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Betty Siegel Tour

Betty Siegel, Alison McLaren, Auslan Interpreter
Betty Siegel, Alison McLaren & Auslan interpreter at
'Good Practice or the Goods Lift? Catalyst or Chasm'
forum at Parramatta Riverside Theatre.

In September 2008, the Betty Siegel national tour of Australia engaged over 500 high profile representatives from the Australian arts industry. Board members, Chief Executive Officers, general managers, venue managers, directors and producers attended events including a plenary presentation to the Australian Performing Arts Centers Association Conference. Meetings with industry representatives included a presentation to 30 key staff from three tiers of Government.

The tour raised awareness about the need for reporting on access in arts funding and acquittal processes with the Australia Council for the Arts, the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Arts NSW (including the new Executive Director) and the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW.

Betty's presentations delivered a broad understanding to those in the arts of the necessity to improve access for people with disabilities and this achieved change in the mindset of key decision-makers. This included emphasizing the need to make access a core business consideration. Betty delivered this message with entertaining stories about real arts industry experiences and shed light on the reality of access issues. She provided insightful examples about how arts organisations can successfully accommodate all audiences.

International Speaker Betty Siegel

Betty Siegel at Sydney Opera House
International speaker Betty Siegel (USA) at the
Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House

Betty Siegel is the Director of Accessibility at the Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts in Washington DC, United States. Betty also coordinates the Leadership Exchange for Arts and Disability (LEAD) Conference each year. Betty has over 20 years experience in the arts and disability field and is bound to initiate momentum for improved access to the arts.

Ms. Siegel has specialized in arts and disability issues for over twenty years. Starting in 1983 she coordinated programs for people with disabilities at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. In Austin, TX, from 1992 until 1999, she co-founded and was the director for Access Arts Austin which focused on a city-wide effort to make the cultural arts community more accessible to people with disabilities; served on the Texas Commission for the Arts Access Advisory Board; certified as a sign language interpreter; and trained as an arts mediator.

In 1999, Ms. Siegel returned to Washington D.C. and is currently Director of Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She oversees compliance and accessibility for the Center’s programs, performances, events, and renovations. She also manages national programs such as the Careers in the Arts Initiative for emerging and professional artists with disabilities; Experiential Education Initiative Internship for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and the HSC Foundation internship for individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses; “Opening Stages” newsletter for people with disabilities pursuing careers in the arts, and the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference and network for ADA/504 Coordinators and Administrators in the Cultural Arts.