Great Barrington — Can additional funding to arts organizations in the state improve accessibility to their programs? State legislators and representatives from several arts organizations believe so, and they issued their support for a bill winding its way through the state legislature at an event on Friday, July 28 at the offices of Community Access to the Arts (CATA).
The bill, “An act improving accessibility in the creative economy” (AKA “the ACE Act”), was introduced in February by State Sen. Paul Mark (D – 2nd Berkshire District) in the State Senate, and State Rep. Daniel Donahue (D – 16th Worcester District) in the State House of Representatives. If passed by both the State House and Senate, the bill would establish the ACE grant program, which would be administered by the state’s Office of Disability. The program would support capital improvements and projects that would improve programmatic access, or “remove barriers encountered by persons with disabilities,” for both for-profit and nonprofit arts or humanities organizations.
As of February 16, the bill has been referred to the Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities, which includes members of the State House and Senate and has not moved any further through the legislature.
At the July 28 event at the offices of CATA, State Sen. Mark, along with State Rep. Donahue, State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D – Lenox), MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock, and CATA Executive Director Margaret Keller, spoke in support of the bill. (According to its website, MASSCreative is a nonprofit advocacy organization operating out of Boston.)
“We want to make sure that arts and creativity is accessible to everyone, regardless of ability,” Ruddock said in an interview with The Berkshire Edge. “I think an organization like CATA is already plugged in and already knows the importance of making sure that spaces are universally accessible.”
In a press release sent by CATA before the event, the organization cited a report, issued last year by the Open Door Arts organization and the state’s Cultural Council, entitled “Towards a Culture of Access.” The report states, “…the disabilities community continues to experience significant attitudinal, physical, and programmatic barriers keeping them from fully participating in opportunities offered by arts and culture organizations.”
During the event, Ruddock said that, while there may be state funding to help an organization comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it comes to a building’s accessibility, the funding does not go towards an organization’s programming. “[That type of funding] might help to make sure that people get into a space, but it doesn’t necessarily allow for an exhibit in a museum to have a tactile experience for the visually impaired,” Ruddock cited as an example. “It also does not allow for a space in front of a concert hall so people with a hearing disability can put their hands on the front of the stage and feel the vibrations of the music being played. This bill would allow for the funding for these opportunities.”
CATA is a Great Barrington-based organization with a mission to to nurture and celebrate the creativity of people with disabilities through the arts. “I would say that this bill is tremendously important to our organization because it’s about accessibility and inclusion and ensuring that the world of arts and culture is accessible to everyone,” CATA Executive Director Margaret Keller told The Edge. “I think organizations still have some work to do when it comes to accessibility. I think the beauty of this legislation is that it is really inviting cultural organizations to do the work to understand how they can eradicate barriers within their organizations that people with disabilities face, and then apply for funding to help them address those issues.”
Keller explained that inclusion is “critical to an organization’s survival.” She told The Edge, “To be relevant as a sector, the arts and culture sector of the state really has to be thinking about how we make sure that we are open to everyone. We were interested in hosting this event because CATA always wants to support anything that is about creating greater access and inclusion in the world of arts and culture.”
During the event itself, State Sen. Mark and State Reps. Pignatelli and Donahue took turns stating their support for the bill. “Everybody has the ability to be creative, which is why arts and the creative sector is such an important part of our economy here in the Berkshires,” State Sen. Mark said at the event. “When we think about the possibility that any segment of our population might be left out of this, it’s not right because it keeps people out of education opportunities and to be full participants in our region.”
“When it comes to the Commonwealth, our priorities are very often expressed in where we put our money,” State Rep. Donahue said. “Working together [with State Sen. Mark and State Rep. Pignatelli], we will be able to hopefully push this bill forward. But we will need your help to get this done, as people’s calls, letters, and emails of support [to legislators] always work. You may think it falls on deaf ears, but it doesn’t because we need to hear more from those who are seeing these issues.”
“I don’t like the word ‘disability,’” State Sen. Mark added. “I never liked that word. I look at it as ‘different abilities.’ And if anybody doesn’t believe that, all you have to do is show up to CATA, and you will see people who [take part in arts programs] with different abilities. The community is here for everybody, regardless of their abilities, and I think that is what this bill could do.”
As for when the bill could be passed and implemented, no one interviewed by The Berkshire Edge had a definitive answer. “Nobody knows,” State Sen. Mark said. “When a bill is filed for the first time, it is not successful in that first session. It can take a couple of terms to build support adequately. What I’m hoping is that, as we move into the policy part of the [legislative] session in the fall and into the spring, the attention we’re already bringing to this bill will be enough to try to get it some traction. Whether it moves as a standalone bill or maybe as part of a package, potentially like an economic development bill in the future budget, I think there is a lot of opportunity [for the bill to pass]. I put the chances at 50-50.”
