Why is it important to develop accessible programs?

To be intentionally accessible is to be distinctly democratic; the goal to serve all people is the civic contract of our public institutions.

The Mass Cultural Council is committed to the promotion, development, and strategies of equitable practices in the creative sector. The ADA establishes access as a civil rights issue, but compliance often becomes an architectural consideration. How do we go above and beyond ramped entrances and large restrooms? If the intentional anticipation of human variety is your guiding principal, then it is not the person who is disabled, but rather the environment that is disabling.

This webinar will address steps toward developing accessible events, promotional materials, and patron services; and will include aspirational goals and strategies.

Presented by Charles G. Baldwin, Program Officer for the Universal Participation Initiative (UP), Mass Cultural Council

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Charles G. Baldwin is the Program Officer for the Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation Initiative (UP), which provides professional development on Universal Design principles for cultural organizations seeking to move “access” from a regulatory obligation to a policy for inclusive community engagement. For 15 years Charles was the Director of Marketing and Operations at Wheelock Family Theatre, a professional, Equity theatre in Boston committed to affordable, colorful, accessible theatre for children and families. He serves on a number of committees including Cultural Access New England (CANE), the Disability Task Force (Jewish Family and Children’s Services) and the ReelAbilities Boston Advisory Panel. Charles was a founding member of Theatre Artists Marketing Alliance (TAMA) and the Consortium of Boston Area Children’s Theatres (CBACT) and has been a consultant to The Accessible Theater and the Fenway Alliance Disability Review Board. Charles remains an active participant in the Kennedy Center’s LEAD Conference (Leadership Exchange for Arts and Disability). Out of the office Charles is a professional theatre artist and puppeteer.