Oklahoma Arts Council’s
Task Force on Accessibility in the
Arts
Accessibility Self-Assessment Survey
The following survey has been developed at the direction of the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Task Force on Accessibility in the Arts. Its purpose is to aid in evaluating your organization’s policies, practices and programs to make certain they are equally available to people with and without disabilities.
The survey is for your use only and does not need to be returned to the Oklahoma Arts Council. Print a copy for your records when you complete the survey, as information will not be retained in a database.
We strive to be accessible and inclusive for everyone including individuals with disabilities and older adults. An easy way to accomplish this goal is to make access an integral part of an organization’s mission, planning, budget, staffing, programs, meetings, and outreach. It then becomes an automatic consideration. We hope the following self-assessment and resources will serve as tools to assist you in creating solutions.
1. Is it a priority to make programs, services and facilities accessible?
2. Do you have a policy statement* that makes a commitment to insure accessibility for everyone and has your board approved it?
*A policy establishes the value and measures that will be engaged to achieve accessibility. It reduces staff confusion about the correct course of action.
3. Is access an integral part of your organization’s long-range plan?
4. Has your organization included access services in its budget?
5. Does your organization have a designated, trained staff member responsible for access and the Americans with Disabilities Act/Section 504 compliance?
6. Have you trained your staff, board, and volunteers on disability etiquette and basic information about the Americans with Disabilities Act?
7. Do people with disabilities attend your functions/events?
If no, what are the barriers?
8. Do your promotion, advertising and public notices make it exceedingly clear that people with disabilities are welcome by, for example, using disability access symbols? (See resources page for link to information.)
9. Is a transition plan in place for correcting any problem areas?
10. Where do you need help?
11. Can the Oklahoma Arts Council be of assistance?
A self-assessment provides an opportunity to review all policies, practices, and programs to determine if they are equally available to people with and without disabilities. A thorough evaluation of an organization includes a survey for physical or architectural accessibility of owned or leased facilities where cultural events occur, as well as the policies, programs, and services provided.
We hope you will want to expand your evaluation so we have included resources to help you. Although some of your access goals are probably a “work in progress,” we recommend that they be reviewed regularly to assure continued compliance and upgrading.