For these three Midwest arts orgs, accessibility is more than just a core value. It’s a lived practice, rooted in relationships.
Maybe accessibility is already top of mind for your arts organization. Maybe you’ve just started taking stock of how you can do better. No matter where your organization is on that spectrum, building tangible ways to make all people feel welcome is ongoing, collaborative work.
As these three arts organizations will attest, genuine accessibility stems from authentic listening, respectful relationships, and a committed willingness to learn. And the best news? Even small steps make a difference.
Giving Voice Initiative: Uplifting the Creativity of People with Dementia
People living with dementia often feel shut out of social and creative activities. Giving Voice Initiative, based in the Twin Cities, has made it their mission to change that . . . through music.
By launching several Giving Voice Choruses and developing the dementia-informed Giving Voice Chorus model, the organization empowers people living with dementia and their caregivers to channel their creativity and connect with others. They also offer resources and mentorship to other ensembles across the nation who want to do the same.
Through this work, Giving Voice aims to “redefine the community understanding of dementia from one of loss and decline to one of value, hope, and joy,” says director of education Jackie Hanson.
To keep participants safe and supported, Giving Voice tries to consider all possible elements of the choral experience. They choose rehearsal spaces that are easily reachable by public transit and offer parking suitable for assistive mobility devices like wheelchairs and walkers. They prioritize singers’ energy needs and schedule rehearsals at times that avoid morning fatigue or sundowning. They aim for even lighting so singers can easily see their music and watch the director. They use amplification that avoids high, sharp sounds, which can be jarring to those wearing hearing aids.
Additionally, all directors and volunteers receive dementia-friendly communication training. They are encouraged to get to know the singers on an ongoing basis so they can understand what is best for each person.
Listening to direct feedback from singers and caregivers has allowed Giving Voice to adapt and share best practices with others. Their Dementia-Friendly Music Guidelines explain exactly what they look for while adapting and preparing their music.
Hanson says that despite every effort to address every need, there are still times where solutions don’t work for everyone. But this shouldn’t deter organizations trying to be more inclusive to elders and others living with dementia.
“When living with dementia, it is common for people to feel like they don’t have value anymore,” says Hanson; this can lead to feelings of anxiety, shame, depression, and isolation. “We have heard firsthand that this experience gives that value and meaning back and creates a space where they can just be joyful, accepted, and part of something special.”
Giving Voices’s advice to others?
“There is no such thing as perfection, and no such thing as not making a mistake. Getting it wrong is a huge part of how you learn to make it better. There are a lot of little things that don’t take much work that make a huge difference. Sometimes the little change in language, material, or even just intention can make a big impact.”
Ex Fabula: Centering Deaf Stories, Leaders, and Community
Through StorySlams, workshops, business collaborations, and media partnerships, Ex Fabula harnesses the power of real stories to inspire connection, healing, and growth. Through the Deaf Stories Project, they’re building connections that didn’t exist before between Deaf Milwaukeeans and their hearing neighbors.
After collaborating with Greater Milwaukee Association of the Deaf (GMAD) on a storytelling workshop in 2018, Ex Fabula learned there was interest in a Deaf StorySlam. Planning that slam gave the organization invaluable tools to create events that not only welcomed Deaf people, but centered them.
The first step was understanding barriers. Past harm—even when unintentional—has often communicated to Deaf participants that their presence is an afterthought, an inconvenience, or an add-on. Ex Fabula assembled a planning committee that included three Deaf community members to make sure these barriers could be faced head-on.
“Representation, authenticity, and the lived experiences of Deaf team members shaped all decisions, and they received stipends for their time and expertise,” says marketing manager Jasmine Gonzalez. “Hearing folks had to demonstrate humility and build trust.”
To tackle the language barrier, executive director Megan McGee personally committed to ad-hoc training for Deaf storytelling coaches so workshops could be taught in American Sign Language (ASL). Marketing videos were shot in ASL, and the team created bilingual materials for Spanish speakers. Two committee members even invented a new ASL sign for “StorySlam.”
“Throughout the process, each barrier led to innovation,” says McGee.
The first Deaf StorySlam in September 2019, held at the Milwaukee Public Library, brought in an overflow crowd (during a Packers game—any Wisconsinite will tell you what a feat that is) to experience stories told in ASL with English and Spanish interpretation. It received national news coverage and signaled the desire to continue this work.
