Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability

Capacity Building Workshop: Monday, August 20 and Tuesday, August 21

There is a $550 registration fee to participate in this two-day audio description workshop. This workshop will take place at the Museum of Science, Boston.

1. Learn the Core Skills of Audio Description
2. Apply these skills to your choice of live performances, visual art, or exhibits
3. Train with three of the founders of the Audio Description Coalition, who together have more than 60 years of professional audio description experience
4. Plan the next steps in your professional development as an audio describer

This fast-paced, intensive, interactive workshop, based on the 2011 capacity building curriculum developed by an international committee of audio description professionals, allows students to discover the essentials that apply to audio description of live performances, visual art, multimedia and exhibits. Working in small groups, students learn the practical application of the core skills through participatory exercises, consumer input, lectures and demonstrations.

The training is structured to accommodate describers at all levels of expertise--from beginners who have never tried audio description to experienced describers who want to expand their existing skills.

At the conclusion of this capacity building workshop, new describers will be ready to further develop their skills as beginning describers and experienced describers will approach their work with refreshed and enhanced skills.

Workshop leaders will provide individual guidance to help participants take the next steps in their development with brief one-on-one consultations at the end of the workshop and by being available for follow-up calls and emails throughout the next year.

Trainers:

Bill Patterson, President, Audio Description Solutions (PA); Deborah Lewis, CEO, Arts Access Now (CA); Celia Hughes, Executive Director, VSA Texas (TX)

The $550 training fee covers 2 days of training; training materials, box lunches, snacks and beverages on both days. Registrants will receive a certificate of participation upon completion of the two-day training.

Pre-Conference Workshops: Tuesday, August 21

There is an $80 fee to register for a pre-conference workshop.

11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. -

• Web Accessibility for IT Professionals

  This session is an introduction to access issues in the design of web sites. The workshop includes an overview of industry accepted guidelines and standards, hands-on experience with screen reading software, and information about why good design is accessible design. Administrators be warned: There will be code!
  Presenter: Sharron Rush, Executive Director, Knowbility (TX)

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. -

Pre-Conference Workshops

• A New Era of Ticketing Policies

  The 2010 ADA Regulations, effective since March 15, 2011, changed the way that cultural arts organizations shape ticketing policy. Join us to review the regulations, discuss best practices for implementing the regulations and be part of the conversation about the many facets of good accessible ticketing policies, including pricing, hold and release policies, ticket exchanges and transfers, and the online sale of accessible seats.
  Presenter: Betty Siegel, Director of Accessibility, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (DC)

• Multi-Sensory Tours in Action This session will take place at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  This session is designed to take advantage of being in the Museum galleries. Hands-on gallery sessions focused on utilizing a variety of tactile materials, fragrance, movement and poetry will be followed by feedback and discussion. Attendees will work together with staff in the galleries as both tour participants and tour leaders, having the opportunity to practice and experiment with various approaches to multi-sensory tours. At its core, the session will make all the art experienced accessible to visitors who are blind or have low vision, but the value of a multi-sensory approach as an inclusive approach, as well as needed adaptations for specific groups, such as visitors with dementia and those on the autism spectrum will be discussed. The last segment of the session will allow attendees to work with objects in the MFA that relate to their own collections, with the idea of creating approaches that can be put directly into use back at their home museums.
  Presenters: Hannah Goodwin, Manager of Accessibility, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MA); Annie Leist, Volunteer, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MA)

• Captions: Live and Scripted

  Captioning on videos, captioning online, captioning on mobile devices, captioning exhibits, captioning live events, captioning everywhere! There are so many options to choose from when it comes to providing captions, how do you choose? Join experts for a comprehensive look at the ways to provide captions in person and online for live events and exhibitions including the latest on caption technologies, do-it-yourself tools, new FCC rules, and more. Get answers to your questions and concerns. The session will be packed with demonstrations on how captions can work on every platform, all the time, every time.

Pre-Conference Workshops: Wednesday, August 22

8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. -

Pre-Conference Workshops

• Accessibility: The Musical!

