Making Your Arts Activity Accessible

Iowa Arts Council grant recipients are expected to make every attempt to ensure that any activity funded by the Iowa Arts Council is accessible to persons with disabilities. According to state and federal law, every grant recipient must ensure that it is in a position to provide accommodations with persons with disabilities make requests for services.

Accessibility involves both location (the facility) and the content (the activity or product) of the program. Thinking about accessibility issues (e.g., sign-language interpreters, cassette recordings of printed materials, audio description describers or large-print labeling) is the key to ensuring that persons with disabilities will be able to participate in the program.

Our accessibility resources may be a good place for you to start:

Americans with Disabilities Act: Suggestions for Communicating, Working with and Writing about People With Disabilities
This resource is designed to help in your efforts towards greater accessibility. The information includes portrayal issues, terminology, priorities for accessibility, statistics, financial considerations, ideas for compliance, and much more.

Accessibility Planning Guide: A Step-by-step Approach for Planning Your Accessibility
This resource guides you toward ensuring access to the arts for people with disabilities. It includes steps to begin your planning process, conducting an accessibility audit of your policies, programs and services, as well as a simple planning outline.

The Little Handbook of Disability Etiquette: Generally Acceptable Guidelines
This handbook contains information about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It features frequently asked questions, conversation and interviewing etiquette, a resource list, plus a simple explanation of the difference between disability and handicap.