Click on our own web site for more information
http://www.barnabas.com/ArtsAccess/

Our Goals

… are to encourage and enable persons with disabilities to have full access to arts programs and facilities and to participate fully in the cultural and artistic life of Raleigh.
To this end, Arts Access has drawn together a coalition of organizations and concerned individuals who are involved in improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities and who recognize the important contributions of the arts.

Current Areas of Focus

All of the services of Arts Access are free of charge to patrons of the arts.

Some of our activities are as follows:

We provide trained Audio Describers to theaters at select performances so that patrons who are blind or visually impaired can "see" a play. They hear about the action on stage through earphones and can thus better visualize and appreciate the performance.

We have placed wheelchairs at local theaters and art galleries. (Facilities include Artspace, Raleigh Little Theatre, Cary Arts Center, Thompson Theatre, Stewart Theatre, Theatre in the Park, and Meredith College.)

We provide information about the services of interpreters at selected performances to assist persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

We publish and distribute the newsletter Inclusions with information about the services of Arts Access and accessible arts programs.

We lend local arts groups an assistive listening system for their board meetings.

We provide arts organizations with technical assistance and consultations on how to develop accessibility plans for their programs and facilities.

We offer "sensitivity training" so that arts organizations can meet the special needs of people with disabilities.

Who uses our services?

People with disabilities, their family members and friends.
Arts program administrators.
Artists.
Members of arts organizations.
Community service groups.

Our Life Span

As a result of work the City of Raleigh Arts Commission did in 1982 to address the specific concerns of people with disabilities, Arts Access was created as a non-profit agency to ensure that all people could enjoy the arts. Arts Access continues to maintain a close working relationship with the Arts Commission.

We Receive Funding From

Arts Access is funded by the City of Raleigh (based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission), by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, and by corporate and individual contributions.