special achievEment in performing arts: Audio description projeCT

FEATURED: July 2024

Full descriptive Transcript here. Think Outside the Vox is a 2024 winner of the American Council of the Blind Audio Description Project Awards! We are thrilled and honored to have received the Special Achievement in Performing Arts. We thank the American Council for the Blind and extend our appreciation to those involved in our AD cohorts, and our trainers and colleagues Thomas Reid, Cheryl Green, and Nefertiti Matos Olivares. Full virtual ceremony and press release can be viewed at acb.org/2024-ADP-Awards.

NASSIM – THE HUNTINGTON THEATRE

FEATURED – AD AND ASL SHOWS FOR NASSIM OCTOBER 18TH AND 19TH

Think Outside the Vox has partnered with The Huntington Theatre to lead Audio Description and ASL shows for all shows this season. “Nassim” will have an ASL interpreted performance (featuring Deaf, Iranian actor, writer and consultant Ace Mahbaz, pictured above) on Friday, October 18th at 7:30pm (use promo code ACCESSASL). “Nassim” will have an Audio Described performance on Saturday, October 19th at 2pm (use promo code ACCESSAD). Board member Amber Pearcy will lead the AD teams and DASL Kristin Johnson will lead the ASL teams. We aim to expand the pool of culturally competent and professional access providers by mentoring individuals and surveying the process and procedures of onboarding Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Blind access providers.

ArtsBoston calendar

FEATURED – FREE WEBINAR ON OCTOBER 29TH

We partnered with ArtsBoston to respond to a call from the Deaf, Blind, DeafBlind, Neurodiverse and greater disability communities to sort by Accessibility features and require visual descriptions for event submissions on the ArtsBoston Calendar. On October 29th, Vox hosting a webinar to teach arts organizations how to make the most of their listings and welcome more patrons.

Sheherazade & borodin: Arabian nights – landmarks orchestra

August 2024

A sweet summer night at the Hatch Shell – Boston Landmarks Orchestra rounded out their summer concert series with an ASL performance led by Think Outside The Vox and haptic suits provided by Not Impossible Labs. DASL Kristin Johnson and ASL team Leon Jerfita, Aidan Mark, Christopher Robinson and Aimee Robinson captured the music with visual-vernacular/ASL poetry and visual-manual orchestration.

LEAD Conference 2024

July 2024

Vox is Sleepless in Seattle The Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Conference. Kristin Johnson and Christopher Robinson co-led an interactive DASL workshop along with DASL Rhonda Cochran of Sound Theatre Company, unpacking the benefits and criteria of DASLs versus interpreters. See our Facebook posts for more.

A Winter’s Tale – Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

July 2024

Think Outside The Vox partnered with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company to prioritize accessibility for cast, crew and audience experience. Ingrid O’Dell delivered as Access Coordinator, assembling the DASL squad (featuring Kristin Johnson as Director of Artistic Sign Language and Christopher Robinson as one of three interpreters), recruiting Audio Describers Dave Heard and Cira Bagwell with AD consultant Amber Pearcy, and coordinating Open Captions with script editor/operator Connor Riordan and operator Olivia Reinebach. ASL Interpretation, Audio Description and a Touch Tour were offered for select performances. Think Outside the Vox provided access training for the 2024 CSC Apprentices on best practices for assisting patrons in the Boston Common. Charles G. Baldwin and the Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation (UP) Initiative made this partnership possible.

The Wizard of Oz – Open Door Theater

Open Door Theater partnered with Think Outside the Vox to lead and embed accessibility for cast, crew and production team alike. Vox co-founders and key members are representing on multiple accounts: Co-founder Sam Gould produced the show and oversaw all access points, including the accessible preshow, visual cuing systems, open captions, sensory-friendly practices and inclusive language and descriptions. Ingrid O’Dell served as an access coordinator during the audition process and as an a stand-by ASL interpreter/sighted guide for DeafBlind patrons. Interpreting team: Jessenia Kolaco, Cia Mirrione, Aimee Robinson and Co-founder Christopher S. Robinson, led by Board member Kristin Johnson, DASL who coached Deaf lead Leon Jerfita (The Wizard/The Professor), led the ASL team and gave touch tours for Deaf and DeafBlind. Audio Description team: Board members David Heard and Amber Pearcy, plus Jen St. Pierre and Cira Bagwell from Vox’s second AD training cohort. ASL Handimations displayed during the show were created by Vox access tech lead, Connor Riordan. The Wizard of Oz got coverage from WBZTV!

DEAF EXPO: NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

September 30, 2023

We brought the Black & Purple (and left the rain behind) on Saturday the 30th. Congratulations for a successful event , Northeastern University’s ASL Program!
Thanks also goes out to ArtsBoston for the outstanding beta testing work they are doing with the accessibility programming feature on the new calendar. Find out what’s next in Audio Description… Deaf Expo: Northeastern University Continued

EMBRACE SALSA

August 31, 2023

In the true ideological intent of the social justice space that we were in, we held hands, and shimmied a wave of energy through our bodies. Deaf, Deafblind, Deaf disabled, neurotypical, neurodivergent, blind, chair users and afro indigenous people gathered to celebrate our humanity. We spoke of what is on the other side of the… Embrace Salsa Continued

VOX ON NPR

August 4, 2023

Check out Vox Interview with Sam Gould on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and hear Sam and Arun Rath model best practices and self describe… VOX on NPR Continued

MIKE TOBIA AWARD FOR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

June 13, 2023

Congratulations to President Sam Gould Kriveshko recipient of the Acton Boxborough United Way Mike Tobia Award for Community Leadership June 13 2023. The Award in honor and memory of Mike Tobia, recognizes an outstanding Community Leader, dedicated to serving residents’ needs… Mike Tobia Award for Community Leadership Continued

ASK ME FAIR

May 1, 2023

The Ask Me Fair is a Living Library type of event, which was a Joint Venture with Open Door Theater, The Sargent Memorial Library and Danny’s Place. Children are invited to ask questions, listen to, and converse with awesome presenters from a wide range of backgrounds, who are happy to share their stories and life experiences. We invite everyone to come with an open heart and an open mind to… Ask Me Fair Continued