Session 5.4 Anne Mulgrave Presentation
Slide 1
Increasing Access to Pittsburgh Arts and Culture
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Arts loud and clear
Slide 2
[Image: Lighted neon letters on a gallery floor spelling ART]
Slide 3
What We Do…
Slide 4
Objectives
 Educate arts and culture workers on how to provide accessible programs,
venues, events, communications, and workplaces
Actions
• Workshops covering broad range of accessibility issues
• Co-created regional system to gather data on how many people with disabilities
are engaging with arts and culture
Objectives
 Deliver technical assistance and resources to help organizations offer and
promote accommodations for a variety of disabilities
Actions
• Provided free workshop teaching American Sign Language Interpretation for
performance
• Co-sponsored audio description and open captioning trainings
• Free staff training and assistance with organizational assessments
Objectives
 Build a supportive network of local arts managers, people with disabilities, and
advocates for people with disabilities who are interested in addressing
accessibility issues in our region
Actions
 Accessibility Peer Group
 Advisory Committee of representatives from disability community
 Speakers with disabilities featured at each accessibility workshop and in other
GPAC programs
Objectives
 Strengthen Pittsburgh’s connections to people working on arts and disability
issues at all levels
Actions
• Provide scholarships to the national Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability
(LEAD) Conference
• Present on accessibility at national arts conferences
Slide 5
First Five Years: The Numbers
Statistics capturing work done from January 2011 to July 2015.
Workshops Presented 22
Organizations Participating 86
Workshop Attendees 519
Presenters with Disabilities 30
2012 – 2015 Pittsburghers at LEAD 60
Access Peer Group Members 70
Slide 6
[image: Lighted neon letters on a gallery floor spelling ACCESS]
Slide 7
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Workshop
Accessibility Field Trip: Assistive Technology
February 23, 2015; 30 attendees
University of Pittsburgh, Human Engineering Research Laboratories
[image: Assistive Technology Field Trip: 5 arts managers listening as a grad student
demonstrates a smart phone app that connects to a power wheelchair and monitors
biometrics of the wheelchair user]
Slide 8
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Capacity Building
Stage Craft: ASL Interpretation for Performance
Hands Up Productions
March 8 and 9, 2014 at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Trained 22 Interpreters
[photo: ASL for performance workshop, Interpreter signing portion of a script and
Workshop participant signing]
Slide 9
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Technical Support
Hot Jam, Pittsburgh Glass Center
[photo: ASL interpreter performing sign for glass blowing at glass blowing
demonstration]
Slide 10
[photo: Glass blowing demo ASL interpretation. Audience of about 40 people sitting on
risers. Approximately 15 people who are deaf sprinkled in the audience are watching
the interpreter.]
Slide 11
[photo: Glass artist finishing blown glass sculpture of a t-rex hatching from an egg with a
bunny in its mouth]
Slide 12
[image: lighted neon letters on a gallery floor spelling ABILITY]
Slide 13
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Workshop
Working with Artists with Disabilities
March 26, 2014, City Theatre: included performances by and a panel of six artists with
disabilities, 35 attendees
[photos: Workshop participant who is deaf signing, Teenager who is deaf asking a panel
of performers with disabilities "Can someone who is blind play superman?"; Bear Vanessa's assistance dog; Workshop Participants, Speaker who uses crutches laughing
with a workshop attendee]
Slide 14
PROGRAM EXAMPLE: Technical Support
In depth support for regional arts organizations including staff training, organizational
assessments, regular and sustained email trouble shooting, and facilitating work with
artists with disabilities.
OJO
by Bricolage
An immersive theatre production exploring life without sight featuring two actors who are
blind. One of these actors, Ann Lapidus, left, now serves on the Bricolage Board of
Directors
[photo: An actor who is blind performing in an immersive theatre piece behind her are
three patrons wearing light blocking masks on their eyes]
Slide 15
Lessons learned
Slide 16
1. Arts organizations DIY
a. Workshops must provide skills for DIY accessibility
b. Peer to peer learning network
2. It takes years to earn trust
a. Speakers with disabilities at every workshop
3. Equity not compliance
a. Civil rights resonate
b. Customer service crucial
Slide 17
Things that did not work:
1. Funding for facility assessments
2. Funding for facility improvements
WHY?
Most arts organizations do not own their spaces.
Slide 18
Filling the Gaps:
Keys to effective support
1. A person to call with questions - peers or me
2. One-on-one holistic support for small arts organizations
3. Funding for first attempt at programmatic accommodations
4. Supported data collection
Slide 19
Access Microfund
Reimbursements of up to $500 for one time programmatic accommodations.
Start with Art Pittsburgh
In 2015 every baby born at three local birth centers began life as an art collector. Each
baby received an original signed photograph by a local artist. with a new image for
every month. All the photos were audio described by local poet Jessica Server.
