Enhancing Accessibility and Literacy:

Buckeye Book Fair’s Journey with the Ohio Arts Council’s Capacity Grant

At the Buckeye Book Fair, our commitment to promoting literacy and fostering a love for reading across Ohio is unwavering. This year, we had the privilege of receiving a special Capacity Grant from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), a grant specifically directed towards enhancing our organization’s ability to serve people with visible and invisible disabilities. Unlike unrestricted funds, OAC grants are aimed at achieving specific goals within an organization’s development, such as improving accessibility or partnering to help area students attend the Young Authors Conference. With this targeted support, we’ve taken significant steps to broaden our reach and make our events more inclusive. We’re excited to share the impact of this grant with our community and highlight how it has empowered us to better serve all attendees.

One of the most transformative outcomes of the OAC Capacity Grant was the opportunity it provided for our Executive Director, Kimberly Jarvis, to attend the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference and the Education Conference in Seattle, WA, from July 29 to August 2, 2024. The LEAD conference is renowned for its focus on cultural accessibility, offering unparalleled professional development for arts professionals dedicated to making their spaces more inclusive.

Kimberly’s experience at LEAD was nothing short of inspiring. The conference provided her with access to leading experts in the field of accessibility, as well as opportunities to network with leaders from cultural institutions across the country. This collective “brain trust” of arts managers shared innovative ideas and best practices, offering Kimberly a wealth of knowledge to bring back to the Buckeye Book Fair.

Among the many practical insights she gained, Kimberly learned how to implement simple, cost-effective accessibility features that can have an immediate impact. These include placing inventory tables near the front of aisles to better accommodate individuals with mobility challenges, creating rest areas, and deploying accessibility volunteers to assist attendees with visible and invisible disabilities. We are thrilled to share that these changes are already being integrated into our upcoming events, ensuring that everyone in our community can enjoy and participate in the Fair.

As we look ahead, we are filled with gratitude for the support provided by the Ohio Arts Council. This Capacity Grant has been a catalyst for growth and innovation at the Buckeye Book Fair, allowing us to create a more inclusive, accessible, and impactful event for our community. We’re excited to continue building on these successes and to see the positive changes these funds have made possible.

Thank you for being a part of our journey. We can’t wait to share these enhancements with you at our upcoming events and to continue working together to promote literacy and inclusivity across Ohio.