The years since have brought more Deaf StorySlams and more Deaf participants in other programs as well. Ex Fabula has made accessibility non-negotiable: they book accessible spaces for all events, they offer ASL interpretation at regular-season StorySlams, and Deaf committee members continue to lead by creating marketing videos, hosting workshops, and organizing logistics.
“Ongoing, consistent relationship-building with the Deaf community has been key. We treat them as the experts they are, and we celebrate Deaf culture in tangible ways—like having a Deaf-owned food truck at our last Deaf StorySlam!” says Gonzalez.
“Providing accommodation is important, but equally important is building trust so people want to request accommodations and show up,” says McGee. “It takes time, but it’s been so rewarding. Over the years, I’ve expanded my understanding of visual storytelling, and now, we’re getting Deaf folks traveling from other states to participate. I’m so excited for others to build these powerful relationships with Deaf community members.”
Ex Fabula’s advice to others?
“We wish that more funders provided operational funds to support this work, because accessibility can’t be a project; it’s an ongoing expense. Traditional metrics don’t capture the success of accessible events. These need a different, more human-centered framework for assessment. Otherwise, we’ll keep hearing ‘it costs a lot per person engaged’ and missing the point entirely.”
Dancing Wheels Company & School: Practicing and Promoting Integrated Dance
Dancing Wheels Company & School is America’s first physically integrated dance company and inclusive school. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, but operating worldwide, Dancing Wheels offers performances, master classes, residencies, workshops, and more, expanding the vision of what professional dance looks like and who it includes.
“I founded Dancing Wheels as a vehicle for individuals with disabilities to fully participate and contribute to the arts, specifically dance,” says president and founding artistic director Mary Verdi-Fletcher, who has run the company for 45 years.
Born with spina bifida to an artistic family, Verdi-Fletcher responded to the absence of inclusive dance schools by making THEIR own opportunities. Performing a duet with a non-disabled dancer in a major dance competition drew national media attention and led to 75 performances of the piece in a single year. It also exposed the critical lack of dancers with disabilities on the national stage, and the exceptional artistry that can arise when those barriers are dismantled.
Dancing Wheels became the first professional dance company to employ dancers both with and without disabilities—but it has not been the last. “This is a true testament to the need and desire of others with disabilities to participate as well,” says Verdi-Fletcher. “I think attitudes and knowledge about who should or could participate has changed considerably over the years.”
Touring and performing is an essential part of the company’s work, partly because—as Verdi-Fletcher says—“seeing is believing.”
“The hardest part initially was making believers in funders, audience members, and educators,” Verdi-Fletcher says. “People have many talents and abilities, oftentimes way beyond what is perceived.”
Dancing Wheels Company dancers are employed full time, with paid holidays and vacation time, giving those with and without disabilities “true career opportunities in dance,” says Verdi-Fletcher. “Something less tangible are the many thousands of lives that have changed, been inspired and uplifted by seeing or participating in this dance form.”
One of Dancing Wheels’ major projects at the moment is their Teacher Certification Program. The intensive teaches dance educators how to work in a fully inclusive class setting, based on the methodologies Dancing Wheels has developed over the decades. One of their goals is to create opportunities for dancers with disabilities to earn degrees in dance, which is not currently offered by most American universities.
“Acceptance has opened the doors to accessibility both programmatically and architecturally,” says Verdi-Fletcher. But the work is not done yet. “We are constantly looking at ways to improve.”
Dancing Wheels Company & School’s advice to others?
“Acceptance of all people opens and broadens your client base, makes your programming usable by a greater number of people, and instills a deeper meaning into your artmaking.”
Listen and Learn
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Genuine relationships—built on humble listening—lead to breakthroughs.
It’s hard to build trust when you’re the only one talking!
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Let the people you’re hoping to reach lead the conversations.
Deferring to their insights and expertise—even when logistics get tricky—is the only way to keep their needs and goals at the center.
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Measuring “results” goes beyond a spreadsheet.
Accessibility is an investment of time and resources. The quality of the relationships you build, the art you platform, the events you host, and the community you strengthen can’t be quantified by numbers.
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This story was originally published by Arts Midwest, a non-profit amplifying Midwestern creativity with Creative Commons License
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