About Us

 Mission

Connecting arts and culture organizations with the information and resources needed to improve accessibility for people of all abilities

Vision

All people with disabilities are an integral part of King County’s arts and culture arena

The People Behind The Scenes

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©Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/Charina Pitzel

ELIZABETH RALSTON (she/her)
Founder, Seattle Cultural Accessibility Consortium

Elizabeth Ralston (she/her) is a consultant working at the intersection of community health, nonprofits and accessibility. She has over 25 years of experience working with nonprofits, government agencies, and academic institutions. She has a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan and a certificate of Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington. Her expertise is in maximizing organizations’ success through program development, strategic communications, and event planning, all with an eye on accessibility.

Elizabeth’s creation of the Consortium emerged from deep listening to the cultural community and people with disabilities about the gaps in accessibility. She brings a unique perspective to her work on accessibility, through the lens of her public health training as well as lived experience as a person with a disability.

As a deaf woman who uses cochlear implants to hear, Elizabeth faces accessibility challenges every single day. Her hearing loss never stopped her from achieving her life goals. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Africa, she saw first-hand the powerful impact a person can have on others’ lives. She has devoted her life to public service ever since.

Lily Rybarczyk (she/her)
Program Coordinator

Lily Rybarczyk (she/her) is a communications and marketing professional with experience in events and public relations. She began her career coordinating behavior change marketing and events campaigns at a social cause agency in Seattle before making the transition to the nonprofit world. She first became interested in cultural accessibility at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, where she worked to support and incorporate accessible initiatives into the marketing strategy. At the Trust, she supported an Autism-friendly performance of Wicked, marketed sensory-friendly shows in partnership with the education team, and improved website accessibility. Since leaving the Trust, she has continued to explore the intersection of culture and sustainability, incorporating access into her roles wherever possible, including writing the Cultural Access newsletter for the Kennedy Center Office of VSA and Accessibility. 

Tanja has short blonde hair and smiles for the camera, standing next to a blue textile art piece.

MONIQUE COURCY (she/her)
Executive Director, TeenTix

Monique is the Executive Director of TeenTix, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization working to promote accessibility and inclusion of youth in the arts and cultural sector by empowering teens to take an active role as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons, and leaders. Monique came to Seattle in 2005 as an aspiring young artist from Central Washington, and after earning a BA in Dance at the University of Washington, an MFA in Arts Leadership at Seattle University, and spending six years working at On the Boards, has found joy and excitement in creating space, pathways, and community for young people interested in all genres of arts and culture. She is thrilled to be a part of SCAC, to better advocate for people of all ages with disabilities in the creative community.

ALICIA DIAMOND (she/her)
Communications Specialist, Urban ArtWorks

Alicia Diamond, a digital media maven, storyteller, and content creator, brings a unique blend of community collaboration, strategic storytelling, and creative prowess to her work. After earning her degree in Photojournalism from Columbia College, Chicago, Alicia moved to the vibrant city of Brooklyn, New York, where she learned the profound impact of storytelling within empowered communities. Now based in Seattle, Alicia's diverse portfolio spans nationally recognized grassroots organizations, small businesses, and artists. As a Communication Specialist at Urban ArtWorks, Alicia continues to weave her passion for communication and creativity into Seattle's artistic and community landscape. Urban ArtWorks envisions a world where all people have access to the transformative power of creating public art. Alicia’s favorite things are using emerging technologies and traditional processes to amplify stories of courage, culture, and community. With a history of collaboration with the Chief Seattle Club, Native Works, and the Yarrow Project, Alicia is dedicated to bringing authentic voices to the forefront to usher in positive change in communities and inspire collective action.

Lily graduated from Franklin University Switzerland with a degree in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, which allowed her to examine culture, space, and place on an international level. 

SCAC Committee
Committee Members: artists, people with disabilities, arts administrators and staff, family members of people with disabilities, and staff from other nonprofits.

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A woman with shoulder length auburn hair, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and beige button-up shirt smiles at the camera.

Photo by Sunita Martini for 4Culture. 

Alicia, with long, light brown hair, looks at camera with slight smile. She wears an orange tank top and a black cardigan with embroidered flowers. One hand holds a glass necklace at her chest.

BEAN FAIRBANKS (she/her)
Path to Art Ambassador and Disability Advocate

Bean Fairbanks is a visual artist living with MS. Her artwork has graced journal covers, art shows and gifts, locally and internationally. She brings her firsthand experience of navigating the Seattle art scene with a wheelchair and service dog.. She knows the challenges and isolation that often arise in negotiating such access. A long-term disability advocate, Bean is especially passionate about increasing accessibility in Seattle’s art schools. Continued learning mitigates cognitive decline, but disabilities increase with age. She brings her experience as an artist, and over 10 years of non-profit administration, to SCAC advisory board.

ALEX HARDING (she/her)
Production Manager, Friends of Waterfront Park

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A white man with brown hair and beard wearing a plaid shirt standing in front of a pine tree.
Emily P. Lawsin, a Filipina woman with light skin, straight, chin-length black hair with gray highlights, is smiling and standing with her left hand on her hip in front of a sky blue background.

ALEXANDER JONES (he/him)
Learning Accessibility Specialist, Learning & Innovation, Woodland Park Zoo

Alexander Jones was hired at the end of 2020 as the Learning Accessibility Specialist, a position funded by an Institute for Museum and Library Sciences grant to carry out the Guest Inclusion Program. The Guest Inclusion Program is focused on creating inclusive programming across the zoo based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Alexander joined the zoo from The Outdoors for All Foundation, where he created immersive programs for participants. He is passionate about accessibility and how it intersects with engaging individuals in a learning environment.

EMILY P. LAWSIN (she/her/siya)
Historic Preservation Program Manager, 4Culture

Emily P. Lawsin is Historic Preservation Program Manager at 4Culture, where she manages Preservation Special Projects, Landmark Nomination Support, and Equipment for Organizations grants, as well as the Beyond Integrity program. Emily is National President Emerita of the Filipino American National Historical Society and co-author of Filipino Women in Detroit. For 30 years, she taught Asian American Studies at universities in California and the Midwest. As the parent and guardian of a child and sibling who have developmental disabilities, she is an advocate for inclusion and disability justice and currently serves on the Seattle Cultural Accesibility Consortium (SCAC) Committee. An oral historian and spoken word poet, she has performed on radio and stage throughout the U.S.  

MILES SCHLAGEL (he/him)
Jewelry/Metals and Stone Studio Manager, and Accessibility Coordinatore

Miles is an arts administrator and visual artist dedicated to creating equitable, high-quality arts experiences where all people feel welcome and authentically engaged. Miles is a Studio Manager and Accessibility Coordinator at Pratt Fine Arts Center as well as a Visitor Services Representative at the Frye Art Museum. He holds a BFA in Visual Art from Boise State University and an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University. With more than 13 years of experience managing galleries, art studios, and education programs - and over 7 years working at the intersection of visual arts and special education - Miles brings a depth of expertise and a warm, inclusive approach to the Seattle Cultural Accessibility Consortium Committee.

Marlee has shoulder length, curly brown hair, and wears a black t-shirt, smiling in front of a wood-printed wall.

TANJA BAUMANN (she/her)
Director of Communications & Public Relations, Henry Art Gallery

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TIFFANY SPARKS-KEENEY (she/her)

Dr. Tiffany Sparks-Keeney’s (she/her) passion is expanding organizations’ visions of accessibility to encompass the full range of human diversity. Through her consulting practice, Inclusive Arts OT (inclusiveartsot.org) Tiffany helps organizations consider the broad spectrum of barriers to arts participation and develop and implement practices, programs and performances that welcome people of all abilities and identities. She considers her work to be the perfect synthesis of her education (B.S.-Dance in Theater, MOT- Occupational Therapy, EdD- Educational Leadership), her work experience in those areas, her lived experience as a biracial, neurodiverse person with a disability, and her passion for social justice and equity.

MARLEE SQUIRES (she/her)
Accessibility Coordinator, The 5th Avenue Theatre

Marlee is a non-profit professional with the 5th Avenue Theatre and a multi-hyphenated theatre artist. Co-founder of IDEA for the Arts, she leads a monthly community group for Seattle-based performing arts organizations focused on Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, and Accessibility efforts. Access in and around the arts is paramount to her personal artistic mission. Art is for all.

MARGARET TOOMEY (she/they)
Managing Director, Studio East
Director of Operations and Production, Mirror Stage

Margaret Toomey is the Managing Director at Studio East in Kirkland and has over twenty years of experience as a theater artist, educator, and arts administrator. They also serve as Director of Operations and Production for Mirror Stage and sit on the board of Macha Theatre, both small nonprofit theatre companies. Margaret holds a B.A. in Theatre from Grinnell College and an M.F.A. in Theatrical Design from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Margaret is an award-winning designer dedicated to fostering accessible, just, and inclusive creative spaces. Their design work has been featured with companies including Seattle Shakespeare, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Taproot Theatre, Sound Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, and the National Women’s Theatre Festival.


Margaret's commitment to an arts ecosystem rooted in accessibility, equity, and inclusion can be traced to the three years they worked at artEquity with Carmen Morgan, and two years of supporting the Arts Learning Community for Universal Access at Raleigh Arts with S.A. Corrin.