Event Description: Hosting inclusive and accessible experiences often requires equipment and resources. Has your organization thought about offering an accessible performance, tour, or lecture, but you’re just not confident about the equipment or steps needed? Did you know that the Collab rents out equipment to support cultural organizations’ accessible offerings at no cost to renters?
Come check out the offerings of the Cultural Access Collab’s Accessible Equipment Loan Program in real life at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and discover for yourself in this interactive, exploratory open house session! Whether you’re a frequent borrower or you’re just curious to learn more, this casual setting will encourage you to ask questions, network and engage with service providers and community members alike!
Bonus: We have some updated resources for the Collab community that we can’t wait to highlight at this open house!
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Time: 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Location: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
Cost: FREE, $5 suggested donation
These four wonderful folks will be there to answer your questions!
Hudson Therriault is a full-time audio describer based in Chicago. His first experience with audio description was a regional theater tour in Montana, and he has since trained with seasoned audio description professionals. He is passionate about building access for all into the foundation of artistic expression. HJTdescriptions.crd.co
Jo Gayle has been a CART captioner for almost 20 years, providing CART services for such local organizations as Cultural Access Collaborative, Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Hearing Society, and WBEZ, as well as for students at most of the colleges and universities in the area, and such national organizations as the Hearing Loss Association of American (HLAA), Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA), and World Institute on Disability (WID). “I live in Chicago, and I would be happy to discuss ways to make your events more inclusive for people with hearing loss who do not use ASL.”
Eddie Medrano got his start in the events industry over 15 years ago. After cutting his teeth working at various music venues, he eventually made his way into the non profit sector. He is currently the Senior Event Producer at Chicago Public Media.
Matt Bivins is a “recovering actor” who created CaptionPoint alongside his wife Lindsay, who is profoundly deaf. Their goal was to enable Lindsay to fully experience Chicago’s vibrant Storefront Theater scene alongside Matt. Now, six years later, this passion project, driven by a do-it-yourself ethos, has successfully provided captions for a wide range of live theater performances throughout the entire country.
Hudson, Jo, Eddie, and Matt will be demonstrating various accessible services in action with equipment from Cultural Access Collaborative’s loan program.
Program Format: There will be no formal address or presentation for this program. Registrants can freely explore various ‘demo stations’ that showcase our accessible equipment, including: a CART captioning station; an audio description station; an assistive listening station; and a resource table highlighting our new handbook and borrowing process. Each area will be staffed by Collab representatives and access providers who can answer your questions and facilitate hands-on opportunities with the equipment and resources.
Accessibility: ASL Interpretation and Assistive Listening devices are available by request. Indicate your access needs during the registration process, and we will coordinate coverage given at least 3 business days notice. Please inform us of any additional requests that would enable you to participate. You may also reach us at 773-203-5039 to request services.
COVID Policy: Masks are strongly encouraged when not actively eating or drinking.
Parking: Please be advised that parking may be extremely limited in the area due to Lincoln Park ZooLights. We recommend you arrive early to allow plenty of time to find parking; or, consider carpooling, using public transit, or catching an Uber/Lyft.
Free parking is available on Cannon and Stockton Drive. A flat-rate lot maintained by the Chicago Park District is located at 2431 N. Cannon Drive. Learn more about lot rates.
A limited number of wheelchair accessible parking spots are located near the front entrance on Cannon Drive.
Public Transit: The Nature Museum is accessible by CTA bus routes #76, #151, and #156.
Uber/Lyft: If you using a rideshare service, inform your driver that the bus turnaround near the front entrance may be used for drop off.
Entry: All guests should enter through the front entrance located on Cannon Drive. The entrance is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with activation push buttons. Our program is located on the second floor, via a passenger elevator that is wheelchair, walker, and stroller accessible. All restrooms on all levels are stroller and wheelchair accessible. All-gender restrooms are available for anyone who prefers a single-occupancy restroom. Service animals are welcome.
Registration: Please register at https://tinyurl.com/55kv4a8s
Suggested Donation: While most programs are free, the $5 suggested donation helps to cover programming costs to ensure Cultural Access Collaborative’s mission is achievable and accessible to all. You may donate online anytime! Donations to the Collaborative are tax deductible.
Cultural Access Collaborative is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, PERT Foundation, The MacArthur Funds for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, and individual donors like you. In addition, this program is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Gather with the Collab for an in-person exploration at Garfield Park Conservatory to savor the summer season in Chicago with this workshop devoted to touch, sound, smell, and taste in nature! We are joined by Andy Slater, Chicago-based media artist, sound designer, teaching artist, and disability advocate and members of the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance Team for a site-specific exploration of multisensory approaches in outdoor spaces. Grow your own personal toolkit for creating sensory opportunities for your visitors in this immersive program and learn how other cultural organizations are increasing their offerings.
