Access and Inclusion Consultant

bgordonvsa@gmail.com
(305) 388-2770

As both a reading teacher and a teacher of the visually impaired, Beth taught for over 25 years in the Miami-Dade County Public School System and served as the District Chairperson for the Programs for the Visually Impaired for nine years. She worked with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as one of the Next Generation Assessment Team Members, where she participated in the development of new assessment procedures for National Board Teacher Certification in the Exceptional Needs Strand.

Beth worked with VSA Florida, the state organization on arts and disability, from 2005 – 2010 to develop the position of Cultural Access Coordinator. In that capacity she focused on several initiatives; including the use of universal design and assistive technology for inclusive programming, professional development which targeted access strategies for staff and docents in a variety of cultural venues, and the development of audio description and open captioning programs in the state of Florida. Beth has been a presenter on inclusive strategies, assistive technology, and cultural accessibility for teachers, universities, cultural organizations and at numerous state and national conferences.

For five years Beth served as a coach for VSA arts National Community of Practice program, a professional learning community for teaching artists and teachers who work in inclusive settings with students of all abilities. Additionally, Beth was an instructor for the pilot online class, VSA Curriculum Design for Arts Teaching and Learning, certified by Lesley University. Beth now works as an independent Inclusion and Accessibility Consultant.

Ms. Gordon has presented nationally and extensively throughout the State of Florida on behalf of VSA Florida and serves as a regular facilitator for the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs’ All Kids Included – Accessible Arts Experiences for Kids (AKI) annual professional development workshop series.