In actioning its commitment to meaningfully engaging with and within the D/deaf, disabled, Blind, low vision and neurodiverse communities, intersectionally centering Native and BIPOC individuals, RSD has been in an organizational process of attending to the complexities and nuances of accessibility it seeks to manifest through: 

 

• Establishing the Rosy Simas Danse Accessibility Advisory Committee.

The Rosy Simas Danse Access Advisory Committee (RAAC) is composed of individuals from within the local Native and BIPOC disability, neurodiverse and D/deaf communities. This advisory’s focus is on the organizational structuring, capacity, resources and community building in direct relation to accessibility. Through this advisory, RSD will seek to gain insights into how the organization’s resources can be best utilized in support of accessibility specific to the needs of community members who want to participate in, witness and engage with RSD’s public activities and residencies.

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• Supporting the establishing of a Native and BIPOC Accessibility Consultancy Cohort (BACC)

BACC’s cohort of consultants are composed of individuals from the local and national Native and BIPOC disability, neurodiverse and D/deaf communities. This cohort is initially honing in on four key areas of accessibility: 1) Audio and image description creation; 2) ASL integration; 3) Physical and structural spaces assessments; and 4) sensory-friendly environments cultivation. Progressively, BACC will chart a developing bespoke model for RSD and extended community that will ultimately cultivate a local/national sustainable practice of accessibility that is essential to cultural engagement.   

 

• Developing a Project Access + Accountability Rider for Engaging with Presenters

 

• Investing in Practice of Access Trainings + Workshops for the Organization Staff, Artists & Partners

 

• Divesting from Engaging with Inaccessible Spaces

 

• Attending to Inaccessibility Issues within Current Space

 

• Revamping the Website to be more Accessible

 

• Investing in Creating and Integrating ASL Vlogs + Audio Described Videos

 

• Offering Access Support & Access Funding to RSD Artists-In-Residence

 

• Internal Organizational Work to Address Ableism & Accessibility in Support of Board, Staff, Performing Company, Consultants and Project Contractors

 

• Ongoing Audits of RSD’s Physical and Virtual Spaces