Accessibility in Arts and Culture

LVACA is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity, among arts and cultural organizations, programs and events. We work to address the needs of underserved populations for whom participation in the arts may not be economically, historically, or otherwise available.

Accessibility Programs

Lunch and Learn

LVACA’s Lunch & Learn series offers accessibility training to arts and cultural organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley. These events feature nationally recognized speakers who share guidance on making their programs and facilities accessible to all patrons. Previous Lunch & Learn topics include the social model of disability, audio description, and accessible technologies. LVACA is currently developing a professional accreditation program for staff and volunteers of arts and culture organizations interested in creating accessible spaces and better serving disabled artists and patrons. We will gather to address the needs of underserved populations for whom participation in the arts may not be economically, socially or otherwise available. Please follow the link below to see our upcoming events.

Arts Access Audio Description Training

Audio Description (AD) assists patrons who are blind/low-vision to access the visual elements of museum exhibits and stage productions through narration provided by trained describers. Two workshops are available through LVACA: AD for the Performing Arts and AD for the Visual Arts. Professional development training in audio description can be beneficial to college students, educators, and arts administrators.

Registration Opening Soon

Accessibility in Your Organization

Are you interested in having us present to your board or organization about access to the arts and the options you have for embracing accessibility? Set up a meeting with us!

Schedule a Meeting

DEAI

As an arts and cultural anchor in our community, the Lehigh Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance is committed to supporting, advocating for, and expanding the principles of diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and social justice throughout our community. Through our programs, support, advocacy, research, educational efforts, employee and leadership policies and practices for our staff, Board, and volunteers we seek to embody the principles of DEAI that reflect our hopes and aspirations for all of society. Further, we recognize that in addition to being unequivocal in our stance against racism, and bias in all forms in our organization and in our community, we need to do more. We welcome the role the arts can play as a medium of observation, insight, education, articulation, and advocacy. As such, we seek to provide a platform and partnerships for focusing on challenging social issues through art and serving as a convener and community advocate in addressing these challenges.

Shared Accessibility Resources

LVACA offers complimentary use of Open Caption and Assisted Listening equipment to our members. Equipment is available on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to reserve the equipment or have any questions, please contact Jacqui Schwartz.

ADA + Section 504

Lehigh Valley ADA Site Consultants

A tool to ensure compliance with ADA and Section 504 requirements is the National Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) Accessibility Planning and Resource Guide for Cultural Administrators. The guide is to assist organizations in making access an integral part of planning, mission, programs, outreach, meetings, budget, and staffing.

Visit LVCIL Website

Website & Social Media Accessible Tools

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities. Accessible Social is a free resource hub for digital marketers, communication professionals, content creators, and everyday social media users to assist in making social media content accessible.

Visit WAI Website

Self Guided Tools to Improved Accessibility

What tools would you use to check for accessibility? What types of flexibility in use participation and presentation should my organization practice? How can we make it easy for everyone to use our organization’s website? Below are checklists and workbooks to help you create a more accessible arts and culture community.

Resources

Disability Etiquette

Find respectful ways to communicate with and about people with disabilities and ensure a disability-inclusive culture.

Learn About Disability Etiquette

Disability Friendly Community of Lehigh Valley

The Disability Friendly Community of the Lehigh Valley (DFC) is committed to improving the disability-friendliness of the Lehigh Valley.

Read about DFC Here

Assistive Technology Lending Library (ATTLL)

TechOWL (Technology for Our Whole Lives) is a statewide assistive technology program.

Read About TechOWL Here

American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter Referral Service

Providing an interpreter allows hearing, deaf and hard of hearing people equal access to information and interactions.

Find ASL Interpreter Here

Equipment

LVACA offers complimentary use of Open Caption and Assisted Listening equipment to our members. Equipment is available on a first come, first served basis. To reserve equipment or have questions tap the button below.

Braille Services

The Braille Transcribing staff of Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania can provide conversion of documents to braille, large print, or audio.

Learn More About Braille Services

Audio Describers

For those with visual impairments, description is the key to revealing detailed information that sighted people consume without a thought.

Find AD Here

More Resources for Accessibility