Lisa Lounsbury used ADA guidelines to ensure her mobile art therapy practice can serve clients of all abilities
After searching for the perfect “healing space” for her art therapy practice, Lisa Lounsbury had an idea. "Put it on a bus." Lisa wanted to make sure her new practice was accessible to people with disabilities, so she reached out to The Great Lakes ADA Center, part of ACL’s ADA National Network. She connected with a Technical Assistance specialist named Peter Berg. Peter helped Lisa understand ADA guidelines, which she used to plan her bus. Lisa realized that her existing plans for a 40-foot bus without a lift or toilet would exclude an entire population that could benefit from art therapy. Lisa decided to go with a 45-foot bus with a ramp and accessible bathroom. She also decided to make all eight art stations on the bus accessible and mobile. The art stations are on wheels and can be offloaded using the bus’s lift. This allows people with and without disabilities to participate in art therapy sessions outdoors and in other scenic locations. That mobility also makes it possible to bring the sessions to people who cannot board the bus. The Art Lab bus now offers workshops for schools and faith-based groups, and local communities; groups for caregivers and families in palliative care or hospice; support for students and other young people experiencing grief from the loss of a classmate; and art therapy for people with Down syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, spinal cord injury, or Parkinson’s.
Read more about Lisa’s experience and the art therapy process on the ADA National Network website.