Disability EmpowHer Network and Memorial Art Gallery Partner to Advance Accessible Emergency Planning
Rochester, NY, April 9, 2026— A collaboration between the Disability EmpowHer Network and the Memorial Art Gallery is helping ensure that more members of the community can safely experience and engage with the arts—both in everyday moments and in times of emergency.
The initiative began through EmpowHer Camp, a leadership program where participants design community impact projects addressing real barriers faced by disabled people. Payton Roselli, a young artist herself, chose to focus her project on accessibility within art spaces, centering on a critical but often overlooked question: how people with disabilities safely evacuate public spaces.
Through her outreach, the Memorial Art Gallery welcomed Payton to conduct a full accessibility review of its emergency evacuation procedures. She assessed existing plans and provided a detailed report with recommendations to strengthen safety and inclusion. One key outcome of this work was the installation of three emergency evacuation chairs, ensuring that visitors with mobility disabilities can safely exit upper floors of the museum if needed.
“As an artist, museums are spaces that matter deeply to me,” said Payton Roselli. “I wanted to make sure disabled people can not only experience art but feel safe while they’re there. Accessibility should include every part of that experience.”
“Accessibility is not just about entering a space, it’s about being able to fully and safely participate in everything that space offers,” said Stephanie Woodward, CEO of Disability EmpowHer Network. “What makes this especially powerful is that it was driven by the leadership of a young disabled artist and resulted in tangible change that will impact visitors for years to come.”
The Memorial Art Gallery’s willingness to engage in this process reflects a growing recognition that accessibility must be embedded into all aspects of the visitor experience, including emergency preparedness. “Working with EmpowHER's student Pay was an incredibly valuable experience,” said Susan Dodge-Peters Daiss, MA. MDiv, Senior Associate, Memorial Art Gallery and Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester. “Her insights helped us strengthen our preparedness in ways that will better serve our entire community. We are grateful for the opportunity to grow through this collaboration.”
This work highlights how disabled youth are not only identifying barriers but actively shaping more inclusive, responsive, and thoughtful communities, ensuring that spaces designed for connection and creativity are accessible to all.
About Disability EmpowHer Network
Disability EmpowHer Network is a national nonprofit organization that connects, motivates, and guides girls and women with disabilities to grow, learn, and lead. Through programs like EmpowHer Camp, participants build leadership skills while creating meaningful change in their communities. Learn more at DisabilityEmpowHerNetwork.org
About the Memorial Art Gallery
The Memorial Art Gallery showcases art from antiquity to the present day, including the outdoor public Centennial Sculpture Park. In addition to its permanent collection, MAG offers a year-round schedule of special exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, after-hours social events, and family activities. Learn more at mag.rochester.edu