The disability arts support policy in Korea heavily relies on government subsidies, shaping a governance model distinct from those centred on traditional boards of directors. Given the nascent stage of disability arts policy, it's crucial to establish policies that prioritise the perspectives and voices of disability arts stakeholders, considering the unique environment in which disabled artists operate. This study focuses on the Korea Disability Arts & Culture Center (KDACC), a unique government policy advisory and funding body established in 2017 in the Republic of Korea. It holds authority to support disability arts at a national level, an unprecedented initiative worldwide. However, the concept of disability arts governance is still unfamiliar to many in the Korean disability arts sector. It's akin to navigating a new terrain, with numerous political and other stakeholders, and the term 'disability' itself remains a topic of debate within the sector. Therefore, our approach aims to explore the creation of an effective disability arts governance model, drawing from collaborative governance theory. While the relevance and challenges of disability in the arts are acknowledged in governance, the focus in Korea has predominantly been on top-down decision-making rather than the anticipated mutual benefits of collaboration. Disability arts governance has been more entwined with implications for government bureaucracy than the broader dimensions of the governance process. This leaves open questions about how disability arts governance should be shaped and executed. Consequently, we pose two pivotal questions: How does the increasing diversity of stakeholders involved in disability arts governance influence its processes and dynamics? How can policymakers respond to the need for change in disability arts governance? In addressing these questions, we present the outcomes of an evaluation of disability arts governance processes and dynamics within the KDACC. We offer recommendations on implementing collaborative governance to mitigate existing bottlenecks and challenges in current governance arrangements. The significant contribution of our study lies in the development of a framework for disability arts governance grounded in collaborative governance theory.

Access to Culture, as well as broader public participation in cultural processes, are important cultural policy issues that are regularly updated both on the international and Latvian cultural policy agendas and mark the direction towards the development of a democratic and inclusive cultural model.
In the national mid-term policy planning document Cultural Policy Guidelines for 2022-2027 "Cultural State", a sustainable and accessible culture is defined as the main strategic goal of the planning period, emphasizing that Latvia's cultural offer must be accessible to every member of society, and guaranteeing every citizen and resident of Latvia has equal opportunities to use a diverse cultural offer and actively participate in cultural processes (Ministry of Culture, 2022). These guidelines state that to improve the availability and accessibility of culture, a series of specific issues must be addressed regarding the financial and regional accessibility of the cultural offer, as well as the physical and digital accessibility, both for society as a whole and for vulnerable groups. Improving the use of cultural infrastructure for persons with various functional disabilities is highlighted as one of the priority issues, indicating that a significant number of cultural institutions and the events organized by them are only partially accessible to people with functional disabilities.
Although there are various international (National Endowment for the Arts, 2011; European Union, 2019; ICOM Italia 2019 etc.) and local (New Theatre Institute of Latvia, 2021; University of Tartu, 2022 etc.) guidelines for cultural organizations to provide access to their products for different groups, including people with disabilities, the overall accessibility and the attitude of the organizations change too slowly. The authors of this paper emphasize that one of the main problems is the invisibility of the target groups and the lack of their voice and definition of specific needs in the public space, especially within cultural organizations (LAC, SKDS, Barometer of Cultural Activity, 2022). Therefore, the aim of this research is to gather opinions and needs from the target audience, defining what should be done by whom to improve the accessibility of cultural events for persons with functional disabilities in Latvia. Additionally, it aims to provide cultural organizations with detailed information about necessary improvements in physical, financial, social, and informational accessibility of their products.
The research methodology includes a qualitative research strategy, organizing in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with target audience members, including people with visual, hearing, and movement impairments. Opinions from the target group representing NGOs are also gathered. As the authors of this paper are invited to conduct research on cultural accessibility by the Ministry of Culture of Latvia, in Spring 2024, secondary data from the survey of cultural organizations will be available for use. Therefore the authors will be able to analyze two different perspectives in cultural accessibility – from the audience (demand) side and compare and complement the discussion with the perspective of the cultural organizations (supply side).
Preliminary research shows that in the past 20 years, improvements in the accessibility of culture in Latvia are noticeable. However, most of the time, minimal investments and improvements are necessary to make the cultural experience much more enjoyable and usable independently. The reason might be a formal approach in applying accessibility solutions without a deeper understanding of the actual needs of people with disabilities. The paper aims to address this knowledge gap and define possible solutions to gain a better understanding. Therefore, the research will contribute not only to academic discussion but also to the practical development of the field in Latvia.