Learning Opportunities

Cultural Accessibility Forum & Exchange (CAFE) creates dialogue between the cultural community and the human service sector to expand understanding and practice in accessibility.  

A large outdoor group shot of Art-Reach staff members and people who are blind or low vision. Everyone is facing the camera and smiling.

Cultural Accessibility Forum & Exchange (CAFE)

CAFE brings cultural organizations together with members of the disability and low-income communities to focus on improving cultural access for everyone.

This forum addresses issues of cultural accessibility in order to:

  •  Enhance accessible accommodations offered by the Greater Philadelphia cultural community
  •  Encourage arts providers within the sector to continue their efforts in making experiences accessible to patrons with disabilities
  •  Expand awareness of the need for such efforts

Art-Reach’s Cultural Accessibility Forum & Exchange (CAFE) is made possible with support by Independence Public Media Foundation.

Let’s keep in touch!

Join ACCESS Jawn

Access Jawn is a Philadelphia-based peer-group powered by Art-Reach to foster a community of cultural professionals who are dedicated to increasing accessibility in the arts. We welcome individuals who are new to the field, an expert, and everyone in between for helpful conversation, knowledge sharing, and FUN!

Join us on Slack for conversation!

Join Access Jawn on Slack

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Coming up Next!

Healing Strategies
Thursday, May 19th, 2022 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST
Zoom Webinar

Click Here to Register

Museums and Cultural organizations have long been a place for comfort and peace to reconcile with the challenging outside world and engage with close looking, object-centered learning, and engaging programs. With the increased rates of depression and anxiety, limited access and resources people have to mental health treatment, can arts organizations aid or “treat” audiences in addressing their mental and emotional pain and trauma? Art-Reach brings you professionals who are leading this conversation and case studies from two arts organizations who are addressing the mental health pandemic in thoughtful and intentional ways.

The two case studies will be presented to highlight examples of healing strategies:

Picture of Health is a multifaceted program fostering wellness among MFA St. Petersburg’s audiences. This innovative approach to wellbeing allows the museum to harness the power of its galleries and gardens as a place of healing and solace.

Healing Verse Poetry Line launched in 2021 as a telephonic method to hear new and hopeful poetry as a foundation to promote wellness, mental health, and mental well-being across the city of Philadelphia, country, and world.The impact of isolation to vulnerable populations during COVID and the latest interdisciplinary research of the relationship between museum objects, health, and wellbeing

Moderated By:

Monica Zimmerman, Vice President of Public Education, Engagement and Museum Operations, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Panelists:

Ross Laird-Author, Clinical Consultant-Mental Health, Trauma, and Addiction

Margaret Murray-Curator of Public Programs and Community Engagement, MFA St. Petersburg

Trapeta B. Mayson-Curator, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Philadelphia Poet Laureate, 2021

Yolanda Wisher-Co-Director of Curatorial Programs, Curator of Spoken Word, Philadelphia Contemporary, Philadelphia Poet Laureate 2017

​​Webinar will be ASL Interpreted, and CART Captioned. 90 minutes.

Learn more about Healing Verse Poetry Line here

Learn more about Picture of Health here

View Past Presenters

2021

Offline: Staying Connected without Connectivity by Barbara Wong- Director of Community Engagement, Barnes Foundation
Amber Carroll, Director of COVIA- Well Connected
Kelsey Timler, Ph.D. Candidate, UBC Interdisciplinary Studies & Helen Brown, RN, Ph.D. University of British Columbia, School of Nursing. Click here to watch. 

Creating with Access in Mind by Krista Lewis, Deaf & Nontraditional Communication Professional, ODP. Click here to watch. 

Let’s Take This Outside by Marcie Bramucci, of People’s Light & Theatre; Amanda Berg Wilson, of  The Catamounts; Katy Brown & Nick Piper, of the Barter Theatre. Click here to watch. 

2020

Accessibility & Media Production by PhillyCAM, Click here to view CAFE on Youtube. 

Just the Ticket: Ticketing Law & and Best Practices by Dani Rose, Ticket Philadelphia & Alex Boyle, Art-Reach

2019

Understanding Service Dogs by United Disabilities Services Foundation Service Dogs.

Accessibility Planning: The Key to Successful Inclusion, presented by John McEwen, Executive Director of New Jersey Theatre Alliance

Know Before You Go Videos featuring the Students at Museums in Philly (STAMP) Teen Council 

2018

Build A Bridge International presenting, Fostering Resilience through Art Making

Elizabeth Clay presenting, The Digital Welcome Mat: Is Your Website and Marketing Accessible to the Disability Community

I AM, Documentary Film by Art-Reach

2017

The Makers of Fierce Kind of Love 

Cultural Access Network Project 

Anne Mulgrave, Manager of Grants and Accessibility at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

Dynah Haubert is a staff attorney with Disability Rights Pennsylvania and Johnny Crescendo a leader in the disabled people’s movement.

Roger Ideishi, Associate Professor of Instruction in Rehabilitation Sciences Program Director

Hearing concrete steps we can take and conceptual changes to new approaches was extremely helpful.

— CAFE participant