Mission Statement
MAC is an organization striving toward increasing access to NYC’s cultural institutions for the disability community through connection, education, and advocacy.
Overview
Following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, the Museum, Arts and Culture Access Consortium (MAC) was formed by a small group of museum and disability professionals that started meeting informally to discuss topics related to accessibility at their New York-based institutions. Today, MAC is an association that regularly hosts professional development workshops and offers a network of mutual support to help practitioners engage with disability advocates and people who have disabilities to learn about, implement, and strengthen best practices for access and inclusion in cultural facilities of all types throughout the New York metro area and beyond.
Professional Development Workshops
MAC regularly organizes workshops and events that address topics ranging from, “Welcoming People with Alzheimer’s Disease to Your Museum,” to “Perspectives on Autism: Art and Access,” to “Revised ADA Regulations.” To learn more about our upcoming workshops, please visit the News and Events section of this website. In efforts to share what we learn, we are currently developing a Resources section so that colleagues may use recordings, transcripts, guidelines, and best practices at their own respective cultural organizations.
Attendees at workshops include clinicians, exhibit designers, individuals with disabilities and their family members, and professionals from a broad range of institutions, from art and science museums to historic sites, zoos and botanical gardens, performance spaces, museum studies programs, service providers, advocacy organizations, and more. By linking together accessibility personnel from cultural institutions and disability advocates and their communities, MAC helps to address the isolation staff may experience at their home institutions and seeks to respond to and engage museum professionals at all levels.
Learn more about how you can get involved to participate in our efforts at MAC!
MAC Steering Committee
The steering committee of the Museum, Arts and Culture Access Consortium (MAC) is composed of leaders from the cultural and disability communities and provides oversight of the association’s activities, including professional development workshops, technical assistance to cultural institutions, and the development of public resources related to cultural accessibility. The MAC Steering Committee meets monthly and all members are required to participate in the development and implementation of workshops.