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National Endowment for the Arts Announces Maine Arts Commission as Recipient of 2006 National Accessibility Leadership Award

 

Contact:
Sally Gifford
202-682-5606
giffords@arts.gov

Maine Arts Commission commended for innovative accessibility work

January 19, 2006

Washington, D.C. - The National Endowment for the Arts announced the Maine Arts Commission as the recipient of the 2006 National Accessibility Leadership Award/grant for their outstanding accessibility work. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), the award recognizes exceptional and effective initiatives or programs that make the arts accessible and inclusive. The award will be presented on January 20, 2007 at the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in New York City.

The award is presented to the Maine Arts Commission in acknowledgement of its numerous programs that serve as national models, demonstrate long-term impacts, and involve the targeted populations in planning and implementation. The Commission’s exemplary work includes:

  • Appointing a standing committee on arts accessibility where more than 50% of its members are people with a disability to provide guidance on access issues, including guidelines, meetings, and access training for staff and grantees.

  • Convening a series of 27 open forums titled "Art Knows No Boundaries: What is Accessibility" throughout the state. 

  • Creating the annual Governor’s Awards for Arts Accessibility. The award program resulted from the Commission’s organizational development program that assists Maine’s arts organizations with planning and complying with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

  • Making resources and funds available through its Cultural Facilities Accessibility Program for Maine arts organizations to make their buildings accessible. A total of $120,000 in grants was awarded to 12 arts facilities to make access improvements in 2006.

  • Creating a fully accessible website, technical assistance materials, and implementing technology upgrades to the agency’s historic building.

The Arts Endowment and NASAA established the National Accessibility Leadership Award in 2001. Since 2002, the award has provided a $30,000 NEA competitive grant to the selected state or regional arts agency to advance its access work. Previous award recipients are the Massachusetts Cultural Council (2005); the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (2004); the New York State Council on the Arts (2003); Ohio Arts Council 504/ADA Program (2002); and the Arizona Commission on the Arts (2001).

Other NEA Accessibility Resources

The NEA Office of AccessAbility provides advocacy and technical assistance to encourage accessibility in arts programming for older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, and people who reside in institutions. The AccessAbility office works internally with Arts Endowment staff, grant panels and grantees to make NEA-supported arts programs fully accessible. The office also convenes panels and seminars and initiates cooperative projects with other federal agencies and nonprofit groups to better educate professionals serving older and disabled people. Highlight projects include:

  • The NEA Leadership Initiative on Universal Design, which educates designers, schools of design, and others on a design process that goes beyond special accommodations to incorporate features that may be used by everyone at all stages of life.

  • The Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities leadership initiative, which features a partnership with VSA Arts and the National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA. The initiative convenes statewide forums with representatives from the arts, rehabilitation, education, and disability communities to address barriers and implement strategies for advancing training and career opportunities of artists and arts administrators with disabilities.

  • The first-of-its-kind study "Creativity & Aging: The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults." The NEA initiated and is the lead sponsor of this recently completed study.

Information about the NEA AccessAbility Office and its programs and publications are available at http://www.nea.gov/resources/Accessibility/office.html.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.


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