Professional Development

Learn best practices to grow your understanding of accessibility.

Left to right: People on stage: A speaker holds a microphone. A person next to him laughs, holding a microphone. An ASL interpreter interprets.

Learning from each other

If you work or volunteer in a museum, theater or cultural organization in Illinois – even if “access” isn’t in your job description, we invite you to join us. For true inclusion to be achieved, accessibility must be the responsibility of everyone, regardless of your department or the size or your organization’s budget.

Beginners in the field, as well as those with experience in cultural accessibility, are invited to attend programs, ask questions, share resources, and most importantly: support one another’s progress. Cultural accessibility is complex, and our work is never done.

A donation is suggested to cover our costs of the speaker and access services. Payment is optional.

Workshop Topics

Workshops range from beginner topics to more advanced conversations, from interdisciplinary conversations to deep dives with a specialized focus. Our goal remains to explore how our organizations can better include and welcome guests with disabilities. We share practical information to help you remove barriers within your institution.

Workshop Archive

Discover past program videos, handouts and resources on our Archives page.

Workshop Coordination

The Cultural Access Collaborative Steering Committee sets the schedule and coordinates programs. Feedback and program ideas are welcome: email info@CulturalAccessCollab.org.

[Cultural Access Collab] has been integral to furthering my knowledge base, which has translated to an overall better experience for the patrons coming to our theater.

– Theater Administrator

Upcoming Programs

Fountaindale Public Library is a modern, 114,000-square-foot building with four floors of resources.

Collab Social in Bolingbrook!

04/24/2024
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Fountaindale Public Library, 300 W Briarcliff Rd, Bolingbrook, IL 60440

We are bringing our annual Collab Social to Bolingbrook! Come learn about the Collab and what we offer as we grow our community stakeholder network beyond Chicago!

LEARN MORE