ABLE South Carolina urges arts organizations to remove barriers, outlines ADA obligations and low-cost fixes

Mary Reeves, director of community access at ABLE South Carolina, told attendees of a South Carolina Arts Commission webinar that arts organizations should prioritize accessibility in programming, facilities and communications and offered specific, practical steps to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Reeves said the state’s Arts for All SC grant program — launched by the South Carolina Arts Commission — awarded 24 grants in its first round and is open for a second round to current operating support grantees. She framed the work as urgent: “Accessibility really is a journey,” she said, and pointed to a statewide need: “1 in 3 people in South Carolina have disabilities.”

The webinar outlined the Department of Justice’s readily achievable barrier removal checklist and four barrier priorities: entrances, access to goods and services, restrooms, and other measures. Reeves described frequent problems found in site visits to 15 arts organizations, including improperly mounted or faded accessible parking signs, parking without access aisles or van-accessible spaces, entry routes that end at stairs, counters and ticket windows mounted too high for some patrons, and restrooms that lack required dimensions or have exposed piping or inaccessible fixtures.

Reeves emphasized legal obligations under the ADA for Title II and Title III entities to provide access and effective communication, giving examples such as ASL interpreters, CART/live captioning and audio description for videos. She urged organizations to treat communication access as part of program design and to give “primary consideration to the communication preference of a person with a disability.”

Rather than only large renovations, Reeves offered low-cost or interim solutions arts organizations can implement immediately: portable ramps, temporary ground coverings for outdoor events that are stable, firm and slip-resistant, mobile low counters or carts for concessions, complimentary valet for patrons with disabled placards, lending or borrowing wheelchairs, publishing an accessibility page that lists parking, entrances and restroom locations, and scheduling accessible showings or quiet/low-sensory hours.

On building standards Reeves noted established benchmarks discussed in the webinar: a compliant counter height of about 34 inches (many concession counters measured 48 inches), minimum door clearances (the webinar cited 32 inches as a minimum and 36 inches as recommended), and required dimensions for accessible stalls (the presenter cited a 60-by-60-inch benchmark).

Reeves also urged arts organizations to expand representation on stage and in marketing, to recruit disabled creatives and not to cast nondisabled actors in disabled roles. She encouraged organizations to create budget line items for accessibility, form disability advisory committees, regularly walk and maintain facilities (automatic doors must work), and to publish accessibility features in event announcements so audiences can plan.

ABLE South Carolina offered technical assistance, website audits and a playlist of resources referenced during the webinar (including Kinetic Light, accessibility guidance from the Access Board and service-animal fact sheets). Reeves closed by inviting attendees to contact ABLE South Carolina for site tours and help and listed additional webinars covering alternative formats, inclusive hiring, web accessibility and disability rights laws.

The webinar concluded with a question-and-answer session; Reeves reiterated the availability of resources and encouraged arts organizations to adopt incremental, budgeted steps toward full accessibility.