Looking Back, Moving Forward: SCAC's 2025 Year in Review

As we close out 2025, we find ourselves reflecting on a year that asked difficult questions and inspired powerful answers.

The arts sector is navigating profound uncertainty. Funding landscapes are shifting. Organizational priorities are being reassessed. And for those of us committed to accessibility, the question keeps surfacing: how do we not just survive these challenging times, but ensure that accessibility work thrives?

This year, the we leaned into those questions. We gathered, we trained, we celebrated, and we grew, together.

Conversations That Matter

In the spring, we hosted "Sustaining Accessibility in Challenging Times," a program that named what so many of us were feeling. The arts sector faces upheaval, and accessibility efforts are often the first to be deprioritized when resources get tight. 

Moderated by Manny Cawaling, Executive Director of Inspire Washington, our distinguished panel offered an honest dialogue about the challenges we face and practical strategies for moving forward with resilience and purpose. The conversation explored what true allyship for people of all abilities looks like today, and how we can secure the support needed to keep this work alive in our communities.

For those who attended, you left with more than tools and strategies. You left knowing you're not alone in this work.

Building Skills, Building Community

One of our proudest achievements this year was launching our Audio Description Training Program. Audio description transforms the arts experience for blind and low-vision audiences, but qualified describers in our region are in short supply. 

The program kicked off with an intensive in-person training, followed by six months of follow-up sessions. Our trainees learned together, practiced together, and grew together into a community of practitioners who will shape the future of accessible arts in our region.

Watching this group develop their skills and confidence has been one of the year's greatest joys. And here's the beautiful part: they're just getting started.

7 of our audio description trainees smiling with their certificates of completion

Deep Dive Day Goes Deeper

Our third annual Deep Dive Day conference reached new heights this year. We moved to a larger venue and expanded to a full day of programming, reflecting the growing appetite for accessibility education and connection in our community.

Deep Dive Day has become more than a conference. It's where arts professionals come to learn, but also to be reminded why this work matters. The energy in the room this year told us something important: this community is ready for more. Arts professionals in Seattle and King County are hungry for knowledge, eager to implement change, and committed to showing up for accessibility even when it's hard.

A Year-End Toast

We capped off 2025 with an in-person celebration that brought together committee members new and old, and honored our audio description trainees as they completed their program. There was food, there was laughter, and there was that particular warmth that comes from being surrounded by people who share your values.

These moments of gathering aren't just nice, they're necessary. They remind us that accessibility work isn't done in isolation. It's done in community, with all the support, challenge, and inspiration that comes with it.

16 collage postcards made at our end of year gathering

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we turn toward the new year, we're energized by what's coming.

Our Equipment Loan Program will launch in 2026, removing one of the most persistent barriers to accessible programming: the upfront cost of equipment. Whether you're a small organization exploring captioning for the first time or a midsize venue ready to add assistive listening systems, we're building a resource that meets you where you are.

And our audio description trainees? They're continuing their journey into professional work as a cohort. We're excited to watch them take on projects, support each other, and gradually transform the landscape of described arts experiences in our region.

The Work Continues

2025 asked hard questions. It tested our resolve and stretched our resources. But it also showed us something powerful: when arts professionals come together around accessibility, extraordinary things happen.

We create training programs where none existed. We expand conferences to meet growing demand. We have honest conversations about sustainability and allyship. We celebrate each other's growth. And we keep showing up, even when the path forward isn't clear.

To everyone who joined us this year, thank you. You are the reason this work moves forward.

Here's to the year ahead. Here's to accessible arts. And here's to the community that makes it possible.