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WHY THIS MATTERS
A HISTORY OF BIAS, DISCRIMINATION & INJUSTICE.
Today, the arts currently employ around 5 million people in the United States.
People with disabilities represent approximately 40,000 of them -- less than 1% of the total workforce.
Despite opportunities for people with disabilities having been expanded since the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), these individuals struggle to access education and/or obtain careers in the arts.
Over 80% of arts venues & festivals still exclude disabled artists from their programming and operations, minimizing the effects of the ADA and its impact in the field.
Furthermore, just 19 states in the union have repealed the Fair Labors Standard Act (FLSA), which allows employers to pay subminimum wage to those "... impaired by a physical or mental disability, including those related to age or injury, for the work to be performed."
This act legalizes the unequal pay of disabled artists, who earn about 13% less on average than their non-disabled peers, and require 28% more income to attain equal living standards.
WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT IT
PATHWAYS FOR INCLUSION, WELL-BEING & PROSPERITY.
Recognizing the inherent creative potential in everyone, Everyone is an Artist is a cyclical, arts-based workforce development program empowering cultural workers with disabilities across the United States.
The program creates sustainable employment opportunities, develops and disseminates accessible educational resources, and partners with academic institutions to advance the integration of inclusive arts curricula.
WHAT WE'RE AIMING FOR
GOALS + OBJECTIVES
FAIR & EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
For Cultural Workers with Disabilities in the United States
1
2
INCLUSIVE & ACCESSIBLE
EDUCATION
Arts For All at American Education Institutions
HOW WE'RE DELIVERING SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS
OUR PROGRAM MODEL
Structured around recurring 3-year cycles — each focused on a different sector of the field — the program begins with research to identify barriers to access, opportunity, and integration.
It then produces works, products and platforms that generate education and employment opportunities for cultural workers, presents these to the public to increase visibility, promote integration and shift perceptions, and sustains growth through a dedicated fund supported by licensing and royalties.
With each cycle, Everyone is an Artist develops new models, tools, and partnerships to expand access, advance inclusion, and foster a scalable study-to-work pathway across the arts and culture sector.
WHAT WE ANTICIPATE
OUTCOMES + IMPACT
$3.50
ECONOMIC RETURN PER $1
300+
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES CREATED
$18,000
ADDITIONAL INCOME PER YEAR
$925
ADDITIONAL TAX REVENUE PER YEAR
4+
NEW ARTISTIC WORKS PRODUCED
LATEST PROGRAM RESEARCH
REPORTS
In 2024, We conducted nationwide research to uncover barriers for people with disabilities in the arts. Key findings from 1,154 participants include:
68% lack access to accessible spaces
54% would join if adaptive tools were available
82% want professional arts development
75%+ prefer inclusive, mixed-ability environments
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