DOCUMENT RESUME ED 213 235 EC ]41 192 AUTHOR Bergman, Eugene TITLE Arts Accessibility for the Deaf. INSTITUTION National Access Center, Washingtof DC. SPONS AGENCY National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE Mar 81 NOTE 24p. AVAILABLE FROMNational Access Center, 1419 27th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20007. EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Accessibility (for Disabled); *Art; *Cultural Activities; Dance; *Deafness; Museums; Music; Television; *Theater Arts ABSTRACT The booklet provides information and resources for cultural organizations and institutions interested in making the arts accessible to deaf citizens. Preliminary information includes a discussion of deafness in America and the deaf in the history of the arts and notes that the era of silent films was the golden age of cinema. Listed are 36 theaters of and for the deaf as well as 18 hearing theaters with accessibility for the deaf. Also considered are television shows with deaf characters, entertainment programs for the deaf, news programing, the deaf and educational television, closed captioning, and videodiscs. Brief sections discuss resources for deaf dance as well as music and the visual arts. Museums offering interpreted tours and/or special programs for the deaf are listed. The booklet's suggestions for improving arts accessibility include involving the staff in awareness training, developing a deaf audience, and designing programs which consider visual cueing, lighting, fire and emergency warning, acoustics, and hearing amplification. Sources o..esign information are noted. Finally, resources are given for locating deaf people in the community, locating deaf artists, and reaching deaf audiences. (DB) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** MATEFiIALS U S DEPAh7NIENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THE NATIONAL `,no )146.4A ACCESS CENTER 2 March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center . VOI\J ( _ 0,0 3 ,=7F r y } I I it 1. The executive director's office 2. The local greasy spoon A typical arts administrator at work "Why theygesturing? Oh, they're deaf! Ai t---:_-_-_----A_ `..-r .---.,-1----'-';-- ---rr tr. .-,-- 1 -77+1 +-1 ,,-"PrvA A " -, .------,.., )- s 1,-.-r--2-_--.. ''-,,A rte_' ' s, , __. )r-- -1/11 \ t4. 5. A salesman calls 6. The assistant director's office "So you say these gadgets will solve all my "Forget that! I've got a better idea. 504 problems?" NUE 11111111111111311111 111i,Li-t Me-rk0THEATRE CantMlg WITH CTECIA4,- SOIMDEQUiMINT FO PSAF rP <10. 47, Ate_ .0. .rig An. lg. --r MIME 4Ir 9. The next performance 10. Stage door "We want interpreters! We want interpreters!" 2 March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center I e nc.:A ..-.. uL { --- . .y -` J'_-4.- . 7.... .70 3- C '--7, -7' ;-.1-'-..,k ',,'1:, ' .4' ro \ t ''',r60 ce, ii.;,,,, 7 ,,1 /-- (=A \ 3. Theater row 4. Back at work "What's happening? Why aren't we s.,ld out?" "0 K., O.K., I'll do something about this deaf business." I J 4.4 7. The board meeting 8. Opening night "If we invest in the new sound helmets, we'll solve "What's thisa beauty parlor'?" the 504 problem and pick up ticket sales:. Most pictures have a story behind them, and this Sometime later, the story was repeated in sequence of pictures depicting the trials and American Sign Language to Chuck Baird, a deaf tribulations of an arts administrator is 91 artist, who liked it enough to transfer it into exception. Three peopleGene Bergman the another mediumhumorous drawingsand author of this publication, Beth House of the offered it to the Center for publication. National Theatre of the Deaf, and Larry Molloy, We have never published humorous director of the National Access Center, were illustrations before, and are very pleased to discussing the potential audience for the book. present Chuck Baird's work. We must, however, _arty Molloy illustrated hit. view with a fictional reiterate that the story is apocryphal and we have account of how, if all things went wrong, an arts taken poetic licenle to exaggerate the s.xy to administrator could get into hot water if he or she emphasize the message. had no understanding of deafness. 3 4 March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center ing arts accessible to the deaf has CONTENTS FOREWORD been accompanied by a veritable ex- This pulcation will provide use- plosion of cultural activities among Foreword 4ful information to every federally the deaf themselves. In the last 12 months, the number of theatrical Deafness in America 5 funded cultural organization and institution interested in making the companies of the deaf has nearly The deaf in the history of arts accessible to deaf citizens.It doubles. Not a week passes that the arts 6describes projects that provide another museum, hearing theater, or models for programming and en-hearing ballet company offers ar Contemporary deaf arts 8 vironmental considerationsin interpretedtour of performance Museums and deaf v:siiors 17museums, theaters, television, suited to the needs of deaf visitors. cinemas, ballet and orchestras. TheWhat we are witnessing is mutual Arts accessibility ultimate objective is to assure deafstimulation and enrichment of two for the deaf 18citizens equal opportunities forcultures. the deaf and the hearing. How to develop a deaf cultural enrichment. This vigorous new interaction is audience 19 The exclusion of deaf people inepitomized by the award-winning the past from cuitui ai events had asplay "Children of a Lesser God," Designing arts accessibility much to do with fear of the stigma of perforrried to hearing audiences by a for the deaf 20deafness or the part of the hearing leading actress who is deaf herself. How to reach deaf people 22 popuiation as with a genuine lack of Arts Accessibility for the Deaf is understanding about the special written by Eugene Bergman, a deaf How to locate deaf artists 22 needs of hearing impaired people.playwright w, iois a professor of How to reach Now that arts administrators haveEnglish at Gailaudet College. deaf audiences 23had more experience with hearingElizabeth House of the National impaired audiences and artists, they Theatre of the Deaf provided in- f md that these people quite of tan act valuable guidance and advice as a stimulus to the development of throughout the book and updated the arts. The increasingly visiblesome sections on the performing contributions of deaf artists (thearts. The section on developing a 1980 Tony..Award for Best Actress todeaf audience was contributed by deaf actress Phyllis Frelich, for ex- Ann Silver. ample) and the new appreciation of The author wishes to acknow- American Sign Language asa ledge the great help provided by powerful and dramatic tool for ar-Jane Mejewski of the Smithsonian tistic expression are exciting Institution for giving information on demonstrations of this trend. museums offering services to the The special accommodations fordeaf. Special thanks are due to making arts accessible to deaf Steven Berry, Joe Castronovo and patrons are much less costly andAndy Vasnick for contributing infor- simpler than we imagine, and oftenmation on theatrical life in the deaf hearing patrons benefit as wellcommunity, and also to Al Berke of through the use of imprjved lighting the Office for Civil Rights at the and acoustics and the fascinatingDepartment of Health and Human experience of watching the visual Services who provided a variety of language of sign mirror the spoken helpful tips. Space doesn't permit word. acknowledging all the other con- The process of providing our deaf tributors to this publication, but citizens with equal access to the arts Debbie Sonnenstrahl of Gallaudet is so new that only the first steps are College and Gregg Brooks of the being made. Only in the last fewNational Communications Founda- years, for example, have museums,tion have been particularly helpful. theaters, TV, cinema, ballet and orchestras became aware of the challenge of accessibility. In addi- tion, the awakening interest in mak- 5 4 March 1981 Ads Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center shared language nas led the deaf tofacia; and body gestures)to develop a distinctive and highlyfacilitate clear exchanges ofinfor- cohesive minority subculture withmation. This is called TotalCom- tradition, at forms and folklore of itsmunication and is the method most own. deaf people prefer. ASL is a separate and auton- The recent looseningofthe omous language that is vitally ex-shackles of linguistic suppression pressive and rich in nuance. In thehas been instrumental in repairing hands of master signers, ASLcan the self-conceptf the deaf. They provide exciting artistic and estheticare more aware and more vocal revelations.It is also used withabout the opportunities"rorself- perfect clarity and logic forcom-development and self-advancement municating in everyday life bytwoopened to them by enlightened million profoundly deaf people. ASLlegislation, especially by Section is the third most widely used504, in a society determinedno language (Spanish is second) in the;onger to treat them as second-class United Stites. citizens. This includes accessibility The peculiar cultural situation of to the arts which strengthencom- the deaf as a neglected andhistor-munication between the deaf and ically and linguistically oppressedhearing population because: minority has contributed totheirThe arts ve the most popular ""unique cultural development.Likeleisure activ according to a 1978 ---,othermineritiesinthe UnitedLouis Harris NStates, the deaf survived anden- The arts are noncompetitive dured by acting as4hewers of woodsocialactivities that-.:anbring and orawers of water to the worldat people together DEAFNESS lei ge and in the process developed a The arts are creative and thuscan IN AMERICA vibrant and pulsating underground engender new methods for achiev- life of their own. Their cultureem- About two milliOn American adults ing the 504 mandate.