Access/VSA International Network

07/15/2025

Heading to LEAD or ED@LEAD this August in Cleveland? The deadline to book your hotel room is coming up on Friday, July 18! This year we have THREE hotels, all within a block or two of the convention center.

Head to accesslead.org for details!

06/28/2025

Drumroll please... the agenda for the 2025 Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability Conference (Aug 18-22) is now live! 🎉 Head to accesslead.org to get all the details on our upcoming conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Join us for:

🗓️ ED @ LEAD - Monday, August 18 (for professionals in general education, arts education, special education, and teaching artistry)

🗓️ Capacity Building Workshops - Tuesday, August 19 (half and full day workshops for arts administrators, educators, and disability professionals)

🗓️ LEAD Conference - August 20-22 (3 days of sessions and workshops for professionals from theaters, museums, parks, and cultural spaces)

Can't wait to see you there!

06/23/2025

LEAD is turning 25! 🎉🎂🥳

06/02/2025

The LEAD Conference is coming up August 18-22 in Cleveland, OH! LEAD brings together a passionate community dedicated to accessibility. Professionals from theaters, museums, parks, and cultural spaces come together to explore practical solutions, share effective strategies, and strengthen their commitment to accessibility. Through strategy exchange, meaningful connections, and shared experiences, LEAD supports those working to make arts and cultural spaces more welcoming and accessible for everyone.

Learn more or register now at accesslead.org

05/30/2025

Upcoming virtual events for members!

>> Afternoon Tea: Hidden Disabilities > Mentor Office Hour: Balancing Work, Art, and More in a Gig Economy with Will Copps > Happy Hour: Educator Meet-up!

Learn about the the Kennedy Center Office of Accessibility & VSA's Creative Careers programs, including Playwright

04/21/2025

The LEAD Conference has TWO scholarship opportunities to attend the conference this August in Cleveland, OH!

💡 LEAD 2025 Scholarship 💡

LEAD Scholarships offer financial assistance to attend the 2025 LEAD Conference to paid full-time employees or active board members at cultural arts or education organizations, or individuals enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program in an arts administration/management, theater production or museum studies within the United States or abroad. Scholarship amounts will vary and recipients will be awarded up to $1,000.00.

💡 Undergraduate Student Scholarship 💡

Undergraduate students can apply for a scholarship to attend the LEAD Conference at a reduced rate of $265.00. If accepted, student registration would include access to sessions Wednesday, August 20 though Friday, August 22. Additional fees apply for pre-conference and capacity building workshops as well as other special events.

Both scholarships require an application by April 30, 2025. Visit accesslead.org for more info or to apply!

04/17/2025

“Our differences due to our disabilities are not a deficit, but actually the very reason why we're able to create unique music."

The Berklee Music Inclusion Ensemble highlights the talents of musicians with disabilities. The group will play to their biggest crowd yet Saturday at the Berklee Performance Center.

04/17/2025

Heading to the 2025 LEAD® Conference in Cleveland this August? We are pleased to offer specially priced room blocks starting at $194 a night at the following hotels:

🏨 Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower
🏨 Westin Cleveland Downtown
🏨 Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland Downtown

All are within walking distance, on flat terrain, of the Huntington Convention Center (where the Conference will take place), Cleveland Browns Stadium, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Progressive Field, and the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Reserve your room now at https://book.passkey.com/event/50966640/owner/502/landing!

04/09/2025

Nominations for the 2025 LEAD Awards are now open! Nominate a friend, colleague or yourself for one of three categories, celebrating different levels of arts and cultural accessibility work:

🏆 Emerging Leader
🏆 Community Asset
🏆 Excellence in Accessibility Leadership

Recipients will be celebrated at the 2025 LEAD Conference in Cleveland, OH August 20-22.

The deadline to submit nominations is Wednesday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Head to bit.ly/LEADAWARDS2025 to learn more or submit your nomination!

04/07/2025

Now more than ever, we need our community. To draw inspiration, to bounce ideas off, and to be there for each other.

Join us at the Access/VSA International Network for Afternoon Tea on Thursday, April 10 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET! Connect with others who share your passion for arts and culture at this facilitated discussion, where this month we’ll talk about welcoming visitors and audience members with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Though our monthly Teas are typically member-only events, this month all our online networking and learning events are FREE! Head to accessvsa.org/learn to register.

04/03/2025

During this amazing performance, you will experience a unique energy combining jazz and Latin American elements to inspire sounds of Earth and space. Part of the EARTH to SPACE festival, this will be an exciting evening of remarkable music created to touch people’s hearts, captivating each listener. José André (.bo) will premiere a composition specially written for this festival, and it promises to give the audience a sensational time with magical improvisation and creativity. André will be joined by a formidable band comprising Ben Feldman (bass), Jerome Gillespie Jr. (drums), and Langston Hughes II (alto saxophone).

🗓️ Saturday, April 12 at 8 p.m.
📍 The REACH, Washington, DC

Tickets are on sale now at kennedy-center.org. A limited number of $10 rush tickets will also be available 2 hours prior to the performance.

03/18/2025

The Access/VSA team is gearing up for the 2025 LEAD Conference taking place August 18-22 in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the 25th anniversary of LEAD, our annual gathering which offers cultural accessibility solutions, ongoing learning, support, camaraderie, and inspiration around arts and disability. LEAD started out with 20 people in a rehearsal room talking about ways to make the arts more accessible and inclusive. The conference has now grown into nearly 1,000 attendees from a wide variety of organizations and we can't wait to see you all in Ohio this summer!

📅 Mark us on your calendar for Aug 18-22, 2025
📍 Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, OH
🎟️ Registration will open in April
🛏️ Hotel details will be announced soon

Questions? DM us any time or head to accesslead.org!