Accessibility Resources
WESTAF is committed to making our programs and services accessible to all communities. While we do not generally hold public events, we do serve a wide array of constituents through our arts technology tools. In addition, as a regional arts organization, WESTAF encourages all grantees and member states to ensure all programming is fully accessible as outlined in the American Disabilities Act and the National Endowment for the Arts Section 504 Self-Evaluation Handbook. The following resources are divided into the following categories: Organizations, Publications, Web Design, and Education.
Organizations
AXIS Dance Company
Founded in 1987, AXIS is the nation’s most acclaimed ensemble of disabled and non-disabled performers.
Coalition for Disabled Musicians
Established in 1986, the Coalition for Disabled Musicians, Inc. (CDM) is a voluntary, nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling physically disabled musicians to pursue their musical dreams.
Full Radius Dance
Founded in 1990, Full Radius Dance is one of only a handful of physically-integrated dance companies in the United States.
Infinity Dance Theater
Infinity Dance Theater is a non-traditional dance company committed to expanding the boundaries of dance by featuring dancers with and without disabilities.
NEA Office for Accessibility
The National Endowment for the Arts’ Office for Accessibility is the advocacy-technical assistance arm of the Endowment, designed to make the arts accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, and people living in institutions.
The Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League (PHAMALy)
Phamaly Theatre Company produces professional scale plays and musicals year-round throughout the Denver Metro region, cast entirely of performers with disabilities across the spectrum.
Publications
Beyond the AP Stylebook
Beyond the AP Stylebook offers guidelines for avoiding demeaning and sensationalized words and phrases when writing about people with disabilities.
Career Guide for People With Disabilities
Everything you need to know about navigating the pathway to employment as an individual with a disability.
Enabled Online
The primary goal of EnabledOnline.com is to provide persons with disabilities, their loved ones, and caregivers a place to connect.
The Ragged Edge
The Ragged Edge is a powerful voice from the disability rights movement, tackling difficult issues that some other disability publications may avoid. Recognizing that the arts are an important means of communication, The Ragged Edge regularly features book reviews, poetry, and the works of major artists with disabilities.
New Mobility
New Mobility founder Sam Maddox recognized a community of wheelchair users who wanted more information on how to lead active, healthy lives. He tapped seasoned writers with disabilities and college interns alike to produce a unique resource that shattered stereotypes and told real stories of living life on wheels.
American Printing House for the Blind
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are visually impaired.
A Guide to Disability Rights Laws
This guide provides an overview of Federal civil rights laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities. To find out more about how these laws may apply to you, contact the agencies and organizations listed below.
Web Design
Accessify.com
Accessify.com started as a way to pull together a number of disparate tools that filled in the gaps that HTML authoring packages had at the time. These tools and wizards formed the core of the site–and with a news update, Accessify was born.
An Introduction to Accessible Web Design
SitePoint’s Introduction to Accessible Web Design includes discussion about concepts surrounding accessible web design, the current initiatives to increase the accessibility of websites, and the guidelines to make websites more accessible.
National Center for Accessible Media
The National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) has pioneered many important multimedia access initiatives, including web accessibility and the accessibility of CD-ROM programs, digital television, and motion pictures. The NCAM website contains information about its initiatives and links to resources on media accessibility.
The Paciello Group
The Paciello Group helps clients achieve end-to-end accessibility in their websites, applications, and processes. Consulting services include accessibility testing and evaluation, WCAG/Section 508 compliance audits, VPAT analysis and production, training, user testing and research, design reviews, and strategic planning to embed accessible user experience into all aspects of product development lifecycle.
Viewable with Any Browser
The campaign behind Viewable with Any Browser supports the use of one universal means to view web pages, rather than websites created specifically for one browser. The author has created an Accessible Design Guide and provides example letters to send to web designers who design specifically for one browser.
WAI
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) offers strategies, guidelines, and resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities
WebAim
WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) has provided comprehensive web accessibility solutions since 1999. These years of experience have made WebAIM one of the leading providers of Web accessibility expertise. WebAIM is a nonprofit organization based at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University.
Education
Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University has been around since 1864 and remains the only university in the world specifically designed to meet the needs of deaf and hearing-impaired students.
A Guide to Visual Disabilities: How Colleges Help Visually Impaired Students Succeed
AC Online is dedicated to ensuring our content is accessible to all readers and created this guide to help blind and low vision students succeed in the classroom and beyond.
Office of Special Education Programs
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.
College Resources for Students with Disabilities: Support, Advocacy, and Assistive Technology to Facilitate the Transition to Higher Education
This site provides a list of resources for different types of disabilities.
