Accessible Social Media – A guide created by the Boston Children's Museum, offering general recommendations and information specific to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Resources to Help Ensure Accessibility of Your Virtual Events for People with Disabilities – Resources to help create an inclusive experience for your virtual and digital events.

 

Federal Accessibility Laws 


Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

Accessibility Regulations Tip Sheet – A tip sheet from the NEA with information about 2010 revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

Accessibility Symbols


Disability Access Symbols – The Graphic Artists Guild offers a free package of downloadable accessibility logos. Their website offers a helpful breakdown of what each of the symbols represents and when it is appropriate to use each one.

The Accessible Icon Project – An ongoing design activism project that promotes a redesigned version of the International Symbol of Accessibility. The graphic is available for free download and open source use.

Accessibility Symbols -3

 

Organizations and Agencies Devoted to Accessibility Issues


New England ADA Center - Provides information, guidance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for individuals and organizations in New England.

Disability Rights Connecticut – A statewide non-profit organization with a mission to advocate for the human, civil, and legal rights of people with disabilities in Connecticut.

CT Department of Aging and Disability Services  – CT state agency dedicated to maximizing opportunities for the independence and well-being of people with disabilities and older adults in Connecticut.

The Arc Connecticut – Advocacy organization committed to protecting the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and promoting opportunities for their full inclusion in their communities.

CT Tech Act Project – CTAP's mission is to increase independence and improve the lives of individuals with disabilities through increased access to Assistive Technology for work, school and community living.

New England Assistive Technology – Empowers individuals of all ages and abilities to utilize assistive technology for an increase in independence.

 

Further Reading & Resources


Articles

Standards for Writing Accessibly – Michael J. Metts, Andy Welfle, alistapart.com (Jan 23, 2020)

Are You Including People with Disabilities in Your Virtual Arts Events? – Beth Bienvenu and Lauren Tuzzolino, NEA, arts.gov (May 4, 2020)

Building the Woke Web: Web Accessibility, Inclusion & Social Justice – Olu Niyiawosusi, alistapart.com (Jun 11, 2020)

Ten Guidelines to Improve the Usability and Accessibility of Your Site – Trip Rems, usabilitygeek.com

 

Blogs / News

New Mobility - New Mobility encourages the integration of active wheelchair users into mainstream society with articles on health, advocacy, travel, employment, relationships, recreation, media, products and more.

Ouch – the cabin fever podcast BBC – The place where the real disability talk happens; Interviews, life hacks, and things you don't say out loud.

Are there other ways we can be more accessible to you?

We'd love to list them!

Let us know

Website Accessibility Statement

Last Updated: November 17, 2020

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven strives to ensure that its services are accessible to people with disabilities. The Arts Council has invested a significant amount of resources to help ensure that its website is made easier to use and more accessible for people with disabilities, with the strong belief that every person has the right to live with dignity, equality, comfort, and independence.

Accessibility on our Website

Our website makes available the UserWay Website Accessibility Widget that is powered by a dedicated accessibility server. The software allows our website to improve its compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1).

Using the Accessibility Menu

The website accessibility menu can be enabled by clicking the accessibility menu icon that appears in the bottom, right corner of the page. After triggering the accessibility menu, please wait a moment for the accessibility menu to load in its entirety.

Arts Council Website Accessibility Icon

 

 

  Accessibility icon 

 
 

Disclaimer

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven continues its efforts to constantly improve the accessibility of its site and services in the belief that it is our collective moral obligation to allow seamless, accessible, and unhindered use for those of us with disabilities.

In an ongoing effort to continually improve and remediate accessibility issues, we also regularly scan our website with UserWay's Accessibility Scanner to identify and fix every possible accessibility barrier on our site. Despite our efforts to make all pages and content on our website fully accessible, some material may not have yet been fully adapted to the strictest accessibility standards. This may be a result of not having found or identified the most appropriate technological solution.

 

Report An Issue

If you wish to report an accessibility issue or need assistance with our website, please contact our Website Support. To help us better assist you with any issues you have, we recommended that you read the WAI’s Contacting Organisations about Inaccessible Websites, and provide the advised information in your request.

Report a Web Accessibility Issue


Here For You

If you are experiencing difficulty with any content on our website or require assistance with any part of our site, please contact us anytime and and we will be happy to assist you. Email inquiries are typically responded to within 24 business hours.

 

WEBSITE SUPPORT CONTACT

Email – Winter@newhavenarts.org

Phone – (203) 772-2788

GIVE WITH PURPOSE: YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

The Arts Council supports hundreds of individual artists and creative organizations helping to reach thousands of residents every year. 

Want to help support the Arts Council in other ways? Learn more here.