  People like Stephen Hawkings, Stevie Wonder and Marlee Matlin demonstrate that a full experience of the world does not depend on any one sensory capacity. Our web experiences should not be so dependent either. However, many of today's brightest minds still consider "accessibility" an issue specific only to people with disabilities. Now is the time to get out of this mode of thinking. In this session, we will discuss why universal design is changing the way people view accessibility. We invite you to hear from our panel of people with disabilities about how they experience music, dance and media through rich internet experiences and events made accessible through the use of assistive technologies. How does someone who is deaf experience a jazz concert? How can someone who is blind experience a movie, play, or museum exhibit? Join us for this session, and you will be able to experience these first hand! And then, how are these experiences communicated online? You will also learn techniques that allow you and your organization to reach a broader audience by making your own experiences universally enjoyable regardless of devices, sensory capacity, age-related impairments or situational limitations. Learn web implementation strategies for captioning and audio description. Accessibility is not a solo-act!

• ADA Overview and Practical Applications for Cultural Institutions

  Start your LEAD experience with a comprehensive introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Discover how the ADA applies to cultural arts organizations in the areas of employment, participation in programs and services, effective communication, and facility access. Learn about ADA compliance and creative ways to leverage compliance to draw in new visitors and patrons.
  Presenter: Marian Vessels, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic ADA Center (MD)

• Move 'Em Out!: Emergency Evacuation Basics and Planning

  This session will focus on crowd management concepts with an emphasis on developing evacuation plans that take patrons with disabilities into consideration. Participants will learn how to move people to new locations in a variety of emergency situations and key concepts of venue safety. Scenarios will be presented in large group and team settings to determine the type of evacuation necessary, demonstrate how to direct people to exits, identify way finding aids, and more. Participants will create their own pre-event checklists and being developing venue-specific training materials.
  Presenter: Sally Garrison, Patron and Client Services Coordinator, Tempe Center for the Arts (AZ)

• Tips, Tools and Techniques for Effective Staff Training

  Staff and volunteers are the public face of your institution. With proper training they can be enthusiastic and informed allies in your efforts to create a completely disability and senior-friendly patron/visitor experience. This session will address strategies for maximizing your training efforts, offer practical suggestions, supply sample training materials, and look at key components of thorough and effective training sessions. Come with a training in mind and leave with the tips and tools needed to make it a dynamic, interactive experience.

Full Conference: Wednesday, August 22

1:00 to 1:40 p.m. -

Welcome to LEAD 2012!

1:40 to 2:40 p.m. -

Framing the Discussion: Voices from the Community

The conference opens with a session that puts the work of accessibility coordinators in context of disability and civil rights. Presenters will share the history of the disability rights movement and their personal stories.

2:40 to 3:00 p.m. -

Break

3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. -

Concurrent Sessions:

• The Basics: Planning

  If you are starting an access program but are unsure of where to begin, this is the session for you! Presenters will take you step by step through the process of developing an access plan and provide you with tools to assess what you do and don't have, methods for developing sound policies, and ways to get buy-in from the disability community and your colleagues.

• Strange Bedfellows: FISA Foundation and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

  This program will describe how a novice disability funder and an arts service organization that had not previously worked on the issue of accessibility came together with others in the local community to create a series of hands-on workshops and a small grant program to increase accessibility on a regional level. The session will describe the evolution both of the program and the people involved - including the changing perspective of the disability funder as she gained more exposure to the arts, the views of the arts service organization as we uncovered the many challenges underlying this issue, and the hearts and minds of local arts administrators who began to “catch the accessibility bug!” We will cover the benefits and detriments of a deep funder-grantee partnership that involved mutual involvement in program design and implementation; how the work brought performing arts organizations, museums and visual arts organizations together; things we tried that failed miserably and surprising twists on what has worked.

• A Regional Museum's Look at Access

  Regional museums have a unique insight to accessibility as most accessibility coordinators are also in the education departmnet. For these coordinators, accessibility is often added to their job title as one of many different things to do during the day. Each presenter will discuss what her museum has been doing in order to make their institution more accessible and what challenges they have faced. A wide range of institutions will be represented, leading to a variety of challenges and solutions. The presenters will wrap up the session with a brainstorming session with attendees on ways to create more accessible environments with limited manpower and budgets.

