Power of Culture Blog
Opportunities & Resources for Orgs – Apr 25
A monthly round-up of grants, technical assistance resources, and opportunities for creative and cultural organizations
Charles G. Baldwin, Program Officer
Mass Cultural Council wants organizations to be successful in their understanding and operationalizing of access. One such step is the development of an Access Plan, a personalized road map of institutional goals and milestones that can be measured and/or modified over time.
Background
The Agency developed a d/Deaf and Disability Equity Plan in response to Towards a Culture of Access Part 1: Findings from the Massachusetts Arts & Culture Access Survey, an Agency funded report from Open Door Arts published in 2022 that shares the perspectives of about 100 arts and culture organizations, including an assessment of their accessibility, and their perspectives on what’s getting in the way, and what could help them improve.
A related second report, Towards a Culture of Access Part 2: Findings from the Massachusetts Arts & Culture Survey of Individuals with Disabilities, was released by Open Door Arts in 2024 and reveals the perspectives of more than 250 people with disabilities – including artists and cultural workers – as well as caregivers and service providers. Their responses help us understand their experience when engaging with arts and culture organizations, and their hopes and a call for a more accessible arts and culture sector.
Both reports demonstrate that uncertainty and inconsistency in access are critical barriers for people with disabilities. As Mass Cultural Council has a longstanding partnership with Open Door Arts (formerly VSA Mass), the Agency is providing funding to ensure the development of resources, peer networks, and learning modules that will support improvements across the cultural sector.
Self-Assessment Tool for Organizations Launched
To help arts and cultural organizations specifically understand and improve their accessibility, Open Door Arts has recently launched an Arts & Culture Accessibility Self-Assessment. This free, comprehensive, and fully electronic tool is disability centered and balances best practice with compliance.
It assesses an organization’s accessibility in five key areas:
Once the five sections have been completed, the tool provides a customized report filled with clear data and numeric scores to help organizations understand their strengths and areas for improvement.
Lastly, the tool provides step-by-step guidance and templates for organizations to create their own Access Plan that transforms learning into action.
Watch an overview of Open Door Arts’ Arts & Culture Accessibility Self-Assessment:
Agency Steps to Encourage Organizational Access Plans
The development and use of an Access Plan is considered a core business competency to meet the legal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
To assist with evaluating the efficacy of Open Door Arts’ Self-Assessment Tool, in FY25, the 92 organizations participating in Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation (UP) Initiative are required to participate in the Self-Assessment, and in FY26, will be required to develop Access Plans.
Access Plans are not reviewed by the Agency but encouraged to assist organizational understanding of the width and breadth of access in both policy and practice. We believe these steps undertaken by participating organizations will provide a foundation for building and/or improving institutional access.
Aligning access to institutional strategies and vision is key as we work towards a strong, accessible future.
