VOX is committed to expanding the breadth and scope of accessible programming by training and increasing the capacity of Blind, Deaf, DeafBlind, disabled and marginalized artists and experts.
Total of 547 Trainees. Total of 52 Direct Mentorships.
Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) Seminar – Fall 2026
Image Description: A large group photo of 11 Deaf, hearing, BIPOC and white folks of varying ages, including the Sojourners ASL team, Vox’s 2024 DASL cohort members and Deaf community members who attended the show. From right to left: Kellynette Gomez, Bobby Bielma-Jackson, Jessenia Kolaco, Kristin Johnson, Aidan Mark, Morgan Beall, Christopher Robinson, Leon Jerfita, Megan Malzkuhn, Jiyoung Jou and friend. They are smiling with shoulders tucked into shoulders in front of the stage, some leaning in, some with a hand on the other. The stage has beams with strings taught and connected to the ground with navy blue lighting.
Thumbnail Alt Text: DASL Trainers Rachel Berman-Kobylarz and Kristin Johnson standing and signing side by side.
Descriptive Transcript: A 1-minute, 28-second video with no audio of two Directors of Artistic Sign Language framed from the waist up. They stand in a corner with white walls presenting an announcement in American Sign Language. On the left, Rachel Berman-Kobylarz, an Ashkenazi Deaf woman with short, salt and pepper curly hair wears small gold hoop earrings and a black dress. On the right, Kristin Johnson, a Deaf white woman with short brown hair wears two-toned brown round framed glasses, a black button down shirt, some beaded necklaces, and a dark necktie. They both sign:
RACHEL: Hello! My name is Rachel.
KRISTIN: Hello! My name is Kristin.
RACHEL: Both of us are Directors of Artistic Sign Language (DASL). I have been working as a DASL for 11 years.
KRISTIN: 21 years altogether.
RACHEL: Wow!
KRISTIN: Together with Think Outside of the Vox, we are delighted to inform you that we are presenting a free DASL training!
RACHEL: We designed a Deaf-centered curriculum and training for DASLs.
KRISTIN: The training will take place in the month of October 2026, for 4 Wednesdays from 7pm to 9pm virtually on Zoom.
RACHEL: Right! In addition to virtual meetings, there will be opportunities to sit in on virtual rehearsals to observe the DASL process.
KRISTIN: We will also share opportunities to observe DASLs at shows in Boston in October, November and December.
RACHEL: If you love the arts, English-ASL translation, enjoy leadership and are a self-starter…
KRISTIN: If you want to acquire those skills of a DASL, you can join the training.
RACHEL: Sign up at the link below, and the form will include more details. Hope to see you there!
BEST PRACTICES for WELCOMING DEAFBLIND patrons AND PARTNERS
The DeafBlind modules are here! VOX has partnered with Silent Rhythms to create modules to teach Arts Organizations best practices in welcoming the DeafBlind community, featuring Kerry Thompson, Carl Richardson, Cai Steele and Kaitlyn Mielke. Access all modules now.
Culturally Responsive Audio Describer Workshop
Through Open Door Theater and in a joint venture with the American Repertory Theater, we ran the first of its kind BIPOC/AAPI Audio Describer Training to increase the pool of Culturally Competent Audio Describers in MA. Currently, the large majority of providers in the field globally are non-disabled, white, and often lack the cultural competency to adequately describe the work of diverse playwrights. We recruited Thomas Reid and Cheryl Green, expert AD trainers and BIPOC/AAPI trainees from the black actor community, the Boston Black Writers Association and the Asian American Playwrights Association, and the local interpreter pool to train them in the art of Culturally Competent Audio Description. Then we facilitated hiring and onboarding our trainees to local arts organizations to train and model new practices in audio description, including the best practice of inclusion of a blind expert consultant on all teams, revolutionizing and improving the quality of access in MA.