4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. -

Break

4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. -

Concurrent Sessions:

• The Basics: Physical Accessibility

  Presenters will provide an overview of relevant regulations and requirements for physical accessibility and look at the tools that you need to evaluate and survey your facility.

• Accessibility and the Historic Environment

  During this session, the presenter will highlight the decision-making process affecting the 'barriers' and 'drivers' for accessibility in historic environments, including the identification of the requirement to increase access, an exploration of any conflicting ideas between conservation and access professionals, and the identification of the solution and its implementation. Examples will include both structural and interpretive solutions. By attending this session, participants will gain knowledge of a variety of creative and innovative techniques to increase accessibility to historic properties.

• Accessible Interactive Kiosks

  So many cultural arts organizations use interactive multimedia kiosks in exhibitions and welcome centers. Join us for a discussion about how to make these features accessible to everyone.

7:00 p.m. -

Opening Reception - Museum of Science, Boston - Free!

Join us at the Museum of Science to celebrate the start LEAD 2012! Mingle with colleagues, meet new LEAD-ers, and explore the museum!

Full Conference: Thursday, August 23

8:00 a.m. -

Breakfast and Registration/Breakfast Affinity Groups

9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. -

Concurrent Sessions

• The Basics: Effective Communication for People who are Blind or have Low Vision

  This session will introduce you to the ins and outs of providing effective communication for patrons and who are blind and have low vision. Discover how cultural organizations can make exhibitions and performances accessible using audio description, accessible labels, alternative formats for print materials, and more.

• Communication that Resolves Conflict

  Without warning and at the most inconvenient time you may find yourself face to face or phone to phone with an irate patron or advocate. The situation feels risky. You know that it can deteriorate quickly and bring you a lot more headaches than just this moment. But, what are the best ways to diffuse it? Our lively and interactive session will explore this topic, as well as other types of conflict that may flare at your location. Share your experiences, hear from others and try on some best practices for diffusing conflict, regaining control over a nasty encounter and establishing a strong track record for accommodating patrons with disabilities in a welcoming arts community.

• New Technologies

  A look at the latest gadgets and gizmos that can be used to make cultural arts organizations accessible, including WGBH's Mobile Media App!

• Working with ASL Interpreting Teams

  Boston University School of Theatre and BUCIE under the auspices of Boston University Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services have collaborated to design an approach to ASL Interpreted theater that includes the Interpreting team as a part of the system of the production staff and design team. This workshop session will instruct the participants about the system approach as a template for approaching ASL Performance Interpreting work. LEGO® Serious Play™ methodology will be used to engage participant experiences as a part of the system of accessibility in order to allow the panelists to respond to concrete needs of arts administrators and education, outreach and audience development personnel.

10:15 to 10:30 a.m. -

Break

10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. -

Website Accessibility Consultations

Meet one-on-one with an expert on accessible web design and get practical, useful recommendations on how to make your website more accessible. Not the web developer for your organization? No problem! During the consult, you'll receive a detailed report that you can take back to your IT department!

Please sign up for a web consult when you register. Space is limited and consults must be requested in advance.

10:30 to 11:45 a.m. -

Concurrent Sessions

• The Basics: Effective Communication for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

  This session provides an introduction to the accommodations that make cultural arts organizations accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, including sign language interpreters, captioning, and assistive listening devices.

• Driving Institutional Change: A Cross-Departmental Approach

  This session will provide participants with a behind-the-scenes look at Chicago Children's Museum's access and inclusion initiatives led by a cross-departmental staff team under the name Play For All. The charge of the Play For All team is to guide and support the inclusion of all CCM staff, volunteers and guests in the museum experience. Participants will be given a brief history of CCM's work toward access and inclusion and the team's spearheading of a culture shift within the institution. Presenters will discuss, in detail, the significance of the cross-departmental team approach and its effect on the museum's institutional position surrounding access and inclusion. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of presenters and share their own experiences and challenges in making their institution more accessible.

