National Endowment for the Arts Announces Florida Division of Cultural Affairs as Recipient of 2008 National Accessibility Leadership AwardFlorida Cultural Affairs Division acknowledged for promoting access to the arts September 25, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- The National Endowment for the Arts announced the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs as the recipient of the 2008 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 initiatives or programs that make the arts accessible and inclusive for older adults and individuals with disabilities. The award was presented on September 12, 2008, at the annual conference of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The award is presented to the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs in acknowledgement of its leadership and highly effective work to make the arts fully inclusive throughout its organization, programming, and state. Among the accomplishments of the Florida Cultural Affairs Division:
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 Minnesota State Arts Board (2007); the Maine Arts Commission (2006); 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:
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 Assembly of State Arts Agencies The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership organization of the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies. The public sector plays a unique and essential role in ensuring that the benefits of the arts accrue to all American communities. State arts agencies broaden citizen access to the arts in every corner of the country, making the cultural, civic, educational, and economic benefits of the arts an essential ingredient of state policy and practice. About the National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts 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 annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
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