As the population ages, museums must consider strategies to accommodate them. Here are some tools.

By Charles J. Washburn, Executive Director, VSA Massachusetts, and Betty Siegel, Director of VSA and Accessibility, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

person or volunteer and form an Access Advisory Committee to support the work. Every highly successful access program has someone in charge and a group of advisors behind it, people who share your passion for the mu- seum’s work who also have the disabilities you want to engage and deep ties to communities of people with disabilities.

There is a slogan in the disabilities rights community that is worth keeping in mind, “Nothing about us without us.” While it is impor- tant to be mindful of the Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and comply with its guidelines, it is just as important to keep this basic principle in mind. A good advisory committee will make the difference between mere compli- ance with the ADA and building active support for access to your museum. Your first step is to look around. It is likely that among your board, staff, and volunteers, you already have people with dis- abilities involved. You should also look around the community. One good resource is the independent living center that serves people in your area. The independent liv- ing movement gave birth to the civil rights campaign that resulted in the passage of the ADA. They are well organized and they know who’s in the community that will be interested in your work. There is a convenient state-by-state directory on-line at www.ilru. org/html/publications/directory/ state_list.html.

One way to begin the process is to offer free admission in exchange for some feedback, perhaps a sur- vey or focus group.

Another resource for finding peo- ple to support your access work is your state, city, or town’s disabili- ties commission. Municipal com- missions abound in Massachusetts and provide a great resource. In

Patron touching tactile piece at the Smithsonian.

other New England states there

are state offices, and the municipal offices are often part of an office on human rights or civil rights. You may have to ask around a little, but it will be worth the effort.

Your committee need not be a large group, but it should be specifically authorized by your museum, either as an executive advisory board or as a board au- thorized by the museum’s board of directors. This is important for two reasons. First, it provides an organizational context for the work of the person in charge of access

at the museum, and it specifies the process by which the committee will work. Common tasks to have your committee take on include the organization’s access self-assess- ment, consumer surveys, audience development, and special events. Start out slowly and build on your successes. Remember that access is a process, not a product.

In addition to having an advisory committee to help with the ac- cess work, the person in charge of access needs to be able to reach out to colleagues doing the job for other museums. Nationally, the Kennedy Center hosts the Leader- ship Exchange on Art and Disabil- ity (LEAD). They hold an annual conference and host a list-serve through which access profession- als can reach out to one another for advice. The goals of the LEAD network are to explore practi-

cal methods for implementing accessibility in cultural environ- ments, communicate information about topical issues arising in the field, and share resources and expertise among professionals in arts administration. The annual conference will be held in Boston August, 2012, features dozens of seminars on topics such as univer- sal and socially sustainable design, the impact of federal and state regulations on cultural arts orga- nizations, and marketing/audience growth strategies. Participants exchange ideas, learn best prac- tices and how to develop sound policies, and participate in discus- sions with leaders in the field. For more information contact VSA Massachusetts at 617-350-7713, .

You will also find support for your cultural inclusion work through VSA, the International Organization on Art and Disability. VSA was found- ed more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education op- portunities for people with dis- abilities and increase access to the arts for all. With 52 international affiliates and a network of nation- wide affiliates, VSA is changing perceptions about people with disabilities around the world. Each year, 7 million people of all ages and abilities participate in VSA programs, in every aspect of the arts – from visual arts, performing arts, to the literary arts. VSA is

an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In Massachusetts, VSA provides consulting services to cultural or- ganizations on building inclusive audiences, applying universal design principles in program de- velopment, and assessing physical and programmatic accessibility. You can visit VSA Massachusetts at www.vsamass.org and the VSA home office at www.vsarts.org.