Loud and Proud: Maximizing Your Accessibility Info for Guests

Featuring Jesse Swanson, Bill Green, Lauren Pincus, and Carly Englander.
ASL, Audio Description, and Closed Captioning included.

Presented November 8, 2023.

A cultural institution’s website is often the first point of contact for guests with disabilities. Are the bathrooms accessible? Where are the elevators? Can services like sign language interpretation be requested, and if so, how? Join Cultural Access Collaborative as we examine how to offer practical and sustainable information to guests about your organization’s accessibility.

Event Speakers:

Carly Englander (she/her/hers)
Originally from New York, Carly received her Bachelors in Sociology with a Minor in Art from New Paltz University and her Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from Hofstra University. Carly is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She is currently working as a Career Placement Counselor at the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). The Career Center at MOPD, which was launched in July 2022, seeks to increase meaningful employment and career opportunities for Chicagoans with disabilities. Carly works directly with job seekers throughout their job search process, including career exploration and goal setting, resume creation, job search assistance, providing interview preparation, navigating disability disclosure, and requesting reasonable accommodations. Prior to joining MOPD, Carly worked at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. Carly’s career has focused on helping individuals with disabilities find meaningful employment and retain that employment; Carly takes pride in helping people find work and helping them in their journey towards independence.

Bill Green (he/him/his)
is the Hart Prins Fund Accessibility & Inclusion Manager at Lincoln Park Zoo. He uses his experience from working in the disability community to foster accessibility and inclusion in all environments where people engage with the zoo. Personal experience also informs Bill’s work. Since birth, he has been low vision. He has also been a lifelong enthusiast of zoos and museums and the diverse ways people interact with these spaces. Bill has consulted with many cultural institutions in Chicago, including serving as an inaugural member on The Second City’s Accessibility Board.

Lauren Pincus (she/her/hers)
Raised in Miami, FL, Lauren Pincus has dedicated her life to the arts. After completing a BA in Theatre from Florida State University in 2017, Lauren worked at the critically acclaimed Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami before moving to Chicago in 2018 to pursue a career in ASL (American Sign Language). In May 2022, Lauren completed a second BA in ASL-English Interpretation from Columbia College Chicago. She has a love for helping others and found her passion for access through her work in the Access Committee at Second City, where she worked part-time in the Box Office while going to school. Lauren currently works at Chicago Humanities Festival as the Audience Accessibility Coordinator.

Jesse Swanson (he/him/his)
is a producer, arts administrator and comedian. He currently serves as the Executive Producer at iO Theater (formerly Improv Olympic). He has led organizations large and small and presented original work across the country and around the world. Originally from the east coast, Jesse began his career in Philadelphia, where he produced and directed original sketch, stand-up improvisation and several world premier comedic plays and musicals. His independently produced work won acclaim at The Philadelphia and DC Fringe Festivals as well as the CrisisArt Festival in Italy. After deciding to take comedy a little more seriously, he came to Chicago in 2012 and went to work for The Second City where he oversaw talent development and production of new work, partnering with companies like The Kennedy Center, LucasFilm and Disney. As an artist with a disability Jesse is an organizer and advocate for access in the arts and passionately pursuing making all art accessible to everyone.

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Video credits:
Intro Music: "Atlas" by Ethan Rank, used under license.
Credit Music: "Beach Party" by Paper Planes, used under license.
Audio Description and Captions: https://www.bridgetmelton.com/
Produced by Cultural Access Collaborative, formerly Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium.