Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is accessible to the public. Arts Accessibility focuses on people with disabilities and their right of access to programs, services and granting opportunities in the arts and Universal Design involves making objects, devices and environments accessible to all people, regardless of whether or not they have a disability.

The California Arts Council is committed to making its services and programs open and accessible to all persons, with and without disabilities. This goal needs to be adopted both in the material universe as well as in policy-making circles. Our commitment is ongoing and has not wavered. We must ensure that all people have the ability to participate in the arts with ease and dignity. The agency reaches out and nurtures its relationship with the disability community through programs and services in partnerships with the National Arts and Disability Center, VSA California and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The National Arts and Disability Center (NADC)
The California Arts Council collaborates and consults with Dr. Olivia Raynor, the Director of the UCLA-based National Arts and Disability Center (NADC), regarding access issues for artists and audiences with disabilities in California. The mission of the NACD is to promote the full inclusion of audiences and artists with disabilities into all facets of the arts community and it acts as a leading consultant in the arts and disability community. The Center's information is aimed at artists with disabilities, arts organizations, museums, arts administrators, disability organizations and agencies, performing arts organizations, art centers, universities, arts educators, and students. The NADC is a project of the University of California, Los Angeles, Tarjan Center.

Step-by-Step Plan for California
This resource guide provides the foundation for learning and applying the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to the arts community in California. Inspired by the comprehensive 1994 text, Design for Accessibility: An Arts Administrator's Guide, prepared and published by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and the National Endowment for the Arts. As a living document, when new ideas and resources are developed and implemented, the guide will be modified accordingly. We welcome your input, comments and ideas as you utilize this material and generate creative solutions, activities and programs of your own.

National Endowment for the Arts / Office for Accessibility
As the advocacy and technical assistance arm of the National Endowment for the Arts, the mission of the Arts Office for Accessibility is to make the arts accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, and people living in institutions.

The Arts Office for Accessibility works in a myriad of ways to accomplish its goals, including:

• providing technical assistance to individuals and organizations to open existing programs and make the arts fully accessible to people with disabilities, older adults, and people living in institutions; and to comply with the Endowment's Section 504 Regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act;
• initiating cooperative projects with other federal agencies and nonprofit groups to better educate professionals serving older and disabled people concerning access issues and the value and benefits of arts programming;
• encouraging and assisting more support for addressing the needs of older and disabled Americans through the Endowment's divisions and through state and national groups concerned with the arts and with underserved populations;
• assisting applicants and grantees with project development that involve the targeted groups; and
• organizing and convening panels, seminars, and workshops for Endowment staff, its grantees, and other federal agencies.