New Audio-Reader grant aims to expand regional arts accessibility

Three image sections: in the first, a diverse audience looks toward a stage, the center image shows six people wearing gloves and standing around a sarcophagus at the Nelson Atkins museum, and the image on the right has eight seated people with their arms raised into the arm during a dance demonstration.

Mon, 10/27/2025

Martha Kehr

LAWRENCE — The Audio-Reader Network at the University of Kansas, an audio information service for individuals who are blind, visually impaired or print-disabled, has announced the Arts Accessibility Forum, a project to significantly expand arts accessibility across Kansas and western Missouri.

Supported by a grant from the Kansas Arts Commission, the project will feature convenings and training programs through June 2026.

This project brings together the Audio-Reader Network, the Lawrence Arts Center, the National Federation of the Blind (KS) and Mid-America Arts Alliance.

The initiative will launch at 10 a.m. Nov. 14 with a program at Theatre Lawrence outlining project goals and highlighting Audio-Reader’s current audio description program and arts accessibility efforts.

Audio-Reader began offering audio description over 20 years ago. The program initially served the Lawrence area, but it has since expanded to venues in Topeka and across the Kansas City metropolitan area. During an audio-described theater performance, the trained describer translates visual information from the stage to the patron directly through a personal headset, minimizing disruption to fellow patrons while creating a more engaged theater experience.

To expand the program further, Nick Carswell, Audio-Reader program manager, concluded that Audio-Reader needed more collaboration and problem-solving from the organizations and institutions that offer arts experiences together with individuals and advocacy groups from the disability community. Carswell's idea served as the inspiration for the Arts Accessibility Forum grant.

The grant’s goals also include equipping arts professionals with the training and skills to offer enhanced accessibility options for patrons and improving connections between arts organizations and artists with the disability community, according to Carswell.

The three convenings, starting with the Nov. 14 event, will feature experts representing the blind and visually impaired community, experienced audio describers and patrons of AD services, as well as other stakeholders who would benefit from increased offerings of audio-described live arts events, such as senior centers.

The two-day audio description training, planned in March 2026, will be offered by Audio Description Associates LLC. Participants will learn the skills to provide audio description services or partner with presenting organizations to support increased accessibility offerings.

Presenters in the performing arts, audio description patrons, individual artists and arts organizations are invited to participate in the forum convenings and training and can find additional details on the Audio-Reader Arts Accessibility Forum webpage. Individuals can also contact Nick Carswell at nickcarswell@ku.edu or Martha Kehr at mkehr@ku.edu.