Applications are open for the next Culturally Responsive AD Training Session dates TBD on ZOOM. We are currently working with a CCAD cohort with A.R.T. NY
We are especially interested Blind and Low Vision Describers.
I was invited to participate in free training and follow-up of an Audio Description course Sam and Chris held intended to bring diversity to the Audio Description pool of describers. Thanks to this training and support, I have worked at numerous local theaters as an audio describer on a variety of shows.I am very grateful for Sam and Chris’ support and encouragement. With Sam’s Open Door Theater, and Chris’ ASL work, in addition to the training I attended, I see that they honestly “Walk the Walk” in regards to anti-ableism and anti-racism.
– GAMALIA PHARMS
Actor and Audio Describer
This workshop is intended to be a level one course for Audio Description Candidates to increase the cultural competency of Audio Description for live events in Massachusetts and beyond. It is open to actors, voice actors, writers, and anyone interested in the field of theater, performances and access. Audio Description is a paid access service for live performances. There will be hands-on activities in class and brief at-home exercises in a fun, supportive learning environment. We will touch on the full AD life cycle including writing, narrating, community building, the live theater experience, delivery, and evaluation of Audio Description. Facilitators are Thomas Reid, Audio Description narrator, producer, and Advocate and Cheryl Green, Audio Description writer, narrator, and producer.
Trainees will:
- Learn fundamentals of writing and narrating live theater Audio Description as a creative, subjective practice
- Gain knowledge needed to begin writing and narrating for live theater and leading touch tours with a mentor
- Discuss foundations for building partnerships and audience within blind and low vision community
All session goals will be addressed with an understanding of cultural competency and cultural responsivity built in.
To hear from the first Cohort about their experiences see the YouTube Video.
Meet The Trainers
Thomas Reid
Audio Producer | Voice Over Talent | Audio Description Narrator Consultant & Advocate
Shortly after becoming blind in 2004, Thomas Reid decided to re-ignite a dormant interest in audio production. Thomas has been thinking critically about Audio Description since his early in theater experience in 2007. He’s been covering the topic on the podcast since 2015 and most notably since critiquing various aspects of AD in Marvel’s Black Panther in 2018. Through his Flipping the Script on Audio Description series, Reid continues to explore the art by going beyond surface level topics and examining its implications on the community. As an Audio Description Narrator, Reid has appeared on projects for Netflix, Hulu, PBS and more. He provides consultations for independent film makers, film festivals, co-facilitates workshops and serves as moderator or panelist for discussions on audio description and content accessibility.
Cheryl Green
Cheryl Green, MFA, MS is an independent Access Artist with a focus as a captioner, audio describer, and multi-media digital artist. She’s a 2017 AIR New Voices Scholar, 2020 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader, Digital Operations Lead and a Member-Owner at New Day Films, and a member of the Social Audio Description collective. She brings her lived experience with multiple invisible disabilities to creating media that explores politically- and culturally-engaged stories from cross-disability communities. Her audio and written blog, transcribed podcast, and documentary films are at Who Am I To Stop It. She captions and audio describes films for Kinetic Light, Superfest International Disability Film Festival, and Cinema Touching Disability, and leads workshops for artists and museums on arts accessibility.
ASL THEATER TERMINOLOGY GLOSSARY
VOX is currently working on a joint venture with Open Door Theater and Monique Holt, Acclaimed, Deaf Director/Actor/Artist to create and publish in an open format, Theater specific ASL glossaries for staff training and culture shift, using universal design principles to teach stage managers and backstage crew ASL specifically for use in the wings backstage for silent communication and communication with Deaf actors/staff, basic vocabulary for cuing and additional module including basic front of the house vocabulary to train all ushers, ticket sellers and forward facing volunteers greetings, emergency protocol and basic directions, for ticketing, concessions and restroom wayfinding. We hope to codify some of this language and develop training modules to disseminate to other theater organizations to innovate backstage communications and front of the house ASL communication standards. Release scheduled for Spring 2026.