A young man with a developmental disability plays cards with friends indoors. One of the group is crocheting instead of playing. The group is casual and relaxed.

Who We Are

ACCESSforALL is an accessibility consultation and training service, providing cultural communities and businesses the opportunity to expand and enrich how they engage with the public. We provide a range of disability services, from accessibility audits, to program consultations, strategic planning, and staff training.

Our team has a combined total of over 50 years of experience in designing accessible programs, engaging the community, and designing audience communications. With backgrounds in arts administration, education, and nonprofits, our team is skilled at working within limited budgets and with small teams. 

With deep ties to the East End and team members on the Southampton Town Disability Advisory Task Force (DATF) and Southampton Arts & Culture Committee (SHACC), we have a demonstrated commitment to improving accessibility in our community.

Our mission is to make the world we live in, and the spaces we move in, accessible to and inclusive of everyone, regardless of ability or background.

Two young children with disabilities sit barefoot and cross-legged on a blue wooden bench. They are "cheers-ing" their ice-cream cones together in anticipation.

Our History

Ava Locks first embarked on what would become ​ACCESSforALL’s model over twenty years ago when she was hired to design exhibitions and programs for the Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE).

At the time children’s museums were at the forefront of providing accommodations to children with Autism to explore their exhibitions in a modified environment with reduced sensory stimuli, designated quiet spaces, and additional assistive technologies. These initiatives inspired Locks to obtain her degree in special education and continue her work in community engagement. 

After years of in-house and freelance accessibility work, Locks launched ACCESSforALL with Elka Rifkin and Brian O’Mahoney in 2024 to bring renewed focus and attention to the needs of the disabled community on Long Island’s East End, and beyond.

Join us in creating accessible communities that go beyond compliance.

Our Team

  • Headshot of Ava Locks, a white woman with a golden blonde bob haircut. She is grinning wide.

    Ava Locks (she/her)

    Ava Locks is a New York State-certified Special Education Teacher with extensive teaching experience at New York public and private schools and cultural organizations. She is experienced in developing programs and strategies to meet the needs of Neurodiverse populations. Her expertise includes sensory-friendly training, disability equity training, and advising businesses on accessible and inclusive strategies and best practices.

    She has experience providing early intervention services for children with autism and individualized learning style instruction in private practice. She has delivered instruction and programs for children from early childhood through high school. Ava has served as a guest speaker for conferences, colleges, and youth organizations, offering her expertise as a community-based educator and inclusion specialist.

    In addition to instruction, Ava has developed and written curricula for various cultural organizations. She enjoys the opportunities they present for educational outreach within her community. In her master's degree program, Ava authored a thesis on the importance of place-based learning and the East End's enriching opportunities to enhance a curriculum. Upon graduation, her thesis's research and development were implemented when she formed her company, Peconic Programs, in Southampton, New York.

    Ava has served as a guest speaker for conferences, colleges, and youth organizations, offering her expertise as a community-based educator and inclusion specialist. She presented “Increase Audience Engagement with Sensory Friendly Awareness” at the Museum Association of New York Annual Conference (April 2023).

    Ava serves on the Southampton Town Disability Advisory Task Force (DATF), East End Special Education Parent Teacher Organization (EESEPTO), WNET/PBS Educational Telecommunications Service Committee (ETSC), The Leadership Network for Accessible Arts Education (LNAAE), Special Olympics, and Best Buddies. She is certified by New York State General + Special Education, New York State Early Childhood, and is a Certified Autism Specialist, and Certified Parent Representative CSE + 504.

    Photo copyright Philippe Cheng.

  • Headshot of Elka Rifkin, a 70-year old woman with silver shoulder-length hair. She smiles warmly, and is wearing a print scarf wrapped loosely around her neck.

    Elka Rifkin (she/her)

    Elka Rifkin was raised in a family with a disabled older sibling, who was undiagnosed for the early years. She witnessed and participated in the evaluation process and interventions to help her sibling. When she started her own family, she raised a child who was diagnosed at age five with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (now called Autism Spectrum Disorder). She and her family navigated the challenges of evaluations, school systems (both public and independent), and securing the support that her child needed to be successful in school and social environments.

    Elka has spent her long-term career working in the areas of integrated education and the arts. The bulk of her career has been in the arts and administration, working first as an arts educator and facilitator of interdisciplinary education, then heading schools, as well as creating and facilitating innovative international educational programs. As an art teacher for ten years in Fort Collins, Colorado, she worked with children in the district’s Deaf Education Program, communicating through sign language and with an interpreter. As a school administrator, she worked closely with families, who had children with visible and invisible disabilities, to help them access the support they required.

    Elka brings deep connections to the local arts, education and cultural community through her administrative work in area schools, and as a founding member of the Hampton Arts Network, as well as the Southampton Arts & Culture Committee. Most recently, she was the Director of The Watermill Center in Water Mill, New York for seven years.

    Photo copyright Philippe Cheng.

  • Headshot of Brian O’Mahoney. A chubby, white adult with a scruffy beard and mustache sits partially in shadow against a dark background. They are dressed and posed casually, with a neutral and calm expression on their face.

    Brian O'Mahoney (he/she/they)

    Brian O’Mahoney (b.1993, he/she/they) is a communications specialist with over a decade of experience in audience engagement, digital accessibility, and strategic communications. Their approach to communications is message-driven, leveraging institutional resources and programs to reinforce an organization’s mission and brand values across all communications channels. Their practice focuses on developing simple and direct messaging paired with impactful graphic materials to verbally and visually engage audiences.

    Their professional practice is marked by deep understanding of the importance of messaging in content development and a commitment to conveying organizational narratives in an accessible and approachable manner. With a background in strategic non-profit communications, O’Mahoney is well-versed in balancing the needs of a large number of projects and priorities, and executing communication campaigns and public relation initiatives with limited resources.

    Photo copyright Maria Baranova-Suzuki.

We help businesses and organizations expand and enrich their offerings to the public.

A group of young professionals are gathered in a red-brick courtyard. They are all laughing and smiling warmly at each other. One of the members has an apparent disability.

Advisory Committee

ACCESS for ALL’s advisory committee comprises members of the disability community, those with disabilities, and their care providers and allies.

We welcome your involvement if you are interested in joining our initiative to make inclusion the expectation, not the exception. Volunteer roles can include but are not limited to evaluating programs and workshops, community outreach, and participating in a workshop or training.

We believe in working with, not for, the communities and individuals that face accessibility and inclusion challenges.