John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts
Washington, DC

Main Website: http://www.kennedy-center.org

Accessibility Web Page: http://www.kennedy-center.org/accessibility

Point of Contact

Betty R. Siegel
Director of Accessibility
Email Address: brsiegel@kennedy-center.org
Phone: 202-416-8727
TTY: 202-416-8728

Overview

Since opening in 1971, the Kennedy Center continues to present the greatest performers and performances from across America and around the world, nurturing new works and young artists and serving the nation as a leader in arts education.

The Kennedy Center is America's living memorial to President Kennedy as well as the nation's busiest arts facility, presenting more than 2,000 performances each year to two million audience members. More than 7 million people nationwide take part annually in innovative and effective education programs initiated by the center including performances, lecture/demonstrations, open rehearsals, dance and music residencies, master classes, competitions for young actors and musicians, backstage tours and workshops for teachers.

With an annual budget of approximately $128 million, the center includes the Concert Hall which seats 2,442; the Opera House which seats 2,350; the Eisenhower Theater which seats 1,100; the Terrace Theater which seats 513; the Theater Lab which seats 399 and the Family Theater and the KC Jazz Club.

Strategic Planning

The Kennedy Center has demonstrated a commitment to all people through its strategies, accessibility policy, institutional culture and goals.

The goal of its arts access program is to be reflective of the diversity in the community and inclusive of all people with disabilities including audience members, employees, interns, volunteers, performers and artistic staff using the following strategies:

• policies, procedures and practices that address equal access for people with disabilities
• active participation, from people with disabilities, in the decision making processes and implementation of arts access programs
• being responsive to the needs, changing technologies and attitudes of the disability community

Professional Development

The director of accessibility trains staff and interns at the Kennedy Center. The focus is primarily on front-of-house staff. However, other staff members are invited to attend these trainings and the annual Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference when it is held at the center.

Community Engagement

The Kennedy Center relies primarily on ad hoc focus groups composed of members of the disability community, disability organizations and audience members with disabilities to provide community input; for example, when the center renovated the Eisenhower Theater, the director of accessibility consulted with an architect and audience members who have disabilities. For the Concert Hall renovation, consultations were done with universal design experts. The director of accessibility also has a "circle of advisors" that is available by phone or e-mail as needed. In addition, organizations, audience members and visitors share their suggestions and criticisms informally with staff.

The center also engages the disability community through collaborations with the Christopher Reeve Foundation, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and the National Council on Independent Living among others. The staff in the accessibility office work closely with staff from the Smithsonian Institution. In 1998, the center partnered with the National Endowment for the Arts and several other federal agencies to plan and execute the first National Forum on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities.

Programs and Services

Beginning with the creation of the Specially Priced Ticket program in 1971 and the Committee for Handicapped Children (now VSA arts) later in the decade, the Kennedy Center has always provided services to people with disabilities. The Kennedy Center offers the following programs and services:

• Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) network
• Opening Stages newsletter for people with disabilities pursuing careers in the arts
• Experiential Education Initiative (EEI) internship for people with developmental disabilities
• Founding members of Audio Description International
• Hosting the national forums on Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities in 1998 and 2009
• Assistive Listening Devices for People with Hearing Loss: A Guide for Performing Arts Settings
• Tip sheets on a variety of ADA topics for 504 coordinators, accessibility managers or other cultural arts professionals interested in making their facilities and programming more accessible to people with disabilities
• American Sign Language interpretation, cued-speech transliteration or oral interpretations
• Open captioning
• Courtesy wheelchairs available while at the center
• Kennedy Center doormen assist audience members with disabilities from the front of the building to the theaters
• Wheelchair accessible tours
• American Sign Language-interpreted and touch tours
• Specially priced tickets (SPT) – for up to two tickets per person at half price
• Accessible backstage areas for the artists in all theaters
• Cross aisles to enhance wheelchair access in the Concert Hall
• A ramp between the stage and the audience in the Family Theater to facilitate access when artists need volunteers from the audience

Evaluation

The Kennedy Center evaluates its accessibility services through assessing the number of complaints, amount of ticket sales and number of subscribers to its e-mail alerts and newsletter.

Tips for Success

• Be persistent, patient and passionate.
• Try to instill the importance of access and inclusion in students attending arts administration programs.