Accessibility

Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) is committed to ensuring all Marylanders can access our programs and services.

Everyone is welcome, and all events and activities sponsored by or operated within MSAC are accessible both physically and programmatically.

Accessibility in the Arts

Accessibility in the Arts provides access to cultural and creative spaces for both audiences and artists with diverse needs.  

Equity and Justice

The arts celebrate our state’s diversity, connect our shared humanity, and transform individuals and communities. MSAC is committed to advancing and modeling equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion in all aspects of our organization and across all communities of our state. 
It is the policy of MSAC that no individual shall be excluded from participation, benefits, services, or programs and activities provided by organizations funded through MSAC on the basis of race, color, national origin, pregnancy, religion, gender, sex, (including a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy), physical disability, mental disability, military status, age (40 and older), genetic information, marital status, ancestry, creed, and retaliation. 
MSAC is committed to embracing equity and non-discrimination regardless of race, color, national origin, pregnancy, religion, gender, sex (including the person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy), physical disability, mental disability, military status, age (40 or older), genetic information, marital status, ancestry, creed, and retaliation.
 

Access Resources for MSAC programs and activities

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights laws giving protections to individuals with disabilities, MSAC has the following reasonable accommodation request procedure: 
 

Accommodations Requests

Please submit an accommodation request by contacting our Accessibility Team. Please include the following in your request:

1. Name of the program or event
2. A description of the accommodation request or access need.

Please submit a request at least two weeks before any MSAC event date or application deadline. We will strive to accommodate requests received in shorter timeframes. 

Language Access and Translations

MSAC offers language accessibility services. Services include translating MSAC materials and applications into languages other than English, offering remote American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, closed captioning, subtitles, braille translation, and more.

For full website translation scroll to the end of this page and click on the "Translate" button on the bottom right corner. 

En Español/Spanish: MSAC pone a disposición servicios de traducción y accesibilidad de idiomas. Contacte [email protected] para más información.  

中文普通话/Mandarin Chinese: 马里兰州艺术委员会(MSAC)提供翻译和语言无障碍服务。请联系[email protected] 了解更多信息。

한국어/Korean: MSAC 는 한국어 지원을 돕고 있습니다. 자세한 문의사항은  [email protected]  로 연락 주시기 바랍니다.

If you would like to request any document to be translated to a language other than English, please contact our Accessibility Assistant. Please include the following in your request:

1. The material requested for translation
2. Language
3. Your contact information

Please submit a request at least two weeks before any MSAC event date or application deadline. 

External Public Resources

Maryland Relay: Maryland Relay is a free public service that allows people unable to use a standard telephone to both make and receive phone calls. Telecommunications Access of Maryland (TAM) is the State agency that provides equipment and services for Marylanders who have difficulty using a telephone. 

Maryland Department of Disabilities: The Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD) coordinates and provides guidance to the delivery of services to individuals with disabilities in the state of Maryland. They advance policies affecting those with disabilities and access needs for all Marylanders. 

Maryland Department of Health: The Maryland Department of Health provides support services for people who live with a disability.

MSAC Accessibility Feedback

To provide feedback and information about the accessibility of programs funded or produced by MSAC, contact our Accessibility Team by:

• Email: 

  • Lizzie Morales, Accessibility Coordinator: [email protected]
  • Derrick Quevedo, Accessibility Assistant: [email protected]
• Phone: 
  • Lizzie Morales, Accessibility Coordinator: (443) 794-7564
  • Derrick Quevedo, Accessibility Assistant: (410) 767-6555 
• Mail: 
  • Maryland State Arts Council
    Attention: Accessibility Coordinator 
    401 E. Pratt Street, Ste 1400
    Baltimore, MD 2120

Inquiries and Complaints

MSAC is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring equal opportunity, accessibility and non-discrimination for individuals with disabilities. Any person with a disability, qualified under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or their designated representative, may file a complaint if they believe a violation relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended or the 1973 Rehabilitation Act has occurred.

MSAC Programs and Services

For inquiries related to MSAC-operated programs or services, individuals may first reach out to the Office of EEO and Fair Practices at the Department of Commerce for an informal discussion. Other related inquiries may include failure of MSAC to accommodate individuals with disabilities, harassment, bullying, and failure to provide accommodations to individuals with Limited English Proficiency. 

While the informal process is designed to facilitate a sincere and prompt resolution, it is not a substitution for a filed complaint of discrimination. Individuals opting to initiate a formal complaint may proceed directly to the formal process if preferred. Participants may also choose to transition from the informal process to the formal complaint process at any time.

For an Informal Discussion: Contact Elaine McNeil, Director of EEO, ADA and Fair Practices at (410) 767-6470, or [email protected]. 

To File a Formal Complaint of Unfair and/or Unlawful Treatment with the Department of Commerce/MSAC: See the information on Commerce’s EEO and Fair Practices Page regarding the complaint procedures and submit your complaint to [email protected]. 

Formal Complaints with External Agencies

Complaints may be submitted to the following external agencies:

Director of Civil Rights at the National Endowment for the Arts
Email: [email protected]
Civil Rights Office, National Endowment for the Arts, 
400 7th Street, SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20506
(202) 682-5454; TTY at (202) 682-5082 

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) 
10 South Howard Street, 3rd Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-962-3932

Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) 
6 St. Paul Street, 9th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201

Timeframes and procedures for filing complaints with the MCCR and EEOC are available on the agencies’ respective webpages.
 

MSAC-Funded Organizations and Programs

MSAC encourages individuals who believe they experience discrimination in programs and services provided by organizations funded by MSAC to reach out to the sponsoring organization first with their complaint. The individual may also reach out to MSAC’s Accessibility Coordinator to inform MSAC of the complaint of discrimination. MSAC notifies organizations that receive funding through MSAC that they must comply with all applicable federal and State non-discrimination laws and regulations. Any organization that is a subgrantee of National Endowment of the Arts funding through MSAC may be subject to investigation by the NEA Office of Civil Rights. Submitting a complaint with MSAC regarding an organization receiving funding from MSAC is not a replacement or a prerequisite to filing a complaint with the appropriate governmental agency or a court. 
 

Complaints may be submitted to the following external agencies:
 

1. Complaints against MSAC-funded organizations and programs, file with Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) 
2. Complaints against arts organizations and cultural organizations receiving federal funding, filed with the National Endowment for the Arts' Office of Civil Rights
3. Complaints against places of public accommodation, such as private cultural organizations, may be filed with the Department of Justice

Participation in a complaint process is protected from retaliation under all circumstances, and MSAC complies with all applicable federal and State laws prohibiting retaliation against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit.