- Organizational Goals & Measurements
- Promotion & Marketing Engagement
- Programmatic accessibility
- Under-served Populations
- Budget Expenditures
- Goals
Public accessibility to the Forward Warrior Mural Project is a key portion of its equity mission. The mural exists on a City of Atlanta street. It is free to attend, and viewable all year. However, many people will require assistance to fully enjoy the art.
Handicapped Parking spaces exist on site during the live painting event, and we accommodate mobility vehicles into the event footprint beyond the pedestrian barricades whenever needed.
When Cabbagetown Initiative began to administer the site in 2008, the first goal was site safety and access. Sidewalk improvements and landscaping upgrades were implemented to allow clear & safe mobility, and CI worked with city government to realize ADA compliance. Indeed, Cabbagetown took on much of the responsibilities otherwise due the actual property owner, CSX Transportation.
In cooperation with the Atlanta BeltLine, further road, parking, lighting, and sidewalk ramp improvements expand & continue, including access from MARTA and the Krog Tunnel.
For participating artists, Forward Warrior maintains a budget for powered lifts and other safety equipment required for the safe, assisted reach to the painting surface. We look forward to increasing the project budget to enhance our ability to remove physical obstructions (e.g. tree branches, or temporary power line disconnections, when appropriate) and rent larger boom lifts and hydraulic platforms to greater serve the community.
Since 2014, Forward Warrior has welcomed artists with physical limitations, and offered solutions for the differently-abled whenever possible, including both equipment and volunteer staff assistance to facilitate implementation of murals.
Scaffolding & lifts typically comprise 15% of the project budget, ordered on an individual basis as the artist list is finalized.
Future goals include enhanced outreach for specific disabilities and listening to the community to learn ways we can improve access. As our budget priorities respond to developing situations, we recognize evolving issues that include public health advisories and distancing recommendations, as well as fear and safety concerns associated with marginalized populations and their sensitivities to law enforcement. Some people may not be able to enjoy our outdoor mural installation due to mental or emotional health concerns, as well as physical limitations which may be exacerbated by economic inequality.
An estimated 12% of Georgians meet disability qualifications. The expected audience for public murals on City of Atlanta sidewalks adjacent the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail requiring assistance to enjoy the installations may be represented by these approximate percentages of the general population disabilities: 7% Ambulatory, 3% Visual, and 3% Hearing. Therefore, we aspire to best contribute to the greater public by helping people successfully move toward, in, and around our public spaces; by using accurate, specific, and imaginative language to describe the wonderment in our content; and encouraging people in their enjoyment of the amazing stories that further illustrate our creative representations.
Our digital initiatives will help us succeed. Forward Warrior Mural Project aims to improve its website and platform integration to create a welcoming virtual environment which complements the geographic installation by including large print photo catalogs, video tours with multilingual closed captioning, augmented reality integration, audio interviews, interpretative amenities, and storytelling applications for the visually impaired, as well as incentives for transit outreach that includes fare reductions, chartered bus transportation and/or free, guided public school tours. There is much work to do in this capacity, and we expect the process to require continued attention, increased funding, and yearly prioritization review by the Advisory Board.
