Dr. Julia Heath Reynolds is part of the music faculty at Belmont University.  The link to the recording of Dr. Heath Reynolds' webinar “Inclusivity with Intention" can be found under Webinar Recordings.

Rehabilitation Act - Section 504

★ Rights
• Attend 504 Plan team meeting
• Receive a copy of the 504 Plan
• If you disagree with the 504 Plan:
          - Express view at a meeting & suggest alternatives
          - Refuse to sign the plan
          - Contact your union rep if you believe the plan alters your terms and conditions of employment

Jessica Thom describes herself as an artist, writer, and part-time superhero. The website she started with collaborator Matthew Pountey, Touretteshero, just celebrated its tenth anniversary. Thom, who is based in the United Kingdom, talked with us on March 20, 2020, about her own work, her experience as a disabled artist working remotely, and ways she is engaging creatively during the the COVID-19 pandemic.

Office of VSA and Accessibility: Tell us about Touretteshero and how it began.

Playwright Tim J. Lord received the inaugural Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship for a writer with a disability, a two-year award spanning 2017-2019. His work has been developed and produced at theaters across the United States, and he will be the writer-in-residence at the William Inge Theatre Festival in Independence, Kansas, this spring. Here, he talks about his career path, the connection he found with disability in his work, and the importance of honing your craft.

VSA and Accessibility: Where are you currently based?

For the past 20 years, Back to Back Theatre has made a name for itself both in Australia and around the world through its contemporary performances created by an ensemble of actors with disabilities. The company aims to give voice to social and political issues that speak to all people. In January and February, they bring their piece THE SHADOW WHOSE PREY THE HUNTER BECOMES on a five-city tour in the United States, continuing to foster social and cultural dialogue between artists and audience.

The company describes THE SHADOW WHOSE PREY THE HUNTER BECOMES (SHADOW) as, “a group of activists with intellectual disabilities hold a public meeting to start a frank and open conversation about a history we would prefer not to know, and a future that is ambivalent.” Back to Back created SHADOW, as it does with all its new work, through a process of collaborative research, improvisation, and scripting between the ensemble, Artistic Director Bruce Gladwin, and guest artists.

Christine Bruno is an actor, director, teaching artist, and disability inclusion consultant for the entertainment industry. She holds an MFA from the New School and is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio. Christine has worked extensively in theater, film, and television in the US and abroad. She sits on the New York board of SAG-AFTRA and is chair of the union’s New York Performers with Disabilities Committee. Christine can be seen in the documentary series ABLE, streaming now on Amazon Prime.

Where are you based?
I have been a proud New York City-based artist since 1995.

At the Los Angeles-based dance company Infinite Flow, Founder and Artistic Director Marisa Hamamoto and her colleagues are seeking to change perceptions, build community, and educate leadership about disability and inclusion. But their approach is unique.

“We live a little more in the entertainment and business space,” says Hamamoto, whose company is just four years old, but already working with big-name partners like Facebook, Apple, and Red Bull. “Corporations have invited us to various events, and we get a lot of interest in presentations from colleges and schools. I’m also a social entrepreneur in addition to being an artist.  I geek out on thinking about systemic change and binge watch TED talks. Television, media, or digital, I have always believed in the power of media, and we live in an age where anyone has the power to be a medium.”

Christena Gunther is the founder and steering committee co-chair of the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium which was honored with a Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Emerging Leader Award in 2015. Christena speaks nationally and internationally about cultural accessibility, and is a strong advocate for the importance of establishing a local access knowledge network in one’s own community. We sat down for a Q&A with Christena about the benefits she has seen working with the cultural community in Chicago, Illinois. 

2017-2019 CCAC Steering Committee at their first fundraiser in May 2019 at Lagunitas Brewery. Pictured from left to right: Anna Cosner, Evan Hatfield, Christena Gunther, Hillary Pearson, Alyssa Harsha, Brittany Pyle, Matt Bivins, Risa Jaz Rifkind, Rachel Arfa, Lynn Walsh, Jeanna Rathell (and baby Frankie), Kris Nesbitt. Missing from photo: Steering Committee member Mike Shaw.