Accessibility Work
.jpg)
The Accessibility Cohort
We're a group of arts and culture professionals who come together each month with a shared goal: making our field more accessible to everyone. At the heart of what we do is a commitment to building meaningful relationships with disability communities—and learning from them as we grow.
​
We welcome hearing from audiences, artists, and staff about their experiences with accessible services, and we use that feedback to keep improving. As a Cohort, we support each other by cross-promoting events, sharing resources, and creating a space for mutual learning and community.
​
Learn more about who we are and what we do here.
The Audio Description Learning Network
The Audio Description Learning Network (ADLN) is an initiative funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts with a mission to expand training in the practice of audio description among Queer, non-binary, and BIPOC communities— individuals who are increasingly represented on area stages but under-represented among Audio Describers. Much like radio drama, audio description is the verbal description of performance for the benefit of those who may not physically be able to see the action. Inspired by the structure and activities of the Accessibility Cohort, the ADLN began its work by conducting listening and feedback sessions with members of the Blind and Low Vision communities— learning about their needs and experiences in arts and culture settings.
​
Beyond just increasing the availability of audio description services, the ADLN set out to provide training in how the work is done, assisted by a team of Blind and Low Vison coaches and audio description mentors. We successfully completed a rigorous describer training at four regional theaters and, to our delight, were awarded an Audio Description Award from the American Council of the Blind for outstanding work in the field.
Read more about the ADLN, our process, and additional resources here.
%20copy.jpg)
%20copy.jpg)
%20copy.jpg)
%20copy.jpg)