Steering Committee Member

Cultural Access Collaborative seeks new members for its Steering Committee. You may apply by May 15, 2025. This is an unpaid, volunteer position.

What is the Cultural Access Collaborative?
Founded in 2013, we are a volunteer-run nonprofit composed of cultural administrators and representatives from the disability community with a mission to empower Illinois’ cultural spaces to become more accessible to visitors with disabilities. Learn more at: CulturalAccessCollab.org

What is the role of the Cultural Access Collaborative Steering Committee?
Collaborative Steering Committee members are responsible for:

Supporting the growth of accessibility and inclusion in Illinois’ cultural organizations, including the Collab’s ongoing professional development workshops, equipment loan program, accessible program calendar, and providing resources to support accessibility efforts.
Facilitating a safe space for representatives from disability communities and cultural spaces to learn from each other and grow in their understanding of cultural accessibility.
Advocating for connectivity and ally-ship across cultural sectors, in order to foster independent partnerships and resource-sharing beyond the Collaborative.

Expectations
Candidates must:

Attend and contribute to monthly Steering Committee meetings via video conference. All meetings are currently being conducted remotely.
Cultivate program offerings in collaboration with Steering Committee colleagues. Our Professional Development programming calendar typically runs September through June.
Attend and support a majority of our programs each year. Programs are currently being conducted virtually, as well as in-person in the Chicagoland area. As we grow our engagement, we anticipate finding opportunities to host select in-person programming and networking events across the Illinois region.
Participate in at least one Support Team, such as Equipment Loan, Access Calendar, Community Outreach, etc.
Be prepared to conduct business via email, responding promptly to Collab-related email messages within (2) business days.
Be willing and able to serve a 2-year term. Steering Committee members may serve multiple terms.

Qualifications
Ideal candidates will:

Have experience with program creation and implementation, knowledge of accessibility technology, and/or administrative skills.
Have professional and/or personal experience with disability and accessibility at cultural institutions. Cultural Access Collaborative values the experiences of people who have disabilities; individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Have a passion for making and advocating for cultural spaces to be more accessible
Demonstrate excellent communication skills from start to finish of assigned tasks.
Are team players able to work in a cooperative fashion, and who are also self-starters.
Have a positive “can-do” attitude – key for this volunteer role.