• Accessible Apps and Mobile Websites

  Learn how to make smartphones a tool to improve the experiences of all of your patrons. Presenters will discuss the challenges and lessons learned developing apps and mobile sites that take advantage of the built-in accessibility features of smartphones.

• Online Ticketing: Where are we now?

  Presenters using a variety of ticketing platforms will discuss how they tackled online sales of accessible seating, including how the online process was developed, what has been successful, what didn't go quite as planned and how the problems were addressed. The session will leave plenty of time to discuss your questions.

11:45 to 12:00 a.m. -

Break

12:00 to 12:35 p.m. -

Snapshot Sessions

• Round 1: 12:00 to 12:15 p.m.
• Round 2: 12:20 to 12:35

12:35 to 1:15 p.m. -

Lunch

1:15 to 1:35 p.m. -

Pecha Kucha

1:35 to 1:45 p.m. -

Break

1:45 to 2:45 p.m. -

Concurrent Sessions

• Marketing the Arts: If you build it, why don't they come?

  Presenters will provide concrete information on how to develop and design a marketing plan. Sample plans and guidelines will be distributed to participants. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss issues related to marketing to audiences with disabilities including strategies on how to reach out to the various constituencies, how to get stakeholder involvement and ways to communicate your services to the various audiences.

• Accessible Online Publications & Alternate Electronic Formats

  In this digital age more and more documents, books, brochures, and other materials are made available electronically. This session will give you tips, tools, and resources to create accessible online publications and materials in alternate electronic formats.

• Accessibility: It's Not Just Physical

  An accessibility program is more than just getting patrons into your space. In this session, presenters will explore the range of services and the different ways to provide them. Is it best for your organization to provide services in house or will it be more effective to hire experienced service providers? How can you build on the services you already provide to broaden your reach? Are there affordable ways of providing quality services? These questions and more will be examined as we look at the options for a strong accessibility program.

2:45 to 3:00 p.m. -

Break

3:00 to 4:15 p.m. -

Concurrent Sessions

• Crash Course in Emergency Evacuation

  This session will focus on crowd management basics with an emphasis on developing evacuation plans that includes moving patrons with disabilities to safety. Participants will learn about the challenges of moving people to new locations in a variety of situations. Scenarios will be presented in large group and team settings. Participants will determine the type of evacuation necessary, demonstrate how they would direct people to exits, identify way finding aids, and create a pre-event check list.

• Signs of the Times: Using Digital Video to Increase Cultural Access for Deaf Audiences

  Join colleagues from three institutions using digital video to increase opportunities for cultural access for audiences who are Deaf and hard of hearing-- Frances' Signes des Sens, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Learn about the development, impact, and sustainability of these unique initiatives, as well as practical information about how to implement a project at your own institution. Each presentation will include a screening or demonstration of the project, and an opportunity for audience members to ask questions. Rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all-approach, panelists will discuss how the growing flexibility and availability of technology has enabled them to meet the needs of their audiences and achieve programming goals in new ways. Together, participants and panelists will engage in an open discussion about the creative use of technology to reach audiences with disabilities, facilitated by Hannah Goodwin of the MFA Boston.

• Ticketing Policy: Pricing, Security, and Attestations, Oh My!

  When the 2010 Regulations went into effect, cultural arts organizations rolled out new policies to match but some questions still remain. What can you do to make sure that people who need accessible seats get them online? What are the things you need to think about when crafting your release policy for accessible locations? Join us for a facilitated discussion to examine creative solutions, unique challenges, and lingering questions.

4:15 to 4:30 p.m. -

Break

4:30 to 5:30 p.m. -

Affinity Groups

1. State Arts Organizations
2. Performance-Based Venues
3. Technology Roundtable
4. Exhibit-Based Venues

Friday, August 24, 2012

8:00 a.m. -

Breakfast and Registration

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. -

Concurrent Sessions

• Autism: A Unique Museum and Theater Experience

  This session is designed as an introduction to autism and the various challenges that individuals and families face when attending cultural institutions. This information will give you a foundation on which to build your own autism-friendly programs.

