Testimony

“The National Endowment for the Arts congratulates Dance/NYC for the Performing Disability. Dance. Artistry study and report, and applauds Dance/NYC for its dedication to advancing the field of physically integrated dance and its support for dancers with disabilities.” Beth Bienvenu,

Director of the Office of Accessibility, National Endowment for the Arts

“The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) is proud to partner with Dance/NYC to promote inclusion and access to the arts for New York’s disability community. We commend Dance/NYC on this report as it provides a necessary overview of the opportunities and challenges of disability dance artistry and expands the role of people with disabilities in our city’s vibrant cultural life. MOPD looks forward to continued collaboration with Dance/NYC in our shared mission to increase knowledge and exposure of disability culture to enable artists with disabilities to thrive and succeed in their craft.” Victor Calise,

Commissioner, New York City’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities

“In order to grow the role of culture in our communities and the lives of all New Yorkers as a source of cohesion, inspiration, meaning, and vibrancy, we need to ensure everyone is given the opportunity to engage in the arts. While an increasing emphasis on equity and inclusion has driven progress in involving more people in the cultural sector, those with disabilities have not received the same degree of attention. That’s why our CreateNYC cultural plan made a deliberate effort to foreground people with disabilities as artists, audiences, and cultural workers. It’s also why we launched the CreateNYC Disability Forward Fund to support the efforts of cultural organizations to better engage this vital community. Dance/NYC’s latest report builds on the cultural plan’s recommendations and provides a thoughtful look at how these issues implicate the dance community. We applaud this report and all of Dance/NYC’s work to keep disability at the center of the conversation around inclusion in the arts, and we look forward to working alongside the many stakeholders committed to cultivating a more welcoming cultural landscape in NYC.”

Tom Finkelpearl, Commissioner, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs