Accessibility for all a focus for museums, theaters on Long Island

Susan Miller and her husband, Jay Gassman, have always loved going to the theater and museums — but when Gassman was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease 11 years ago, they wondered if those days were over.

Thanks to programs like “Paint With the Parrish,” offered by the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill for individuals with special needs and their care partners, the Medford couple have found a way to continue pursuing their passions.

“We still try to do all those things,” said Miller. “It is a natural extension of who Jay is.”

For many disabled and neurodivergent people, spending a pleasurable day or night at the museum or theater is a challenging proposition. Recognizing this, more and more cultural institutions across Long Island are working to better accommodate these audiences. Will a wheelchair fit through all the doorways, for example? Is there a designated space for needed down time? Will large-print explanatory text or open captions be needed?

“It’s time we invite everybody,” said Parrish educator Wendy Gottlieb, who has been dedicated to changing the perception of museums as rarified repositories by fostering a welcoming environment at the East End venue.

Laura Lynch, the director of education at the Nassau County Museum of Art, agreed. “It is morally the right thing to do,” she said.

Meeting people where they are, so to speak, the Roslyn Harbor museum has been intent on offering an ever-expanding list of on-site and online resources, as are an increasing number of local arts institutions.

Stools and sensory kits

Adding to its tool kit, the museum recently purchased portable stools for use by its visitors as they make their way through the galleries.

“A large percentage of people who come here are senior citizens, and many have mobility issues,” Lynch said. “The red stools, which are sturdy, lightweight and have two side handles, are now available in the lobby for guests who need them.”

Also on hand at the front desk are sensory kits — burlap bags filled with texture squares, stress balls, liquid motion bubblers (similar to lava lamps) and visual aids — developed in consultation with an art therapist. Teens and young adults on the autism spectrum participating in “Mornings at NCMA,” on Saturdays before the museum opens, are among those who can take them along through the galleries and outdoor sculpture garden —and even home — to inspire both creativity and calm.

Tools of a different sort were employed a few months ago when students from the Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf visited.

“The school provided an American Sign Language translator, while my spoken words also appeared as open captions on large-screen televisions set up in the galleries,” said Lynch.

Collaboration is key

To learn how to best serve disabled populations, Lynch underscored the importance of reaching out to their support organizations and caregivers.

“When working with United Cerebral Palsy, for example, it was noted that people in wheelchairs often have their heads positioned downward and aren’t able to make eye contact,” she said. “They explained we should be careful not to assume that their members’ disabilities include cognitive challenges.”

According to Sarah Cohen of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Center for Parkinson’s disease, without such collaborations these communities might not be inclined to spend time at arts venues. To that end, the Stony Brook administrator initiated a partnership with the Parrish Art Museum in 2017 for patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — part of the museum’s broader initiative that serves some 600 visitors annually and also includes partnerships with the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center and East End Disability Associates.

“It’s about continuum of care,” Cohen explained. “This program helps them stay active, while building community and camaraderie. They experience the exhibitions in a very intimate way and are given the opportunity to create a hands-on multimedia project often linking back to what they saw in the galleries.”

A ‘SENSORY MAP’

Providing facility guides before arrival also goes a long way in ensuring a successful experience. The Nassau County Museum of Art, for instance, has posted a sensory map with pictures and descriptive captions on its website to help neurodiverse and physically handicapped visitors prepare to navigate the property.

“It shows that there are marble floors in the lobby, where it may be loud or quiet, what you can see and touch,” explained Lynch.

A so-called Social Guide is also downloadable from the museum’s website and provides additional information about the galleries and grounds that are meant to be viewed before arrival. “For those who have anxiety coming to a new place, it tells you what to expect — where the parking lot is, how you will see certain sculptures on your way to the building entrance, what you will find at the front desk,” said Lynch.

Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor also offers a pre-visit introduction on its website, including photographs and text describing the venue, from the box office to the balcony seats. “We want to demystify the space, to give people the opportunity to feel acclimated before they come,” said Stefanie Anarumo, who until recently was associate general manager of the East End performing arts center.

