Over the past 10 months, Ovations participated in a new technical assistance program through the Onion Foundation for its grantees: The Cultural Accessibility Peer Learning Community. Led by Dani Rose, Director of Cultural Access at Open Door Arts, this professional development program included representatives from arts and culture organizations across Maine, at all stages of their work deepening access and inclusion for patrons with disabilities across the spectrum.

Throughout the course of the program, each participating organization was supported in the completion of a 300-question organizational Accessibility Self-Assessment across 5 focus areas (organizational values, space, communications, programming, and access services) and the creation of an Accessibility Action & Accountability Plan detailing concrete next steps and goals that will carry us into the next stages of this work.

Ciara (our Artist & Production Services Coordinator) and I participated in a mix of professional development and peer learning sessions, including small group “office hours” with Dani where she answered specific questions related to our organizations and the assessments we were taking. Our peer cohort included friends from arts orgs across Portland—including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, with whom we’ve already discussed some collaborative next steps!

To keep up with the growth of Ovations’ Accessibility policies and services, keep an eye on the Accessibility page on our website or email me with questions/comments (kmanfre@portlandovations.org).