AMHERST – The Amherst Cultural Council will host a 60- to 90-minute accessibility roundtable on Zoom on April 28 with Massachusetts Cultural Council Universal Participation Initiative (UP) Program Officer Charles G. Baldwin.

UP provides professional development in design practices around the world for cultural organizations seeking to elevate access to an inclusive community engagement instead of an obligation. Baldwin also serves on the Executive Committee of Cultural Access New England and on various advisory boards including the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs, Open Door Arts and Boston’s Wicked Queer Film Festival.

The webinar will include a presentation, discussion and a block for questions about access and methods of approach from an individual and broader sense to help inform and prompt the listener’s next step. The Zoom link to attend can be found on the town’s website under Amherst Cultural Council.

Baldwin said the Americans with Disabilities Act was already outdated prior to COVID-19 and the pandemic further highlighted the need for change.

“The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is more than 30 years old and comes with obligations for organizations producing public events and programs. Much focus is put on the person with a disability to ‘fit in’ and the cost of architectural accommodations,” Baldwin said. “The great sheltering that began in March of 2020 flipped the perspective for many folks to an understanding that the environments we exist in are filled with disabling factors. As humans, our abilities vary; our methods for participation need to vary too; from the curb cut to the video stream. But more deeply, the disabling nature of isolation, fiscal insecurity and racism have people understanding that the act of inclusion must be accessible.”

He advocated for access to be a priority at the start with regular checkups for improvements from an architectural and urban planning standpoint. He said adapting inaccessible features is expensive, but the key is to consider access at the drawing board and to assess and evaluate with a variety of users before adapting.

Baldwin said there’s something everyone can do to be more of an advocate for genuine, complete access for everyone.

“The number one access point and certainly the most affordable is attitude,” he said. “Access as a practice can be lodged in code and requirements and a desire for a checklist, but the aspirations behind the ADA are to create welcoming spaces and programs for everyone. An honest, caring and informed person can break down social barriers if not architectural ones.”