About ACT
ACT—the Accessibility Coalition for Transformation—is an informal communications and collaboration network connecting people and organizations working to advance accessibility.
ACT shares useful information, helps people find relevant experience and expertise, and supports collaboration around practical accessibility opportunities. Its purpose is to strengthen grassroots work, not take ownership of it.
No. ACT is intentionally lightweight. It is not a corporation, government body, legal-services provider, or formal membership organization.
People and organizations may participate without joining, paying dues, surrendering their independence, or agreeing on every issue. Each participant retains their own identity, priorities, responsibilities, and authority.
ACT is rooted in the communities its participants know and serve, so much of our local coverage will initially focus on Santa Barbara and surrounding communities. But local is our starting point, not our boundary. We welcome people, organizations, ideas, and effective strategies from anywhere, while sharing local, state, and federal information with broader application.
No. ACT is an independent, community-led network—not a government agency, public body, law firm, or legal-aid organization.
ACT cannot make official determinations, enforce accessibility laws, investigate formal complaints, represent individuals, or provide legal advice. It may share general information, help identify relevant agencies or resources, and connect people with related experience or concerns. Contacting ACT does not create a legal, representative, or service-provider relationship. For legal advice, filing deadlines, emergencies, or formal complaints, contact the appropriate agency or a qualified professional directly.
Participation
ACT welcomes disabled people, families, community members, advocates, professionals, organizations, businesses, civic participants, and others committed to advancing accessibility. You do not need to represent an organization, hold a formal position, or have specialized expertise. People may participate by sharing lived experience, offering knowledge, attending an event, making an introduction, contributing a resource, or supporting a specific opportunity.
This is a play on words that highlights several important ways people can contribute to accessibility work:
Allies listen, learn, amplify, and provide support.
Advocates raise concerns, defend rights, propose solutions, and work for change.
Activists organize and take collective action to challenge barriers.
Accomplices share responsibility and use their access, resources, or influence to help remove barriers.
A person may move among these roles depending on the issue and circumstances. The labels are descriptive, not membership categories.
Understand: Learn about an accessibility barrier, community need, or opportunity for change.
Connect: Bring together lived experience, useful information, organizations, and people with relevant skills or relationships.
Participate: Share an experience. attend a meeting, contribute expertise, suggest a resource, or help make an introduction.
Collaborate: Work with others to shape practical solutions while each participant retains their own identity and authority.
Act: Turn shared knowledge and connections into realistic steps toward greater accessibility.
Every person brings a different perspective, experience, skill, or connection to accessibility work. You may understand a barrier through lived experience, know how a public or organizational process works, possess technical expertise, or be able to connect people who should know one another.
Solidarity does not require us to share the same disability or encounter the same barriers. It asks us to listen to one another and stand behind access needs beyond our own. When more of our voices come together, grassroots advocates gain greater reach—and accessibility concerns become harder to dismiss.
Listening, sharing knowledge, amplifying concerns, making introductions, and standing behind other people’s access needs can all help. Your voice is most effective when it adds to—not speaks over—the voices of people directly affected.
ACT generally works through five stages:
Understand: Learn about a barrier, community need, or opportunity.
Connect: Bring together lived experience, information, organizations, and relevant expertise.
Participate: Invite people to share knowledge, attend, contribute, or make introductions.
Collaborate: Help participants shape practical approaches while retaining their independence.
Act: Turn shared knowledge and relationships into realistic next steps.
Not every effort follows these stages formally or in the same order.
Roles and boundaries
ACT was founded by Nick Koonce, who currently serves as a Conduit. In that role, he helps connect people, information, and opportunities but does not speak for participants or direct their work.
No. Participants speak for themselves unless they have expressly authorized someone else to represent them.
ACT may share information, identify common concerns, or help participants collaborate, but it does not assume that everyone agrees on every issue. ACT will not claim a collective position or consensus unless the people involved have explicitly approved it.
No. Participation in ACT does not imply endorsement by—or representation of—any participant’s employer, organization, business, board, committee, or public agency.
Affiliations may be provided for context and identification, but they do not mean that the affiliated organization sponsors ACT or has authorized ACT to speak on its behalf. References to possible collaborators likewise do not imply a confirmed partnership.
ACT cannot investigate, adjudicate, or compel another person or organization to resolve a complaint.
Depending on the circumstances and available capacity, ACT may be able to help identify relevant information, possible public processes, appropriate organizations, or other people concerned about a similar barrier. ACT cannot guarantee assistance or a particular outcome.
For emergencies, legal deadlines, formal complaints, or requests requiring professional advice, contact the appropriate agency or qualified professional directly.
Connecting with ACT
You might:
Share lived experience or information about an accessibility barrier
Attend a meeting, event, or public hearing
Contribute professional or technical expertise
Suggest a useful resource
Introduce people or organizations with shared interests
Identify a possible partner, location, sponsor, or funding source
Support an Opportunity taking shape through ACT
Help amplify a concern or practical solution
Visit Opportunities to see what is taking shape, or Connect to introduce yourself and share how you would like to participate.
ACT will review your message and determine whether it relates to an existing Opportunity, useful resource, community connection, or another appropriate next step.
ACT may respond directly, request additional information, suggest an outside resource, or—only with appropriate permission—help make a connection. Because ACT is an informal network with limited capacity, it cannot guarantee an immediate response or assistance with every request.
ACT cannot investigate, adjudicate, or compel another person or organization to resolve a complaint.
Depending on the circumstances and available capacity, ACT may be able to help identify relevant information, possible public processes, appropriate organizations, or other people concerned about a similar barrier. ACT cannot guarantee assistance or a particular outcome.
For emergencies, legal deadlines, formal complaints, or requests requiring professional advice, contact the appropriate agency or qualified professional directly.