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All
Council programs, services and facilities are fully accessible to all
segments of Alabama’s population. Council
offices and facilities are barrier free.
Guidelines are available on audiotape from the Alabama State
Council on the Arts and in large type format on our website: www.arts.state.al.us.
Sign language interpreters and readers are available.
Constituents using TTY services may reach the Council through the
Alabama Relay Center at 1-800-548-2546
The
Alabama State Council on the Arts does not discriminate on the basis of
race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in
employment or the provision of services.
Because
the Alabama State Council on the Arts receives and re-grants federal funds
from the National Endowment for the Arts, all funded applicants are
subject to the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
The
Alabama State Council on the Arts is committed to ensuring ADA compliance
and are advocates for full access to the arts.
Organizations receiving funding from the Alabama State Council on
the Arts must be fully accessible to and inclusive of every individual
including people with disabilities and older adults.
Applicants
requesting support from the Council can include in the grant request
expenses for program accessibility. These
expenses can include the cost for print materials in alternate formats,
sign language interpreters, marketing and public relations strategies used
to reach the disability community, artist/consultant fees, transportation
of disabled constituents or performers, preparation for special
exhibitions, website accessibility, staff training or any other cost
related to making program content/service accessible.
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ADA
INFORMATION CHECK LIST
Increasing audiences by
increasing accessibility and meeting ADA rules
General
information on disabilities
-
What
is a disability? A person described as having a disability is a person
with a physical, emotional or mental impairment that substantially
limits one or more major life activities OR a person with a record of
such impairment OR a person who is perceived as having such an
impairment. “Major life activities” include: thinking,
processing information, listening, seeing, hearing, breathing,
walking, taking care of personal needs, working, interaction with
others, concentrating, sitting, standing, and reading.
-
What
is the ADA? The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into effect
by Congress on July 26, 1990. The ADA is intended
to a “provide clear and comprehensive national mandate for the
elimination of discrimination against persons with disabilities.”
-
What
does the ADA do? The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of
disability and provides the first comprehensive civil rights to
persons with disabilities in the areas of employment; public
accommodations; state and local government programs, services and
activities; and communications. This includes not
just architectural accessibility, but also programmatic accessibility.
-
People
First Language—WORDS CAN HURT. Dignity and respect begin with the
language we use to represent ourselves. Always
remember, when speaking or writing, put the person first then the
disability. EXAMPLE: Person with a disability, as
opposed to a disabled person, or even worse, the disabled.
-
ADA
and the ARTS—None of us plan an event with the conscious intent of
discrimination. We want to involve people in our
passion...the arts. Without a conscious awareness
of the planning process and an understanding of what
“accessibility” means, we could easily exclude a portion of the
community. This exclusion is discrimination.
What
does accessible mean?
-
Accessibility
enables everyone to attend, participate and benefit. Your
arts event is accessible if people can get to it and, once there, if
the people attending are able to participate actively in the program.
The word accessibility is most often associated with wheelchair
use, but accessibility actually involves the needs of people who have
visual, cognitive, or hearing disabilities, as well as those with
activity manual or mobility impairments.
Adopting
an access philosophy
-
The
first step is to recognize that access is a civil rights issue.
-
Access
is also a social issue. Access promotes diversity and inclusion by
ensuring that the arts are open to all people, regardless of ability.
-
Access
benefits the greater population. EVERYONE will experience a
permanent or temporary disability, either personally or with a loved
one. Remember that the aging process lessens mobility and
presents hearing and visual difficulties.
-
Access
is related to audience development in the broadest sense and
provides opportunities for people to be involved in all aspects of the
arts to the fullest extent possible.
-
Access
has economic benefits. People with disabilities and older adults
comprise a significant part of our population and are a large market
for the arts.
Requirements
for accessibility
-
The
best source for requirements is the Title III Technical Assistance
Manual available from the Department of Justice. (1-800-949-4ADA)
or www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/publicat.htm.
-
To
evaluate your facilities, you can use the ADA Checklist for Existing
Facilities version 2.1, available from the Disability and Business
Technical Assistance Center at 1-800-949-4ADA. The
checklist provides the requirements for numerous elements of
accessibility accompanied by suggested solutions for barriers you may
identify while completing your evaluations. Or see the Facility
Checklist below.
-
Go
through this evaluation process with a committee of interested people
who also have expertise in several of the necessary areas (i.e.,
architects, contractors, representatives from the various
“disability communities,” etc.). With this
evaluation, the arts management doesn’t have the sole responsibility
of convincing their board and others of needed adaptations.
For more
information, please call the Accessibility Coordinator
At
334/242-4076, ext. 241
Facility
Checklist
Building
Access
-
Are
96” wide parking spaces designated with a 60” access?
-
Are
there accessible parking spaces located near the main building
entrance?
-
Is
there a “drop off” zone at the building entrance?
-
Is
the gradient from parking to building entrance 1:12 or less?
-
Is
the entrance doorway at least 32” wide?
-
Is
the door handle easy to grasp?
-
Is
the door easy to open (less than 8 lbs. pressure)?
-
Are
doors other than revolving doors available?
Building
Corridors
-
Is
the path of travel free of obstruction and wide enough for a
wheelchair?
-
Is
the floor surface hard and not slippery?
-
Do
obstacles (phones, fountains) protrude no more than 4”?
-
Are
elevator controls low enough (48”) to be reached from a wheelchair?
-
Are
elevator markings in Braille for the blind?
-
Does
elevator provide audible signals for the blind?
-
Does
elevator interior provide a turning area of 51” for wheelchair?
Restrooms
-
Are
restrooms near building entrances and/or personnel offices?
-
Do
doors have lever handles?
-
Are
doors at least 32” wide?
-
Is
the restroom large enough for wheelchair turnaround (51” minimum)?
-
Are
stalls at least 32” wide?
-
Are
grab bars provided in toilet stalls?
-
Are
sinks at least 30” high with room for a wheelchair to roll under?
-
Are
sink handles easily reached and used?
-
Are
soap dispensers, towels, etc., no more then 48” from the floor?
-
Are
exposed hot water pipes located under sinks wrapped in insulation to
avoid injury to those individuals using a wheelchair?
Facilities
that serve the general public
(Offices,
exhibit halls, box offices, meeting spaces)
-
Are
doors at least 32” wide?
-
Is
the door easy to open?
-
Is
the threshold no more than ½” high?
-
Are
paths between desks, tables, etc., wide enough for wheelchairs?
-
Do
you have a counter that is low enough to serve individuals in
wheelchairs?
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ACCESSIBILITY
RESOURCES
National
Endowment for the Arts
VSA
Arts Alabama
Alabama
Public Library Service
National
Center on Accessibility
Web
Accessibility Initiative
Go
Hear
Learning
Independence Through Computers, Inc. (LINC)
National
Center for Accessible Media/WGBH
Disability Access Symbols Online
National Arts and Disability Center
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ALABAMA STATE
COUNCIL ON THE ARTS GUIDE TO PROGRAMS ON MP3 AUDIO FILES
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