We are consulting with ArtsBoston on their new Accessible Calendar, The Boston Foundation, Embrace Boston, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, American Repertory Theater, MoonBox Productions, SpeakEasy Stage Company, New Repertory Theater, Huntington Theater Company, Umbrella Arts Center, Arts Emerson, Eastern Mass Association of Community Theaters, National Center of Accessible Media, WGBH (NCAM), Landmarks Orchestra, Abilities Dance, Monkeyhouse, CATA, Bellforge Arts, AccessTech, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Discovery Museum, MASS MoCA, Museum of Russian Icons and others.
We presented at the NYC Public Library for the Accessible Technology Conference and the Kennedy Center for the Arts Leadership and Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Conference in Boston as well as participated as local partners, panelists, trainers and held consultative office hours.
With Kerry Thompson of Silent Rhythms, we hosted for the 1st time EMBRACE SALSA, an inclusive, adaptive ASL Salsa event at the sacred Embrace Monument on Boston Common. It was a transformative evening of community and celebration with over 100 attendees Deaf, DeafBlind, Disabled and non-disabled and 1 service dog. (see photo above where participants hold hands and dance bachata in front of the Embrace Monument on the Boston Common) In the words of our Audio Describer “a joyful ruckus ensued.”
We presented to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, in favor of the ACE Act to improve accessibility within the creative economy. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Dan Donahue and Sen. Paul Mark, H.151/S.113, would establish the Accessibility in the Creative Economy (ACE) Fund to be distributed through the Massachusetts Office on Disability and provide grants to organizations focused on the arts, culture, humanities, and interpretive sciences that would remove barriers encountered by people with disabilities.
We were interviewed by Arun Rath on National Public Radio, All Things Considered, Joy Beat.
We have trained, employed and mentored culturally competent Deaf, Blind and Disabled, BIPOC and AAPI Access providers,
We participate in the mentorship Network for Arts Administrators of Color (NAAC) program.
We mentored the brilliant, all female, middle school engineering team, Uniqorn Dreamers building a haptic, vibrating, cueing device for Deaf actors. They won the Innovation Project Award, 1st Place at the Mindstorm Mayhem (Lego League Masterpiece Challenge Qualifier) and are headed to nationals!
We are looking forward to our next Culturally Competent Audio Describer Training with Experts Thomas Reid of Reid My Mind Radio and Cheryl Green in January and to our collaboration with Actor/Director Joey Caverly and Open Door Theater to create a free ASL video glossary for theater terms on stage and front of the house to be released in 2024.