Last fall, the theater expanded its accessibility efforts with a sensory-friendly staging of the one-woman show “All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” which is part of its “Literature Live!” programming series inspired by classic novels or important historical figures. The pilot performance drew some 60 individuals with sensory sensitivities — including many members of the East End Special Players, Bay Street’s company-in-residence for adults with special needs — along with their caregivers, friends and family.

To tailor the performance to audiences with varying disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, the theater consulted Advanced Occupational Therapy Services, an area provider.

“They came to the preview to give us feedback about what additional modifications we could make,” said Anarumo. Accommodations included a reduction in sound and stage lighting levels, space for standing and moving, a designated break area accessible throughout the performance, and a pre- show announcement about what to expect during certain lighting and sound effects.

Pride, confidence and joy

The Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport also works with a specialist — a certified horticultural therapist — for the annual planning and planting of its sensory garden.

“Like art and music, gardening has rehabilitative effects, both physically and mentally,” explained Gro Girl founder Lauren Ferris. Ferris also works with the Pal-O-Mine Equestrian J-STEP Program serving special needs populations, whose members help with the garden’s installation.

“They treat you as they would any other person — there is no simpler way to put it — while accommodating the needs you might have with your particular condition,” said Kathleen Kennedy of Islip Terrace, whose cognitively disabled 33-year-old daughter, Maire, has been involved with the project since its inception in 2018. “It builds pride and confidence, and the garden’s sensory benefits give the participants even more joy.”

The 42-by-8-foot garden, which features a horse topiary at its center, is in front of the planetarium on the 43-acre waterfront Gold Coast estate.

“We picked this space specifically because it is wheelchair accessible,” noted Vanderbilt educator Kimm Schmidt, who is also a Pal-O-Mine instructor and job- and life-skills coach. “It is designed not only to be visually stimulating, but to be experienced by all the senses — the smells of herbs and lemon verbena, the sound of wind chimes and the movement of tall grasses, the feel of lamb’s-ear.”

While Schmidt’s involvement with disabled adults at Pal-O-Mine prepared her for the Vanderbilt project, other museum and theater staff often lack this type of experience and may require additional training.

“It’s never one size fits all,” Lisa Unander, director of education at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, noted of the participants in its various access programs. “We provide training development for our entire staff, from the executive directors to the gallery guides.”

“The docents are very patient and sensitive to our needs,” said Susan Miller, who has also participated with her husband in the Long Island Museum’s “In the Moment” program for people suffering with various forms of dementia. “They break down the artworks into simplistic terms, into color and form. They ask if the works elicit any memories.”

Sensory stimulation is key in triggering positive emotions for memory loss patients.

“When Alzheimer’s patients come, we make sure that our tours are not steeped in facts and numbers they may not remember, but steeped in experience,” Unander said. “We use tactics to engage all the senses, such as spice jars and music, for example, and ask open-ended questions like, ‘How do the works make you feel?’ ”

‘Safe places’

Anu Annam, who teaches an inclusive comics workshop for teens at the museum and uses they/them pronouns, has not had to engage in disabilities training, instead drawing on their own experience. Annam, who was diagnosed with mental illness and sustained a traumatic brain injury, is an artist, curator and the executive director and co-founder of SEA of Visibility, which is based in Huntington Station. The organization promotes arts education and showcases for physically disabled and neurodiverse individuals of any background, gender or sexual orientation.

“I am open about it with my students,” said Annam of their own challenges. “Many are very disheartened about their futures and were told to limit their dreams. I have been thriving for over two decades. I see a bright future, and it is my hope to help people get on their path.”

Said Martha Stotzky, arts education deputy director at the Parrish, “People can feel isolated by a diagnosis, when they should be continuing to learn and to be having new experiences.”

When her husband was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Miller said, “He told me to always make him do things. I try to have something for him to do every day of the week.”

Initiatives like “Paint With the Parrish” and “In the Moment” have proved invaluable.

“These programs are safe places — there is no judgment and we’ve met wonderful friends,” said Miller.