Date and Time: Thursday, May 11th from 3:00 to 4:30 PM Central Time
Location: 300 N. Central Park Ave., Chicago, IL 60624. The Conservatory is located near the intersection of North Central Park Ave. and Lake St. If you’d like to learn more about what to expect on your visit, here is a social narrative.
Program Accessibility: Real-Time Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided for the facilitated program. Exploration of the Conservatory grounds will follow. Please inform us of any additional requests that would enable you to participate. You may also reach us at 773-203-5039 to request services. Masks are strongly encouraged when not actively eating or drinking.
Registration: Please register at https://tinyurl.com/yubz3tae
Andy Slater is a blind Chicago-based media artist, writer, performer, and Disability advocate/loudmouth.
Andy holds a Masters in Sound Arts and Industries from Northwestern University and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a 2022 United States Artists fellow, 2022-2023 Leonardo Crip Tech Incubator fellow and a 2018 3Arts/Bodies of Work fellow at the University of Illinois Chicago.
He is a member of the Society of Visually Impaired Sound Artists and a teaching artist with the Atlantic Center for the Arts’ Young SoundSeekers program, Midwest Society For Acoustic Ecology, and Creative Users’ Sensory Shift program.
Andy’s current work focuses on advocacy for accessible art and technology, Alt-Text for sound and image, the phonology of the blind body, spatial audio for extended reality, and sound design for film, dance, and digital scent design.
Read Andy’s full biography at https://tinyurl.com/2p8r9per
Please register at https://tinyurl.com/yubz3tae. Registered participants will receive an email the day prior to the event with additional details. Please ensure that Info@CulturalAccessCollab.org is an approved sender to your email account, or be sure to check your Spam/Junk Mail filter for the email.
Parking: The Conservatory has a free visitor parking lot with designated accessible parking spots located in the northeast corner. There are paved pathways from the parking lot to the building entrance, as well as ramps and a push button automated door.
Public Transit: You can take the Green Line to the Conservatory Stop. The glass building of the conservatory is just north of Lake Street on the West side of the street. Please note that as of April 27, the Harlem-bound platform elevator at Conservatory (Green Line) has been fixed, and the station should now be accessible again. Check the CTA’s accessibility alerts for the most up-to-date information.
Bicycles: Bike Corrals and a Divvy bike station can be found in front of the building on Central Park Avenue.
Real-Time Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided for the facilitated program. Exploration of the Conservatory grounds will follow. Please inform us of any additional requests that would enable you to participate. You may also reach us at 773-203-5039 to request services.
COVID Policy: Masks are strongly encouraged when not actively eating or drinking.
Wheelchairs: There are a limited number of wheelchairs available for free use on site. They are checked out with a photo ID on a first come, first served basis. Wheelchairs will be thoroughly wiped down between visitors.
Social Narrative: If you’d like to learn more about what to expect at Garfield Park Conservatory, here is a social narrative to prepare you for your visit.
More information about accessibility at Garfield Park Conservatory can be found at https://garfieldconservatory.org/accessibility/.
FREE, $5 suggested donation
While most programs are free, the $5 suggested donation helps to cover programming costs to ensure Cultural Access Collaborative’s mission is achievable and accessible to all. You may donate online anytime! Donations to the Collaborative are tax deductible.
Cultural Access Collaborative is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, PERT Foundation, The MacArthur Funds for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, and individual donors like you. In addition, this program is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Join us for in person networking at the new MOPD Career Center!
Are you a hiring manager or supervisor at an arts or cultural institution looking to expand your team? Let’s build local connections with community agencies to help you source new talent and create career opportunities for people with disabilities!
The program will begin with remarks from MOPD’s Commissioner Rachel Arfa, followed by structured networking among cultural administrators and community agencies. Attendees will leave with new community connections and resources to help diversify their hiring initiatives.
Light refreshments will be provided. Masks are strongly encouraged.
Date and Time: Friday, March 24th from 3:30 to 5:00 PM Central Time
Location: Central West Community Center, 2102 W. Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL 60612
Program Accessibility: Real-Time Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided for the formal program. Networking opportunities and free exploration of the MOPD field office and murals will follow the formal program. Please inform us of any additional requests that would enable you to participate in the networking portion of the evening. You may also reach us at 773-203-5039 to request services.
Cost: FREE, $5 suggested donation
Registration: Please register at https://tinyurl.com/yc4sft4x
Rachel Arfa (she/her/hers) was appointed Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) by Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot in July 2020.
Commissioner Arfa is the first deaf commissioner of MOPD, and the highest-ranking deaf person to serve in a City government leadership role. Arfa comes to MOPD with years of experience as a disability and civil rights attorney. She has held numerous civic and leadership roles, including advocating to make Chicago’s cultural spaces accessible to people with disabilities.
