To Matti Hammett, Accessibility Programs Manager at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), “accessibility means working towards opening doors for audiences that may not have been historically focused on or prioritized.” Earlier this year, HMNS achieved recognition as a Certified Autism Center by theInternational Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), demonstrating their commitment to creating accessible and inclusive experiences.

Jill Rothstein is Chief Librarian of the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library in New York City, New York. She has presented at the National Library Service conference, Metro Libraries conference, and Harvard’s World Heritage Strategy Forum. Last year she became the first library staff to receive a Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD®) Award for Emerging Leaders. Here, she shares about the New York Public Library’s expansive accessibility initiatives, including their newest program, Dimensions.

VSA & Accessibility: You have worked at several New York Public Library branches in different positions, how and when did you start incorporating accessibility into your roles?
Jill Rothstein: When I was a children’s librarian and then branch manager at the New York Public Library’s 67th Street branch I joined a group of staff working on serving children with  disabilities. That was my entry into the work.

Meet Me at the MoMA, a program developed for patrons with dementia by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York, has influenced museums both nationally and internationally. None have had such expansive and wide-ranging success, both in terms of geographic area and diversity of organizations, as SPARK!

SPARK! Ignites

With the mission of making Wisconsin a leader in addressing challenges posed by Alzheimer’s, the Helen Bader Foundation (now Bader Philanthropies Inc.) sent out a request for proposals to every museum in Wisconsin. Taking cues from Meet Me at the MoMA, the Foundation aimed to bring similar opportunities to their home state.