ADA Planning
This page is designed to assist and educate cultural organizations as they prepare and develop their long range plan for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Plans are a requirement for all organizations receiving funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State. In addition, a majority of the state's County Cultural and Heritage Commissions require a plan from their grantees.
Before you begin your self assessment and ADA Plan Outline, it is important to familiarize yourself with the main components of the ADA Plan. The sections below mirror the main headings of the ADA Plan Outline and provide a snapshot of what is required to complete your assessment and ADA Plan.
We encourage you to use the Online Resource Library for examples of policies, program descriptions, terminology, and best practices as it relates to ADA and access to cultural organizations.
This page also includes instructions for entering your information into the ADA Outline Plan form, as well as PDF and Word versions of the Plan Outline for your reference.
The Cultural Access Network has instituted this self-assessment and ADA planning tool in direct response to comments from arts organizations as they endeavored to write a comprehensive and usable ADA plan. It is strongly enouraged that the assessment is conducted by members of the organzation and their ADA advisory committee.
Self Assessment can be found here:
Policies and procedures are the foundation for your organization's access commitment. Polices include a board-approved policy statement outlining your organization's commitment to providing accessible services and programs. A sample policy is included in the Online Resource Library.
A board approved grievance procedure is meant to provide an internal mechanism for your organization to use in the event of a patron complaint.
It is important for organizations to have non-discrimination employment policies, be able to provide accessible accommodations for interviews, and to include marginal and essential functions in various job descriptions for staff and volunteers.
When completing the programs and services section of your plan, give thought to your organization's plans to offer sign-interpretation for the Deaf, open captioning for those with hearing loss, audio description for those with vision loss. Large print materials, sensory experiences, program information on digital media are other program examples.
When completing the marketing and communications section of your plan, give thought to the steps your organization will take to reach people with disabilities. Examples include the use of international access symbols, target marketing, making your website accessible, and providing materials in alternate formats.
Accessible restrooms, signage, entrances, dressing rooms, performance and exhibit spaces, and patron parking are some of the areas that need to be considered when completing the facility section of your ADA Plan.
This ADA Plan Outline has been revised to aid in standardizing the review of all ADA plans. The Plan Outline is organized to follow the ADA Self-Assessment Survey Tool, which is available on the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's website in the Access section located here.
The Plan Outline provides abbreviated guidelines for the type of items that a good plan should address. Note: These items do not necessarily have to be accomplished by an organization, but they should be a part of the long range ADA plan. The timeline should include goals that are readily achievable and goals the organization would like to meet within the framework of this 3 year plan.
This outline is designed for those organizations that are required to submit an ADA plan to the State Arts Council by December 31, 2017 and represent the following disciplines: Dance, Music and Theater and any first time regrantees.
You may work on you plan and revisit it at any time. To do this, you will need to provide an email address in the "save and continue" tool on the top of the next page. An email containing a link to this outline will be sent to you. You can return to the outline by clicking the link in the email. Please be sure to click "next" at the bottom of each page to save your work.
TIP: When pasting large amounts of text, you can expand each text field by clicking on the bottom right hand corner of the text field and dragging down and to the right.
• A PDF reference copy and a draft Word version of the Outline containing the questions for Arts Organizations can be downloaded below.
• To begin your plan, click the link that corresponds to your type of orgnization below.
• In order to return to your work at a later time, please be sure to click the "Save and Continue" button on the top of the second page. You can supply an email address to save your progress. A unique link will be emailed to you that will allow you to return to your survey where you left off.
• When you are satisfied that you have completed your plan you may request a copy of your plan by contacting Robert Carr at rcarr@njtheatrealliance.org
• Please review your copy for any last minute changes, instructions for submission will be provided.
ADA PLAN LINK FOR ORGANIZATIONS
ADA Plan workshop schedule here.