A 144-page spiral bound directory featuring 300+ accessible venues and resources from throughout New England. Access Expressed New England! A Cultural Resource Directory is now available for $10. Please contact Bonnie S. Kaplan, Director of Cultural Access at bsk@vsamass.org for information regarding alternative formats.
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Visit Access Express, http://www.accessexpressed.net/

Not published anymore. Visit www.accessexpressed.net to view archives. The site contains access information of venues in 28 states as well as past issues of the Access Expressed Newsletter!

Visit Access Express, http://www.accessexpressed.net/

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR CULTURAL PROGRAMS- Video and DVD

Our ultimate objective in producing this videotape is to encourage people developing cultural programs to be as inclusive as possible. VSA arts of Massachusetts created and developed this videotape to demonstrate various examples of inclusive cultural events. Presenting and cultural organizations, accessibility coordinators, educators, producers and many others will find this educational videotape useful as it demonstrates various examples of access components such as ASL interpretation, Audio-Description, Deaf-Blind interpretation, Live Theatre Captioning and CART. This tape is Open-Captioned and Audio-Described and available for sale. It is available in both VHS and DVD formats and retails at $89.95 per copy. Please contact Bonnie S. Kaplan, Director of Cultural Access at BSK@vsamass.org for pricing information.

Universal Design is inclusive design. It considers the needs of as many users with and without disabilities as possible. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) only provides minimum standards which serves as a basis for universal design. Usability and good design are the key components for accessibility.

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• VSA arts, www.vsarts.org

· Access Express, http://www.accessexpressed.net/

• National Council on Disabilities Careers and Employment Report: On October 1, 2007, the report entitled Empowerment for Americans with Disabilities: Breaking Barriers to Careers and Full Employment was released by the National Council on Disability. Topics include: Recruitment and Retention, Employee Development, Work-Life Balance, Reasonable Accommodations, Corporate Culture, Universal Design, Self-employment. These and related topic areas are covered thoroughly and include references to current “best practices” across the U.S. In addition, each topic is covered even more comprehensively in “Issue Briefs” that are included in the Appendices. http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2007/NCDEmployment_20071001.htm

• United States Access Board, A federal agency committed to Accessible Design
The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. Created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities, the Board is now a leading source of information on accessible design. http://www.access-board.gov/

• WebXACT is a free online service that lets you test single pages of web content for quality, accessibility, and privacy issues. http://webxact.watchfire.com/

• Massachusetts Cultural Council
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.
http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/

• Massachusetts Association for the Blind
Founded in 1903, MAB Community Services is the oldest social service agency in the country providing services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. http://www.mabcommunity.org/Home%20Page

• Massachusetts State Association of the Deaf
The Massachusetts State Association of the Deaf, Inc. (MSAD) is a statewide, non-profit organization serving more than 500,000 Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in Massachusetts. http://www.msad.org/main.asp

• CAST, Center for Applied Special Technology, Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST has earned international recognition for its development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). http://www.cast.org/

• AlphaSmart - Alternative computer software and accessories http://www.alphasmart.com

• Augmentative Communcation Consultant, Inc, keyboard and mouse alternatives, speech aids, phone aids, and educational software http://augresources.com

• Daedalus Technologies, Inc, makes computers accessible to people with physical disabilities http://www.daedalus.com/

• Dolphin Computer Access, magnifiers and screen readers http://www.dolphincomputeraccess.com

• Sighted Electronics, Inc, Braille products, printers, displays, software http://www.sighted.com/