Focus on accessibility

Summer unlocked: Article #2

Today I continue my “Summer unlocked” series by opening up three previous articles related to accessibility in culture. These articles are now available to all readers.

The articles are:

• Communications accessibility features are not common among organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment in Canada

• Do cultural organizations include information about people with disabilities in their training?

• Perceived accessibility of arts and culture venues (an older article, based on a 2021 survey, that fits nicely with today’s theme)

Clickable links are below, within the article previews.

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Key findings

Here are some interesting findings from these articles. As always, follow the links below for much more information.

• Communicating with the public is an important part of what many organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment do. However, my analysis shows that relatively few organizations and businesses incorporate accessibility features into their public communications.

• For example, while nearly nine in every ten organizations in the arts, heritage, and entertainment (87%) communicate via social media, only 33% of those who use social media incorporate accessibility features such as alt text descriptions or captioning.

• Exactly one-half of organizations (50%) communicate via print materials, but only 24% of those that communicate in this way offer accessibility features such as alternate formats, large print versions, accessible file formats, or accessible audio formats.

• There is one main reason why organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment do not incorporate accessibility features into their public communication: they do not see how such features would benefit their organizations.

• Technical training is the most common type of training in the arts, heritage, and entertainment.

• 29% of organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment offered training related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (compared with 22% of all businesses) in the 12 months preceding the survey.

• 23% of organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment offered training related to workplace accommodations (compared with 22% of all businesses).

• When offered by organizations and businesses in the arts, heritage, and entertainment, DEI training is most likely to include information on how to communicate with persons with disabilities (81%). Client interaction or service delivery is the second most likely type of training to include information on how to interact with persons with disabilities (54%), followed by communication (48%), and technical training (35%).

• Many more Canadians believe that cultural facilities are accessible to them (57%) than believe that such facilities are not accessible (31%). This results in a “net positive” rating of 26% for all Canadians (the difference between the two percentages).

• In all demographic groups, more people believe that they belong at local cultural facilities than not. But there are some significant differences.

• The groups who are most likely to feel that they belong at local cultural facilities include Canadians who are older, university-educated, higher-income, white, and not disabled or deaf.

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Article previews and links

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