Articles
	Vision for the Arts
	Arts and Humanities Month
	On the National Front
	Jean Ritchie Honored
	START News Update
	Poet Laureate Nominations
	Craft Marketing Jury Results
	Arts in Education
	911 Remembered
	Kentucky On stage
	On Center at Centre
	Art Behind Bars
	Kentucky Visions Tours
	Accessibility Services
	NASAA Convenes
	Focus on Folklife
	Message from the Director
	Quotable Quote
	Hot Dates

The BlueMoon is published bi-monthly by the Kentucky Arts Council. Please send comments, questions and information to The Blue Moon, Kentucky Arts Council, Old Capitol Annex, 300 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601-1980 or call 502/564-3757V/TDD Toll Free: 1-888-833-2787
E-mail: kyarts@mail.state.ky.us

Infrastructure Is Still Weak in Many Areas

Last winter the Blue Moon shared with it’s readers that the Kentucky Arts Council, through a partnership with the Kentucky Center for the Arts (KCA), has compiled an ongoing database to document the accessibility services provided for individuals with disabilities by Kentucky arts and cultural facilities.

The database utilizes the responses to the General Operating Support and Challenge grant applications in the area of accessibility. The Arts Council, as the recipient of federal funding, is required to ensure that the organizations it funds are making efforts to ensure that their programs and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities.

It appears that in this second year of documentation, Kentucky arts and cultural organizations are increasing their understanding of their obligations to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Access to Kentucky arts is improving—but there is still work to be done. While 74% of arts organizations surveyed answered they are providing necessary access to individuals with mobility disabilities, the numbers are significantly lower in the areas of visual and hearing disabilities.

Currently, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, with the sponsorship of the Arts Council, offers workshops geared toward increasing arts and cultural organizations’ understanding of the ADA and 504 federal laws, as well as opportunities these organizations have in making their facilities and programs accessible to all audiences. Also available are American with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guideline (ADAAG) site evaluations of facilities, general technical assistance, and training in programming access (i.e. audio description/ captioning) all at no cost to arts and cultural organizations. Organizations interested in attending these workshops, obtaining an ADAAG site evaluation or with general questions in relation to the ADA and 504 can contact Stacy Ridgway, Access Coordinator, Kentucky Center for the Arts, at (502) 562-0111/(502) 562-0140 (TTY), or mailto:%20sridgway@kentuckycenter.org.

Based on the data collected concerning the accessibility infrastructure in Kentucky arts organizations, it is highly encouraged that Kentucky arts agencies take advantage of the free opportunities provided by the KAC/KCA partnership. If you have questions about any of the above information, please contact Dan Strauss, Arts Program Branch Manager at (888) 833-2787, ext. 4804.

Back | Next