As MOPD Commissioner, Arfa leads the City of Chicago’s efforts to make Chicago a more accessible city. MOPD provides services including in the areas of independent living services (information and referral, home-delivered meals, and Personal Assistant Services), employment and youth transition services, home modifications, assistive devices, accessible housing and architectural accessibility. MOPD also creates policies on disability accessibility, accessible transportation, and emergency preparedness.
Arfa is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A. American Culture) and the University of Wisconsin School of Law (J.D.)
Career Center Staff will be available to meet and greet during the networking portion of this event. You can learn more about the MOPD Career Center staff here.
Registered participants will receive an email the day prior to the event with additional details. Please ensure that Info@CulturalAccessCollab.org is an approved sender to your email account, or be sure to check your Spam/Junk Mail filter for the email.
Getting to MOPD via public transportation: The field office building is a 10 minute walk from the Illinois Medical District Blue Line stop (when you exit the station, walk south on Damen Avenue until you reach Ogden, then turn right and walk southwest on Ogden and you will see the building after a few blocks). You can also take the 157 bus which stops right in front of the building, or the 50 bus and get off at Damen and Polk, then turn left on Ogden.
Parking: Part of the field office parking lot will be available to the public (enter on Ogden Avenue southwest entrance). Additional parking is available at Cook County Juvenile Center Parking Facility located at 1100 S. Hamilton Avenue, $2.00 for the entire day.
Real-Time Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided for the formal program. Networking opportunities and free exploration of the MOPD field office and murals will follow the formal program. Please inform us of any additional requests that would enable you to participate in the networking portion of the evening. You may also reach us at 773-203-5039 to request services.
FREE, $5 suggested donation
While most programs are free, the $5 suggested donation helps to cover programming costs to ensure Cultural Access Collaborative’s mission is achievable and accessible to all. You may donate online anytime! Donations to the Collaborative are tax deductible.
Cultural Access Collaborative is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, PERT Foundation, The MacArthur Funds for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, and individual donors like you. In addition, this program is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan as well as a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Curious about CCAC’s Equipment Loan Program and how it works? Join Steering Committee members past and present as we share the goals of the program, updates on how to access resources, as well as how the program has helped shape accessibility initiatives for our users. This program will also explore some “how-to’s” and goals of our Access Calendar.
CCAC Lunch & Learns are informal discussion forums open to the community. Sessions are facilitated by CCAC Steering Committee members and attendees are encouraged to participate in open dialogue.
About our featured presenter, Brittany Pyle
Brittany Pyle (she/her) is the Director, Production and Audience Experience at the Chicago Humanities Festival. Her goal is to make the festival enjoyable and inclusive in all its stages, from ticket buying to the presentation of an event. She oversees the Audience Services and Production teams and serves as a primary liaison with the Festival’s 40+ cultural and community venue partners. From 2016-2021, Brittany was a steering committee member of the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium, working to make the city’s cultural institutions accessible to people with disabilities and older adults. She holds a BFA in Photography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Zoom Meeting Notes
Registered participants will receive a Zoom Meeting Link via email from this email account the day prior to the event. Please ensure that Info@
FREE, $5 suggested donation
Accessibility
Real-Time Captioning and Sign Language Interpretation will be provided. Please complete the accommodation request field found in the event registration path or call 419-262-1886 to request other access services, or to learn more about event accessibility.
Suggested Donation
While CCAC programs are free, the $5 suggested donation helps to cover programming costs to ensure CCAC’s mission is achievable and accessible to all. We’ll accept cash and check the day-of, or you may donate online anytime! Donations to CCAC are tax deductible.
CCAC is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, PERT Foundation, 21st Century Fox Social Impact, The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, and individual donors like you. In addition, this program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
This workshop will offer a survey of services and programming that theaters, museums and other cultural institutions can provide to make themselves accessible for visitors who are blind or have low vision.
Following the patron path, from outreach and initial point of contact through the visit’s conclusion, this workshop will offer a survey of services and programming that theaters, museums and other cultural institutions can provide to make themselves more accessible for visitors who are D/deaf or hard of hearing.
Visiting cultural organizations may be unsettling for visitors with sensory issues, including those on the Autism Spectrum and those with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). The bombardment of sensory information, a change in routine, and concern over others’ reactions to their unique needs and helpful tools can translate into a stressful–or even impossible–visit for people in the sensory community.
Through presentation, exercises and discussion, participants will explore the benefits of descriptive language for all audiences, learn the purpose of more thorough description for visitors who are blind or have low vision, and discuss strategies for developing and facilitating multisensory experiences.
This workshop-style session will put the focus on exhibits, from space and flow, to interactives, to labels – and how to make them more accessible and inclusive.
Members of the creative, production, access and audience teams that performed “Project Potential” will discuss the fundamentals of each accessible service.