[photo: #nofilter by Terry Boyd, Photograph of a valley in the himilayan nation of Bhutan]
Slide 20
Arts Access Data Project
Partnered with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to develop metrics to measure arts engagement
by people with disabilities
Uses Survey Monkey for Quarterly reporting of:
 How many wheelchair seats and companion seats were used by patrons;
 How many patrons received Braille, large print or electronic materials;
 How many patrons used ASL interpretation; Audio description; Captioning;
Sensory/autism-friendly adaptations; Accommodations for people with dementia;
Assistive listening devices;
Slide 21
Arts Access Data Project
Partnered with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to develop metrics to measure arts engagement
by people with disabilities
Uses Survey Monkey for Quarterly reporting of:
 Whether accommodations were part of a scheduled accommodated event;
 OR at the request of a patron
 OR as part of a disability-specific outreach or educational program.
 The number of employees, volunteers and artists with disabilities
Slide 22
Feedback
Quotes from emails and anonymous surveys
“Don’t ever stop providing information on accessibility.”
“I just wanted to follow up from Monday's workshop and let you know that my
colleagues and I had a great time. It was very exciting and informative and we look
forward to attending future workshops. As we move forward to make our museum more
accessible, it was exciting to learn that workshops like these happen and happen often.”
“The speakers are intellects in their fields. The event was high quality. I like the format
(lunch and learn).”
“Thank you so much for offering these workshops. With budgets as tight as they are, it
is so valuable to have this information for an affordable cost.”
“Looking forward to a stronger and deeper partnerships!”
“It is interesting to hear about other's experiences and techniques and good to know
that in many ways we are doing the same things at our home institution. I also
wholeheartedly agree that accessibility techniques can work for all groups/patrons.”
“This is a great and much needed program. Glad GPAC is doing it!”
“Presenters are extremely knowledgeable, personable, and have great connection with
their audience.”
Slide 23
Over five years, arts organizations participating in workshops, peer group meetings, or
receiving accessibility grants have drastically improved the inclusion of people with
disabilities - as patrons and participants - on a regional scale.
Slide 24
People with Disabilities Engaging In Art
In 2014 - four of the largest regional arts organizations provided the following
accommodations at a single venue:
Audio Description 243
Captioning 106
Large Print Programs 1157
Assistive Listening Devices 4989
[photos: Touch Tour of Knit the Bridge, Walking tour of Knit The Bridge 2013 - the yarn
bombing of the Andy Warhol Bridge - showing three women who are blind exploring the
knitted panels covering the bridge railings. High school Students who are deaf speaking
at GPAC annual meeting]
Slide 25
The depth and breadth of accessible cultural events and venues has expanded.
 Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presented a sensory-friendly performance of The Lion
King, installed a dedicated audio description booth and purchased individual
captioning devices.
 The Pittsburgh Glass Center offers ASL interpretation at its Hot Jam series of
glass blowing demonstrations
 Kelly Strayhorn Theater hosted two dance residencies featuring dancers with
mobility impairments
 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra held one of the first sensory-friendly full
symphonic performances in the nation
 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Texture Contemporary Ballet offer audio
description
 Pittsburgh New Works Festival offers ASL interpretation and audio description

In 2013 The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presented the first sensory friendly
Nutcracker and added a sensory friendly Beauty and the Beast in 2014
Slide 26
Impact
Slide 27
A (Micro) History of World Economics, Danced
By Pascal Rambert, Presented by City of Asylum Pittsburgh
[photos: Mother with partial facial paralysis performing on stage with her son; Mother
approximately 40 years old with partial facial paralysis with her 10 year old son]
Slide 28
[photos: Mother and son with autism spectrum disorder: Portrait one - son staring
straight ahead while mother kisses his cheek Second portrait - mother squeezing son's
cheeks to encourage a smile]
Slide 29
[photo: Son with autism spectrum disorder smiling while standing at front of stage
performing to a full house. his mother who is also performing is no where near]
Slide 30
[photos: Son with autism spectrum disorder in party photo with 6 other cast members he has his arm around the director and a huge smile on his face as he rests his head on
the director's shoulder; Son with Autism beaming huge smile in photo with
approximately 30 cast members]
Slide 31
Anne Mulgrave
Manager of Grants and Accessibility
amulgrave@pittsburghartscouncil.org
http://pittsburghartscouncil.org/programs/accessibility
[photo: Cover of "Building a Movement" a report commissioned by FISA Foundation on
the Increasing Access to Pittsburgh Arts and Culture initiative of the Greater Pittsburgh
Arts Council. Photo features a dancer who uses crutches in a dramatic and dynamic
pose on stage]