• Creating an Accessible Museum Experience for Visitors who are Blind or Have Low Vision

  When patrons and visitors are not allowed to touch artifacts or works of art, administrators may have to think outside of the box to provide an accessible museum experience to people who are blind or who have low vision. This session will look at multi-sensory tours and other creative solutions when touch tours are not an option.

• Captioning in Video: To DIY or Not to DIY…

  This session will examine the tools that are out there to caption videos as well as give guidance on when to do it yourself and when it's best to call in a professional.

• Creating and Maintaining a Quality Audio Desription Program for Live Performances

  This session will engage attendees in an understanding of how their audio description program can meet the quality of the art their patrons are experiencing, starting from the contracting process through a post-performance assessment with the describer. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample contracts, hear examples of pre-show scripted descriptions, share marketing ideas, and talk through the process of hiring to presenting an audio described performance.

10:00 to 10:15 a.m. -

Break

10:15 to 11:30 a.m. -

Concurrent Sessions

• The Basics: Staff Training

  As the public face of your organization, staff and volunteers are one of the biggest assets to a successful accessibility program. This session will give you tools and resources to develop a training program that will give staff and volunteers the information they need to make all patrons and visitors feel welcome.

• A Look Beyond the Spectrum: An Arts Program for Children on the Autism Spectrum a the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

  A Look Beyond the Spectrum will provide information and insights into the creation of a unique program at a fine art museum for families with children on the Autism Spectrum. The presentation will demonstrate the various accommodations that have been developed for this audience. The audience of this session will be shown in detail the unique accommodations combined with the thoughtful and specific pedagogy of this specialized museum program. These handouts and practices can be useful inspiration adaptable to other venues.

• Assistive Listening Devices

  You know that Assistive Listening Devices are an essential tool for providing effective communication, but how do you know which system is right for your venue? Do you know who the audience or visitor is who will be using the equipment? How can you use the system to provide the highest quality experience for patrons and visitors regardless of their level of hearing loss? This session will cover the ins and outs of ALDs and the people who use them so you can invest in the equipment will work best for your venue and learn the technical lingo you need to communicate clearly with sound technicians who maintain and operate it.

• Autism Theatre Initiative

  Participants will gain a better knowledge of this underserved audience and the impact an autism-friendly performance can have, not only on the child or adult with autism spectrum disorder but on the whole family, as well. The session will cover the step-by-step planning process in offering an autism-friendly performance through to day of show and the impact such a performance has on its audience. Material is drawn from TDF's experience presenting Disney's The Lion King (October 2, 2011) and Disney's and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins (April 29, 2012) on Broadway for children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families. TDF will also share insights gained on specific challenges that presenting and/or producing houses face with touring companies in planning for such a performance based on the Autism Theatre Initiative's experience serving as an advisor to the Hobby Center in Houston, TX, for its autism-friendly performance of The Lion King coming up in July.

11:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. -

Break

11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. -

Legal Focus Sessions

1. A Review of the 2010 Regulations
2. The intersection of State and Federal Regulations
3. Writing Contracts

12:15 p.m. to 12:25 p.m. -

Break

12:25p.m. to 12:55 p.m. -

Legal Focus Sessions (Repeat)

1. A Review of the 2010 Regulations
2. The intersection of State and Federal Regulations
3. Writing Contracts

12:55 to 1:45 p.m. -

Lunch

1:45 to 3:45 p.m. -

Doing Access Justice: Legal Issues for Arts Administrators

Always one of the most popular sessions at LEAD, this forum is a dynamic, participant-driven Q&A session with experts from the U.S. Department of Justice and Disability Business and Technical Assistance Centers.

3:45 to 4:00 p.m. -

Break

4:00 to 4:30 p.m. -

Affinity Groups/Legal Session debrief (30 minutes)

1. State Arts Organizations
2. Performance-Based Venues
3. Exhibit-Based Venues

7:00 p.m. -

Awards Dinner (Optional, Tickets are $65 each, One ticket included with full conference registration)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston