document resume - education resources information center · television shows with deaf characters,...

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DOCUMENT RESUME

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Bergman, EugeneArts Accessibility for the Deaf.National Access Center, Washingtof DC.National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C.Mar 8124p.National Access Center, 1419 27th St., N.W.,Washington, DC 20007.

MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.*Accessibility (for Disabled); *Art; *CulturalActivities; Dance; *Deafness; Museums; Music;Television; *Theater Arts

ABSTRACTThe booklet provides information and resources for

cultural organizations and institutions interested in making the artsaccessible to deaf citizens. Preliminary information includes adiscussion of deafness in America and the deaf in the history of thearts and notes that the era of silent films was the golden age ofcinema. Listed are 36 theaters of and for the deaf as well as 18hearing theaters with accessibility for the deaf. Also considered aretelevision shows with deaf characters, entertainment programs for thedeaf, news programing, the deaf and educational television, closedcaptioning, and videodiscs. Brief sections discuss resources for deafdance as well as music and the visual arts. Museums offeringinterpreted tours and/or special programs for the deaf are listed.The booklet's suggestions for improving arts accessibility includeinvolving the staff in awareness training, developing a deafaudience, and designing programs which consider visual cueing,lighting, fire and emergency warning, acoustics, and hearingamplification. 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)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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MATEFiIALSTHE NATIONALACCESS CENTER

U S DEPAh7NIENT OF EDUCATIONNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

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March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf

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1. The executive director's officeA typical arts administrator at work

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2. The local greasy spoon"Why they gesturing? Oh, they're deaf!

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6. The assistant director's office"Forget that! I've got a better idea.

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March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf

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3. Theater row"What's happening? Why aren't we s.,ld out?"

7. The board meeting"If we invest in the new sound helmets, we'll solvethe 504 problem and pick up ticket sales:.

Most pictures have a story behind them, and thissequence of pictures depicting the trials andtribulations of an arts administrator is 91exception. Three peopleGene Bergman theauthor of this publication, Beth House of theNational Theatre of the Deaf, and Larry Molloy,director of the National Access Center, werediscussing the potential audience for the book._arty Molloy illustrated hit. view with a fictionalaccount of how, if all things went wrong, an artsadministrator could get into hot water if he or shehad no understanding of deafness.

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4. Back at work"0 K., O.K., I'll do something about this deaf business."

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8. Opening night"What's thisa beauty parlor'?"

Sometime later, the story was repeated inAmerican Sign Language to Chuck Baird, a deafartist, who liked it enough to transfer it intoanother mediumhumorous drawingsandoffered it to the Center for publication.

We have never published humorousillustrations before, and are very pleased topresent Chuck Baird's work. We must, however,reiterate that the story is apocryphal and we havetaken poetic licenle to exaggerate the s.xy toemphasize the message.

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March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center

CONTENTS

Foreword 4

Deafness in America 5

The deaf in the history ofthe arts 6

Contemporary deaf arts 8

Museums and deaf v:siiors 17

Arts accessibilityfor the deaf 18

How to develop a deafaudience 19

Designing arts accessibilityfor the deaf 20

How to reach deaf people 22

How to locate deaf artists 22

How to reachdeaf audiences 23

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FOREWORDThis pul cation will provide use-ful information to every federallyfunded cultural organization andinstitution interested in making thearts accessible to deaf citizens. Itdescribes projects that providemodels for programming and en-vironmental considerations inmuseums, theaters, television,cinemas, ballet and orchestras. Theultimate objective is to assure deafcitizens equal opportunities forcultural enrichment.

The exclusion of deaf people inthe past from cuitui ai events had asmuch to do with fear of the stigma ofdeafness or the part of the hearingpopuiation as with a genuine lack ofunderstanding about the specialneeds of hearing impaired people.Now that arts administrators havehad more experience with hearingimpaired audiences and artists, theyf md that these people quite of tan actas a stimulus to the development ofthe arts. The increasingly visiblecontributions of deaf artists (the1980 Tony..Award for Best Actress todeaf actress Phyllis Frelich, for ex-ample) and the new appreciation ofAmerican Sign Language as a

powerful and dramatic tool for ar-tistic expression are excitingdemonstrations of this trend.

The special accommodations formaking arts accessible to deafpatrons are much less costly andsimpler than we imagine, and oftenhearing patrons benefit as wellthrough the use of imprjved lightingand acoustics and the fascinatingexperience of watching the visuallanguage of sign mirror the spokenword.

The process of providing our deafcitizens with equal access to the artsis so new that only the first steps arebeing made. Only in the last fewyears, for example, have museums,theaters, TV, cinema, ballet andorchestras became aware of thechallenge of accessibility. In addi-tion, the awakening interest in mak-

ing arts accessible to the deaf hasbeen accompanied by a veritable ex-plosion of cultural activities amongthe deaf themselves. In the last 12months, the number of theatricalcompanies of the deaf has nearlydoubles. Not a week passes thatanother museum, hearing theater, orhearing ballet company offers arinterpreted tour of performancesuited to the needs of deaf visitors.What we are witnessing is mutualstimulation and enrichment of twocultures. the deaf and the hearing.This vigorous new interaction isepitomized by the award-winningplay "Children of a Lesser God,"perforrried to hearing audiences by aleading actress who is deaf herself.

Arts Accessibility for the Deaf iswritten by Eugene Bergman, a deafplaywright w, io is a professor ofEnglish at Gailaudet College.Elizabeth House of the NationalTheatre of the Deaf provided in-valuable guidance and advicethroughout the book and updatedsome sections on the performingarts. The section on developing adeaf audience was contributed byAnn Silver.

The author wishes to acknow-ledge the great help provided byJane Mejewski of the SmithsonianInstitution for giving information onmuseums offering services to thedeaf. Special thanks are due toSteven Berry, Joe Castronovo andAndy Vasnick for contributing infor-mation on theatrical life in the deafcommunity, and also to Al Berke ofthe Office for Civil Rights at theDepartment of Health and HumanServices who provided a variety ofhelpful tips. Space doesn't permitacknowledging all the other con-tributors to this publication, butDebbie Sonnenstrahl of GallaudetCollege and Gregg Brooks of theNational Communications Founda-tion have been particularly helpful.

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March 1981

DEAFNESSIN AMERICA

Ads Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center

shared language nas led the deaf todevelop a distinctive and highlycohesive minority subculture withtradition, at forms and folklore of itsown.

ASL is a separate and auton-omous language that is vitally ex-pressive and rich in nuance. In thehands of master signers, ASL canprovide exciting artistic and estheticrevelations. It is also used withperfect clarity and logic for com-municating in everyday life by twomillion profoundly deaf people. ASLis the third most widely usedlanguage (Spanish is second) in theUnited Stites.

The peculiar cultural situation ofthe deaf as a neglected and histor-ically and linguistically oppressedminority has contributed to their

""unique cultural development. Like---,other minerities in the United

NStates, the deaf survived and en-dured by acting as4hewers of woodand orawers of water to the world atlei ge and in the process developed avibrant and pulsating undergroundlife of their own. Their culture em-braces numerous fraternal associa-tions at every levelcity, state, na-tional, and even international (theWorld Federation of the Deaf) Andall the deaf culturetheir folkloreand aftis based on the beautifullanguage of AbL.

Only in this context can the deafbe understood. 1 hat is why the pro-foundly deaf appreciate culturalinstitutions that provide sign-language :nterpreters and train theirstaff in sign language.

Because ASL is the nativelanguage of American deaf people,many relate to English as a secondlanguage. Therefore, lipreading is adifficult and seldom mastered artand should not be relied on as aviable means of communicatingwith deaf people. Poor communica-tion is the greatest barrier betweendeaf and hearing people, thurefore itis importaht that each group give thelargest variety of communicationcues available (signing, speaking,

About two milliOn American adultsand children are profoundly deaf andanother 13 million people have somedegree of hearing impairment. Theprofoundly deaf in this significantsegment of the population havenerve deafness, which entailsatrophy of the auditory nerve. Thepartially deaf or hearing impaired arepersons with bone deafness, whichentails more or less substantialresidual nearing that can be boostedwith the aid of sound amplifyingdevices.

Two other basic categories ofdeafness are hereditary (cr con-genital) deafness and adventitiousdeafness occurring during or afterchildhood diseases such as men-ingitis, measles, mumps, whoopingcougn and maternal rubella.

Unlike other groups of physicallydisabled people such as the blind orpeople in wheelchairs, the deaf havea language of thew own, AmericanSign Language (ASL, This bond of

6

facia; and body gestures) tofacilitate clear exchanges of infor-mation. This is called Total Com-munication and is the method mostdeaf people prefer.

The recent loosening of theshackles of linguistic suppressionhas been instrumental in repairingthe self-concept f the deaf. Theyare more aware and more vocalabout the opportunities "ror self-development and self-advancementopened to them by enlightenedlegislation, especially by Section504, in a society determined no;onger to treat them as second-classcitizens. This includes accessibilityto the arts which strengthen com-munication between the deaf andhearing population because:The arts ve the most popularleisure activ according to a 1978Louis HarrisThe arts are noncompetitivesocial activities that -.:an bringpeople togetherThe arts are creative and thus canengender new methods for achiev-ing the 504 mandate.

Defusing the MythologyPeople who have never worked withthe deaf often fear undue risksin,,eased costs and inappropriatebehavior from this handicappedminority. Their ears are unfoundedand based on old myths andmisunderstandings about thenature of deafness. Because thehandicap of deafness is invisible,deaf people are probably the mostmisunderstood group among thehandicapped population.

Deaf and dumb? Few people areboth unable to hear and unable tospear,, and the two impairments donot necessarily go together. The ma-jority of aeaf people have perfectlynormal vocal chords and larynxes.However, many who cannot hear thespoken word choose not to use theirvoices because they cannot gaugethe sound they make. Deaf peopleresent the use of the term "deaf anddumb" not only because it is mac-


curate, but also because it denotesretardation, which does not °rid:-hardy accoi opany hearing impair-ment

The deaf can be taught to speakand lipread? True, but only for aminority of toe deaf It is rhit possi-ble for a congenitally deaf person tospeak in a normal voice, Just as it isnot possible for anyone to learn tospeak French without ever hearing

it A^, for lipreading, it is educatedguesswork, and 70 percent of alldeaf people cannot lipread at even abarely adeauate level,

Is deafness curable? It is, but onlyfor people with bone hearing loss.People with nerve deafness cannotbe cured because their inner ear isatrophied from disuse.

The Arts as Myth-BreakerMaking arts accessible to the deafprovides an effective shortcut to theassimilation of the deaf minorityinto a community's culture. Par-

ticipation in arts activities oy mixeddeaf and hearing audiences oot onlycontr outes to the quatity ofeveryone's life, but also helps breakdown the stereotyped images ofdeaf individuals in tie public mind.

No less important is the con-sideration of deaf people as asizeable and previously untappedresource for cultural programsBesides representing an enormousnew audience for the arts, deafartists themselves are producingvisual arts, dance, theater and filmstf. at danle their hearing viewers andreflect a unique culture which hasbeen shockingly absent from ourgalleries. stages, art centers and

cinemas

1 \THE DEAF INTHE HISTORYOF THE ARTS1 he first deaf person whose namewas recorded in history was the

painter Quintus Pedius, mentionedby Pliny. After Pedius, how:ver, nodeaf artists arcs recorded until the16th-century Spanish painter El

Mudo and the French poet Joachimdu Bellay.

Francesco Goya is among theremarkable deaf individuals who, in-spired by their own sense of depriva-tion, have thumped over adversityand made major contributions to thearts He painted masterpieces ofsublime horror after he became deafIn the world of music, Ludwig vanBeethoven after he had lost his hear-ing, composed his greatest work,

the Ninth SymphonyEven in early America the deaf

born folk painter, John Brewster

(1766-1854), achieved a solid place in

our cultural history through the un-affected quality and stark realism of

his works. The renewed ,merest inBrewster's works is reflected in theirinclusion in the recent "AmericanFolk Painters of Three Centuries"exhibition at the Whitney Museumof American Art in New York City.Other contributors to Americanvisual arts early in the 20th centuryinclude Granville Redmond, a painter,

and sculptor Douglas Tilden.The first deaf artists worked in a

vacuum, living in times when deafpeople were regarded as little morethan brutes or domestic animals. Itwas not until the Age of Enlightmentthat Aristotle's identification ofspeech with intelligence was finallyrecognized to be a fallacy. In the 18th

century a methodical and versatilesign system was developed inFrance. In the more democraticspirit of the age, the deaf were tinallyalloyed to have and use their ownsign languagethe common bonduniting them, and the meanswhereby they could again recogni-tion by the hearing society .:.nd

develop their own distinct andseparate culture and art.

Oddly enough, the first floweringof that culture took place not inFrance but in the United States, and

only a century later at that. In post-Napoleonic Europe, incluoir,y Prance

itself, French liberal ideas were an

anathema, and sign language, whichsmacked of these ideas, becamesubject to linguistic suppression6i _t before this took place, the seed

vas already transplanted to theUnited States, where it took firmhold. By the end of the 19th century,deaf culture and art had been virtu-ally nipped in the bud in Europe buthad started to bloom in the UnitedStates, which was by then the onlycountry in the world that did notofficially suppress sign language.

The deaf flocked to solo perfor-

mances by artists who rendered

poems and stories it dramatic andeloquent sign language whisc:1 held

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March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Cents'

sway over their audiences Then, asnow, the deaf enjoyed watching amasterful "orator" whose signsparallel and visually challenge thecadences of spoken speech Fromthese modest beginnings theredeveloped thriving communitytheaters of the deaf in many citiesacross the United States. The impor-tance of these theaters is reflectedin the 6pecial regard among the deaffor their leading actors. The theater,:sa..sfied the needs of their au-diences by presenting skits andplaylets that reflected the problemsand lives of the deaf Unfortunately,most of this rich culttetteljal,,_has become irretrievably lost, exceptperhaps in the memories of a fewoldttmers, because as a visuallanguage it could not be recorded inwriting, and videotaping was thenstill a thing of the future.

The Birth of a MediumFor a time the birth of a new artmedium, the cinema, seemed toopen new cultural vistas to the deafcommunity. The era of the silentfilms was the golden age of thecinema to the deaf, towhom vision isthe principal sense of aesthetic andartistic appreciation. It alsoaffordedcareer opportunities to deaf artistssuch as Albert Bailin, the coach tomany .-iollywood stars, whose knowl-edge of sign language enabled himto instruct hearing actors in the fluidand dramatic expression of emotionthrough movements

There even were deaf film-makers.Ernest Marshall and EmersonRomero, under the name TommyAlbert, made a series of comedysilents m Cuba for the Pan AmericanPictures Corporation. The advent hfthe soundtrack inevitably ended thefilm careers of these gifted artists,and even hearing actors for thesilent screen were concerned thatthe noting craft would die whenvoices were adrlf.td. Deaf audiencesbecame alienated, and since thenreplays of silent films and foreignfilms with English subtitles have

been the only commercially accessi-ble source of cinema for the deaf.

But the advent of the talkies wasnot an entirely arid period to the deafcommunity, since by tnen a

minuscule but thriving deaf filmindustry had emerged Deaf film-makers such as Ernest Marsl,all pro-duced and directed shorts and evenfeature-length films in signlanguage, including a signed ver-sion of Chekhov's The Boorin an erawhen federal support of the arts didnot extend to the handicapped. Itwas their pioneer work that provideda solid basis for the development of

mow sophisticated techniques ofmotion-picture and video filming insign.

Intriguing and innovative tts itwas, the deaf film industry could notcontribute to the participation of thedeaf community in the mainstreamof society. Something more had tobe done, and finally the Bureau ofEducation of the Handicapped, U.SDepartment of Health, Educationand Welfare, establie` ed theCaptioned Films arc: Telecom-munications program. This programprovides a free loan service oftheatrical, documentary, andselected adult educational captioned16mm films to clubs and organiza-tions of deaf people Contact theprogram at 5034 Wisconsin Avenue,Washington. DC 20016.

TV Siill Holds PromiseThe advent of television, like theadvent of sound films, had a douole-edged effect. It offered a major newvisual medium for communica-tion and the spread of culturalawareness among the hearing, butsimultaneously it reduced the op-portunities for access to arts andinformation for deaf people since itdisregarded their particular needsTo understand this, consider that tomost deaf people, watching TV islike trying to lipread Here and thereeducated guesses can be made as towhat people on the screen are talk-ing about but for the most part it is a

futile and frustra log exercise Thepromise of TV as a medium for bringing instant news to every home andenriching the life of the Individualthrough the presentation of artisticand entertainment programs waslargely unfulfilled as far as the deafwere concerned.

Isolated attempts we._ made inthe 1960s to help the deaf enjoy TVand make the public aware of theproblems of the deaf A pioneerattempt was made by the well-known deaf actor Bernard Bragg,who in the early 1960s or.g mated theweekly San Francisco TV program,The Quiet Man". This was a

children's show produced in mimeand sign, with Audree Norton, a deafactress who later appeared on"Mannix" and "Man and the City."

Since 1967, sign language produc-tions featuring the National Theatreof the Deaf (NTD), such as "My ThirdEye" and CBS's "A Child'sChristmas in Wales" with MichaelRedgrave narrating, have beenadapted for television. The responseof deaf viewers was enthusiastic,and hearing viewers appreciated thechance to acquaint themselves withthe beauty, dignity and stunninglydramatic nature of masterfully usedsign language. It was not until the1970s, however, that TV programs forthe deaf hac' like deaf theater, begunto attain maturity and gain wideracceptance.

March 1981

CONTEMPORARYDEAF ARTSUntil the 1970s, deaf culture could belikened to a hidden but enduringsubterranean stream. However, afterthe federal mandate for equalaccess to the arts for the handi-capped was enacted, that streamemerged full force and began toenrich the mainstream of Americanculture Deaf theater, cinema, televi-sion, dance and folklore are enjoyinga resurgence. There has even arisena new cultur,-; phenomenon- deafarts festivals

TheaterThe deaf theater's emphasis on thevisual aspects of drama is the basisof deaf theater and provides amedium in which deaf actors excelwith spontaneity and vigor. Deaftheater is proving to be a valuableresource and inspiration for the newvisual movements in hearingtheater. This interesting trend rever-sal was given impetus by the Englishdirector Peter Brook, the PolishJerzy Grotowski, the AmericanJoseph Chaikin, and the NationalTheatre of the Deaf Playwrights,actors and directors are now fre-quently using physical forms of ex-

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Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center

pression to reinvigorate dramaAmerican Sign Language, in

which words and concepts aretranslated into action and visual im-agery, is in itself a superb vehicle ofdramatic expression Thus deaftheater, a former stepchild, is now ina position to contribute significantlyto the larger world of the theater andentertainment industry.

But the crumbling of the barrierbetween deaf and hearing theatersdoes more than stimulate fruitfulnew developments in hearingtheater It has also increased thenumber of hearing theaters openingtheir doors to equal participation bydeaf and hearing actors and pro-viding equal enjoyment of drama formixed hearing and deal audiences.

This is accomplished in severalways Some theatrical companies,such as the Integral Theatre Founda-tion in New York City represent in-tegrated troupes of deaf and hearingactors who work together on the ex-ploration, development and presen-tation of nonverbal communicationtechniques. Others, such as theNational Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) inWaterford, Connecticut, presentoriginal sign-language versions ofclassical and contemporary playsthat are accessible to both deaf andhearing audiences. The new ModelCommunity Theatre of the Deaf inWashington, DC, is detlicated tostaging original playsabout the livesand problems of the deaf.

hallmark of these theaters isthat they are open to the publicrather than to deaf people only andthus their art can be enjoyed by awide audience. In addition, there aremany hearing theaters that use avariety of techniques to mo!:e perfor-mances accessible to deaf people

Theaters Of andFor Th DeafThe following theaters of the deafand theaters with mixed deaf andhearing actors include community,college and professional performing,groups and training programs

Ambidextrous Two hearing impairedactor-dancers perform a cabaretshow of pop tunes through signlanguage, mime and dance RitaCorey Musign Company, 2,312Coo dge Avenue, Oakland, CA946,,2, TTY (415) 533-5490.

Dallier Theater of the Deaf Regan inearly 1978 to interpret musical selec-tions for deaf audiences Producedtwo full-length plays in signlanguage in 1979 Purpose -To bringtogether the worlds of the hearingand the hearing impaired throughtheater productions." Projects spon-sored by center and by grant fromDallas Arts Program as well asadmission receipts Billie Jordan,Manuel Esquivel, Dallas-CallierCenter For CommunicationDisorders, University of Texas, 1966Inwood Road, Dallas, TX 75235,telephone (214) 783-3040.

Children's Thl ater of the Deaf Tenchildren ages 10-15, half of themdeaf. One main production eachyear. A smaller group called TheTravelling Hands performs forschools and libraries. Both groupsuse sign, vole°, mime, song, dance.One full-time staff member; fundedby Illinois Arts Council and the,:enter. Cecilia Streje, Center onDeafness, 600 Waukegan Road,Glenview, IL 60025; telephone (312)729-5620.

Colorado Theater of the Deaf Spunoff from CETA grant 1978. Started asa therapy group, seeking to expandinto full-length adult works. Spon-sored by Creative Arts TherapyInstitute Madeline Gerstein, JudyMelvin, 3605 Morehead, Boulder, CO80303; telephone (303) 499-5838

Cridders Members of the Connec-ticut Registry of Interpreters of theDeaf, "turn song and rhyme into signand mime". Barbara B Brasel,Commission on the Deaf andHearing Impaired, 40 WoodlandStreet, Hartford, CT 06105,telephone (203) 566-7414.

Dayton Community Theater of the

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March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf 1 he National Access Center

Deaf City-sponsored communitytheater, established 1978, forpurpose of enriching deaf socialactivities exposing deafness to thehearing community by demonstrat-ing the beauty )f sign language, andfostering interaction between thehearing and d 3af Member of OhioTheater Alliance and NAD MelissaShaffer, Dayton Playhouse. 1728East 3rd Street, Dayton, OH 45403,telephone (513) 222-7000

Deaf Drama and Arts ProjectEstablished 1977. courses in DeafTheater Arts. two major productionseach year, Deaf Arts Festival, inter-preting services at hearing"theaters in Seattle The Free HandsPlayers, a touring company forchildren added 1979, actors, half ofwhore are deaf, are paid ar d work fulltime Jer Loudenback. Seattle Com-munity College. 1701 Broadway,Seattle WA 98122, telephone (206)587-4183

The Detroit Sign Company Estab-lished 1971, group made up of 11actors, all deaf or hearing impairedUsually 10-12 performances per yearfor various fund raisors and com-munity activities. Roman Imielow-ski, Madonna College, 9702 MichaelDrive, Romulus, MI 48074, telephone(313) 941-5213.

Fairmount Theate of the DeafEstablished 1975 Other than the1\11D, FTD is the only professionaldeaf the ater in the country. In addi-tion to regular touring sepson, FTDoffers a workshop series in theaterFTD originally with FairmountCenter for Creative and PerformingArts Funded now through grantfrom Cleveland Foundation andOhio Arts Council Robert Tolero,Fairmount Theater, 1925 CoventryRoad, Cleveland, OH 44118,telephone (216) 932-2573

Florissant Valley Theater of the DeafEstablished in 1979 College com-pany of 6-14 deaf, 4-5 hearing actorsPlays presented in sign and voice ALittle Theater has been added to tour

the state John Heidger, 3400Pershall Road, St Louis, MO 63135,telephone and TTY (314) 595-4477

Gallaudet College Theater Perform-ing since 1894 Drama Departmentestablished in 1964. Two major pro-ductions each year, academiccourses. Chairman Gilbert Eastmanwas a founding member of NTDSmall touring ensemble started 1977.Gilbert Eastman, Gallaudet College,Kendall Green, Washington, DC20002, telephone and TTY (202)615-5606

Gallaudet College Deaf AwarenessTroupe Performs music in AmericanSign Language, also lecture.-- ar,

schools to hearing children aboutdeafness. Janet Bailey GallaudetCollege, Kendall Green, Wash-ington, DC 20002

Gallaudet Modern Dance GroupTraveling dance group under direc-tion of Peter Wisher tours world-wide Gallaudet College. KendallGreen, Washington, DC 20002

Golden West College Theater of theVeal Course offered every Ithersemester. About 35 student, manyof them deaf Each class produces amajor production and tours it locaily.Work is mostly visual gesture: littlesign or voice Stewart Rogers, 15744Golden West Street, HuntingtonBeach, CA 92647, telephone (714)892-7111

The Hands Have It Rita Gnvich,White Station High School, 514South Perkins, Memphis, TN 38117;telephone (901) 767-1174

Happy Handfuls Children's TheaterBegun in early 1970s, performs skits,songs, poems and Improvisations insign and voice for deaf and hearingchildren and adults, 3 deaf, 2 hearingperforr -rs. Dennis Schemenaner,California State University, North-ridge, P.O Box 1265, Reseda. CA91335, telephor-: (213) 885-2614

Frederick H. Hughes Theater(Hughes Memorial heater) Now

affiliated with Model CommunityTheater of the Deal Established in1979 as a model for communitytheaters throughout the UnitedStates Begun by Bernard Bragg todevelop and stage plays about thedeaf ana make tapes of them to lendto community theaters, provide ar-tistic and technical assistance toother community theaters of thedeaf, help develop acting skillsamong the deaf through mime andsign workshops Tales from aClubroom, an original play written byBernard Bragg and Eugene Berg-man, premiered in Cincinnati in 1980at the National Association or theDeaf Centennial. Twenty castmembers, 5 paid staff, ana 10volunteers. Bernard Bragg,Gallaudet College, Kendall Green,Washington, DC 20002, telephone(202) 447-0786.

Knoxville Theater of the DeafFormed in 1979 for variety showswith sign and voice, now planningmajor productions. Arts councilfunding and occasional ticket feesTwo paid staff; 7 cast members, 'medeaf. Charles Davis, PO. Box 886,Knoxville, TN 37901. telephone (615)577-3741.

Minnesota Theater Institute cf theDeaf Established in 1977, three com-panies, for children, juniors andadults Children's classes and Satur-uay morning workshops, in additionto taking part in performances. LittleTheater, (for children 5-10) is for deafchildren only, they perform skits for°yin enjoyment, no real productions.Naomi Samuels, Tessa Bridal,Hennepin Center for Arts, 528Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN55403, telephone (218) 871-1153

The Mississippi InterpretationsStudent and teacher group estab-lished in 1979 performs songs anddances with sign, tours throughoutstate Randy Brightwell, MississippiSchool for the Deaf, Jackson, MI49201, telephone (601) 366-0317

NTID theater Established 1968,

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became a highly active and boldtheater department in 1973 Pro-duces 4 or 5 presentations each year.225 students: faculty includes PatGraybill, former NTD AssociateDirector and Paul Johnston. Sun-shine and Company, a NTID groupthat performs songs in sign. BruceHalverson, National TechnicalInstitute of the Deaf, Lomb MemorialDrive, Rochester, NY 14623,telephone (716) 475-6250 and TTY(716) 475-6254.

New Dominion Theater of the DeafDebut in 1979 as Richmond Theaterof the Deaf, supported in part bygrant from Virginia Commission forthe Arts. Plans a touring schedule.Robert Blumenstein, 5 South Colo-nial Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221;telephone (804) 358-5468.

New York Deaf Theater A newlyformed community group of deafactors. Cabarets performed atChelsea Theater Center and localdinner theaters. Charlie McKinnLy,c/o Wonder, 147 West 22nd Street,10th floor, New York, NY 10011; TTY(212) 989-5703.

North Carolina Theater of the DeafA college company with three deafactors and one interpreter. MichaelLarson, North Carclina State Univer-sity, Raleigh, NC 27607; telephone(919) 782-1773.

North Carolina Theater of GesturesPresented The Chalk Circle withdeaf and hearing actors fromWinston-Salem area; supported by agrant from Winston-Salem Founda-tion. Michael Todd Larson, PO. Sox121, Wendell, NC 27591; telephone(919) 365-6183.

Northwest Theater of the DeafEstablished in 1973 to providetheater of, by, and for, the deaf.Performs two productions annually.Financial suppc-t from admissionfees: employs one director(hearing).Pei ,orms 'n sign with off-stagey ces. Jim Randall, 3406 EdgewoodDrive, Vancouver, WA 98661,

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telephone (206) 695-0847

The O'Neill Center's NationalTheatre of the Deaf Founded 1967Fully professional company of 12 to20 actors Tours U.S twice a year. 15foreign tours to 21 countries Hasgiven over 2500 performances. DoneTV specials for NBC, CBS, and PBSLeader in advocacy movement fordeaf artists. National theatricalresource center for all deaf perform-ing groups.

Little Theatre of the Deaf, Two pro-fessional companies performing foryoung audiences. Tours twice yearlyPerforms worldwide. Regularly on"Sesame Street"

Theater-m-Sign; professionalcompany performing in AmericanSign Language with no interpreta-tion Week's residency includesworkshops and consultation ,/ithlocal deaf theater groups.

Runs Professional SummerSchool for Deaf Theatie Personneland the National Deaf Playwrights'Conference each summer to trainand assist deaf actor:: stage techni-cians and writers

David Hays, O'Neill TheaterCenter, 305 Great Neck Road, Water-ford, CT 06385; telephone ,203)443-5378, TTY (203) 443-7406.

Phoenix Theater of the Deaf Foundedin 1979. Performs variety-type showsand plays. 16 actors, half of themdeaf. Group is not funded, performswithout fees. Doris L Krampe, 5308West Acapulco, Glendale, AZ 85306;(602) 938-7410

Riverside Deaf Players Deaf theaterclub established in 1965. Producesabout once a year in sign with off-stage voice; many Gallaudet alumniSeymour S. Bernstein, 2992 HydePark Circle, Riverside, CA 92606;telephone (714) 787-9649.

See-Saw Little Theater for the Deafand Hearing, Inc. Begun as studenthonors hroject in 1976. Use SEE(Seeing Exact English) method intheir performances. Group createsits own family theater scripts using

song, dance, and mime around onecentral theme Traveling group of 12members Wchael J Higgins,University _e North Colorado, POBox 1044, (.3reeley CO 80632,telephone (303) 336-8354

Show of Hands Circuit PlayhouseTheater of the Dept Established withCETA grants 1978. Uses sign, mime,poetry, and dance. Paid company of5 includes one deaf and one hear-ing impaired, 4 administratorsPerforms mostly vignettes, im-provisation Tours Memphis area,performing for adults and chiloren inschools Hopes to expand touringrange, looking for more deaf per-formers. Marc Marinez, 162 NorthTucker Street, Memphis, TN 38104,telephone (901) 726-5521.

Spectrum Focus on Deaf ArtistsEstablished in 1975. Restructuredinto a service organization to providetechnical assistance and channelsof communication for emerging in-depenr ent arts organizations PatClubb, PO Box 339, Austin, TX78767, telephone (512) 476.4895

SpectrumThe American DeafDance Company Began in 1978 andmade first national tour performingand giving master classes andlecture demonstrations Choreo-graphed by Yacov Sharer, who is alsoartistic d ector PO. Box 339,/Austin, TX 78767, telephone (512)476-4895

Stage Hands, Inc. Established in1976 for interpreting the performingarts for hearing impaired audiences.Aiso formed Atlanta Area Theater ofthe Deaf, a group of hearing im-paired youths (12-16) performing 10shows a year. Also performs in TVproductions including an hour-longmusical production, "Ra.nbow. TheColors of Life," which explores liteexperiences through songs in signDebra Brenner, Stage Hands, Inc.,332 Oakland Street, Decatur, GA30030, telephone (404) 377-7883.

Theater of Silence Formerly fundedby State Arts Council, then univer-

1 1

'March 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center

sity, now depends on fees Touringthis year to 12 states, program ofmime, poetry, and dance. Seventeenactors, only one of whom is deafJack P Olson, Montar.a StateUniversity, Wilson Hall, Bozeman,MT 59715, telephone (406) 994-3815

Urban Arts Project in Deafnessintegrated arts work experience pro-gram, all aspects of theater produc-tion Training in theater arts andvisual arts for 3p high schoolstudents (20 deaf, 10 hearing)employed by CETA. Produces andperforms 6 productions, developinga touring company of deaf actors toeducate the hearing public aboutdeafness Anne McDermott, 456Belmont Street, Watertown, MA02172, telephone (617) 928-8440

Hearing Theaters withAccessibility for the DeafThe following theaters and projectshave produced worKs mat includeddeaf actors or provided accessibilityto deaf audiences The National Ac-cess Center would appreciate newsof theater and drama projects thatshould be included in the foregoingand following lists

Annenberg Center's Hearing Theatrefor the Deaf Provides ticketing ser-vices, interpreted performances andpost-performance discussions forhearing impaired audiences in thePhiladelphia area. CatherineMarshall, University of Philadelphia,3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA19104, telephone (215) 243-7571.

Arena Stage/The Living Stage Arenaprovides interpreted performancesThe Living Stage, under the direc-tion of Robert Alexander, employsand performs for disabled au-diences, using some sign languageArena Stage, 6th and M Streets, SW,Washington, DC 20024; telephone(202) 554-9066.

Arizona Commission on the Arts andHumanities Implemented a three-year program of deaf audiencedevelopment and hearing audience

awareness of dear arts throughsigned performances and employ-ment of professional deaf artists aridcompanies such as The NationalTheatre of the Deaf. Lynn Martin-dale, Arizona Commission on theArts & Humanities, 6330 NorthStreet, Ph2-,.-inix, AZ 85014. telephone602) 255-5882

Body Politic Theatre Provides inter-preted performances 2261 No, ,hLincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614,telephone (312) 525-1052

Dallas Theater Center ProducingChildren of a Lesser God w:th mixeddeaf and hearing cast 3636 TurtleCreak Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75219,telephone (214) 526-8210

The Folger Theatre Group Providesinterpreted performances 201 EastCapitol Sheet, SE, Washington, DC20003, telephone (202) 547-3230.

Geva Theatre Provides signed per-formances Vicki Duval, Geva Theatre,168 Clinton Avenue, Rochester, NY14604, telephone (716) 232-1366

The Guthrie Theater Provides inter-preted performances. Jeanne Keller,The Guthrie Theater, Vineland Place,Minneapolis, MN 55403; telephone(612) 377-2824.

Hartman Theatre Company Em-ployed two deaf actors in a hearingcast for He Who Gets Slapped, 1977.Hartman Theatre Company, Box 521.Stamford, CT 06904, telephone (203)324-678

Integral Theater Foundation Re-searches audiences with com-munications. Uses neither visual norvocal language. Laurie Sackler, In-tegral Theater Foundation, 110 East59th Street, New York, NY 10022,telephone (212) 759-6300,

Los Angeles Actors' TheatreProduced Trojan Women in 1980featuring a double cast of deaf andhearing actors. Used sign languageand vocal narration simultaneouslyLos Angeles Actors' Theatre, 1089North Oxford Avenue, Los Angeles,

12

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CA 90006; telephone (213) 464-5603

Longacre Theater The Broadwayhome of the Tony Award-winningplay Children of a Lesser GodChildren features a mixed deaf andhearing cast Nat:onal touring cornpany performing nationwide Long-acre Theater, 220 West 48th StreetNew York, NY 10036, telephone (212;246-5639

Manhattan Theatre Club Presented"Hand Poems," a poetry reading insign language and voice by one deafone hearing actor as part of thePoetry Series 321 East 73rd SheetNew York, NY 10021, telephone 212:288-2500

Mark Taper Forum First producedChildren of a Lesser God in 1979prior to its Broadway run Includeddeaf actress in an all-hearing cast ifA Christmas Carol, 1980 A deaf (tothence development project. ProjectDATE offers interpreted perfor

March 1981

mances, ticketing and subscriptionservices, workshops and post-performance discussions for thedeaf community. Timothy John Son,K,ark Taper Forum. 135 North randStreet, Los Angeles, CA "1012,telephone (213) 972-7373 and TTY(213) 680-4017.

Milwaukee Repertory Theatre Com-pany Produced Children of a I esserGcd for 1980 season MilwaukeeRepertory Theatre Company, 929North Water Street, Milwaukee, WI53202, telephone (414) 273-7121.

Nebraska Arts Council/MetropolitanArts Council and N.E. Iowa ArtsCouncil Arts with the Deaf andHearing Impaired program employsa deaf actor as artist-in-residence,gives interpreted performances withdeaf actors at the Omaha CommunityPlayhouse and Omaha JuniorTheatre, and runs workshops in deafand hearing schools. SeveralShakespeare plays are beingtranslated into Americal. SignLanguage. Metro Arts Council, Box1077 Downtown Station, Omaha, NE68601; telephone (402) 341-7910.

Theatre Access for the DeafProvides sign interpreted perfor-mances at theaters throughoutBoston such as the Boston Shake-speare Company, Colonial Theatreand Loon and Heron 'Children'sTheatre. Barbara Levitov, Commis-sion on the Handicapped, City Hall,Boston, MA 02201; telephone andTTY (617) 725-3696.

Theatre Development Fund'sTheatre Access Project Provides fullass,milatici of the disabled intoregular au Jiences of the performingarts in New York City. Offers servicesspecifically designed for the hear-ing, visually and physically im-paired, such as ticket sales andinterpreted performances fortheater, music and dance events.Linda Lowy, TDF-TAP, 1501 Broad-way, New York, NY 10036; telephone(212) 221-0885

12


Cinema-13-einema has not done nearly aswell aS deaf theater during the lastdecade. Two feature-length films,Deatula and Think. Me Nothing, weremade by deaf film makers, but deafcinema has to goa long way before itcatches up with the early classicsmade by the deaf film maker ErnestMarshall.

Films about the deaf produced byhearing companies have an in-teresting but ironic history. Popularmovies such as "Johnny Belinda"and "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"portrayed deaf people as depressed,helpless types and employed hear-ing actors. More recently, TV filmssuch as "Dummy", The Kitty O'NeillStory", "My Mom and Dad Can't HearMe" and a theater release, Voices,continued the same practice ofemploying hearing actors to portraystereotyped roles of helpless orheroic deaf characters.

But with these more recent pro-ductions, the deaf community, filmunions and organizations of the deafprotested loudly and actively. Anational press confe'ence in 1979in Los Angeles announced NTD'spublication of the Deaf Players'Guide, and deaf actors JuliannaField, Richard Kendall and PhyllisFrelich spoke out on the discrimina-tion they have faced and offeredtheir vision of equal casting rights inthe future.

The feeling now is that screen-writers should be encouraged towrite a variety of roles for deafcharacters in film, not Just heroic or"special" roles. Why not have a deafvillain, lawyer or lover! Deaf actorsshould be able to audition for anyrole and be Judged on artistic meritrather than interviewed aboutdeafness. The film industry is nowbeginning to recognize that there areprofessional deaf actors who canprovide original, authentic por-trayals of deaf characters. And, a fewcreative directors and producers intheater and television are beginning

to convince the Will industry that dif-f erences between people car,become the source of innovationand exciting artistic expression

The motion pictui industry stilltends to show considerable igno-rance of the deaf and of their specialchallenge. In this respect, it lagsbehind the television industry whichwith "And Your Name is Jonah"scored resounding popular successby employing deaf actors for all thedeaf roles and realisticallyilluminating the dePf and their prob-lems.

The first special film festival forthe deaf was a part of the 1980Greater Miami International FilmFestival. It offered subtitled Mr isaimed at the deaf, and includedinterpreted co 3rences with filmdirectors such as John Fran k-enheimer (Black Sunday) and an in-terpreted tour through the Trade Fair.A special opening night was held fordeaf participants with deaf actorBernard Bragg emceeing a perfor-mance by Bobbo Goldberg's Fanto-mime Theatre. This part of theprogram was arranged by I yndaSloan, special coordinator at th.festival.

Work is underway at GallaudotCollege to produce a tarn, Tales

From a Clubroom based on the playof the same name by two deafplaywrights, Bernard Bragg andEugene Bergmar. The drama,centered about a club of the deaf,offers a revelatory glimpse into theIves and concerns of deaf people

The Captioned Films and Tele-communications Program of theBureau of Education provides freeloan service of captioned theatrical,documentary and educational 16mmfilms to clubs and organizationsserving deaf citizens. For informa-tion, contact. Captioned Films andTelecommunications Program, 5034Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Wash-ington, DC 20016.

A pioneer organization for placingwriters, producers and directors in

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March 1981

the motion picture ana television in-dustries is headed by Saul Rubin, aproducer, ana Gregg Bmoks, a deafproduces and director. Contact themat the National CommunicationsFoundation, 3876 Carpenter Avenue,Studio City, CA 91604.

Television"We are living in a visuallyexploding world Who else ismore suited to work in visualmedia than those who dependon light waves for their verymeans of communication?" -1979 -1980 Deaf Player's Guide,National Theatre of the Deaf.

Since 1970, the number of televisionprog:ams designed for deaf au-diences, or including deafcharacters, has noticeably in-creased. The growth has proceededalong several lines, network showsthat include deaf characters, thepresentation of shows in sign lan-guage, and insets of sign languageinterpretation or captioning toprovide accessibility of "regular"programming to deaf and hearingimpaired audiences. At presentABC, NBC and PBS are participatingin a new clo...ted captioning effort.CBS is not.

Television Showswith Deaf CharactersDeaf characters have been includedin network programs such as All inthe Family", "Starsky and Hutch'',and "Marcus Welby, M.D", but were,unfortunately, cast with hearingactors. This practice was seen byriany in the deaf community toparallel the use of white performers

blackface to portray blackcharacters. But with the increasingawareness of the American publicand the emergence of talented pro-fessional deaf actors, the trend isbeginning to reverse itself. We areseeing a growing number of deafactors portraying deaf characterswith integrity and great appeal. Thehope now is that, just as with black

Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Cente.

women, Puerto Ricans and otherminority groups, deaf actors will becast for a variety of roles.. not justdeaf character roles. Also, it isimportant that these shows be cap-tioned for deaf and hearing impairedaudiences.

Bernard Bragg made the first realbreakthrough in his work as host ofKQED-TV's "The Quiet Man" in SanFrancisco in the 1960s. Bragg wasfollowed by Linda Bove, who was thefirst deaf actress to be employed asa regular performer on a networkshow, "Sesame Street" on PBS, andlater in the- CBS serial "Search forTomorrow". Linda was also a gueststar on ABC's "Happy Days".

In 1980, a young deaf actor, AlbanBranton, appeared with interpreter/actor Lou Fant in NBC's "LittleHouse on the Prairie", deaf actressSheila Lenham appeared with SonnyBono on ABC's "Love Boat", and LizQuinn was in CBS' "Trapper John,M D.". Five former members of theNational Theatre of the Deaf,Edmund Waterstreet, Linda Bove,Sam Edwards, Joseph Sarpy andEliane Bromka were featured withMeryl Streep on ABC's "Omnibus".CBS produced a drama of specialmerit, ". .And Your Name Is Jonah,"which f?atured a cast of many deafactors (the lead played by youngJeffrey Bravin) and treated theproblems of deaf people with greatunderstanding and care

The use of deaf actors will in-crease on prime time network showsduring 1981 NBC's "Disney'sWonderful World" will show a televi-sion film called "Amy" which stars anumber of deaf youngsters from theCalifornia School for the Deaf atRiverside, Otto Reichenberg amongthem. ABC will feature actressPhyllis Frelich in an episode of"Barney Miller", and two new seriesshows will add deaf characters (bothchildren) as regulars CBS will use10-year-old Fred Weiss `or its"Secret of Midland Heights", and10-year-old Jonny Kovacs will appearregularly on a new series, "The

14

Second Family Tree"Clearly, this is just the beginning

af a breakthrough in this great socialfrontier. Not only is a new professionbuilding for deaf people, but all ofour lives are being more deeplytouched with the awareness of theirpresence and the gifts they bring.

Entertainment Programsfor the DeafIn 1973, WETA-TV, the PBS station inWashington, DC, in conjunctionwith Gallaudet College (the world'sonly college of liberal arts for thedeaf), produced "Rock Gospel", aone-hour show in which a band per-formed folk and gospel music whilefour "signers" interpreted the lyricsin sign language. "Rock Gospel"received a local Emmy award forspecial programming. Not longafterward, WTOP-TV, also inWashington, DC presented a half-hour rock music progra-, "SongSung Signed", in which deaf andhearing performers interpreted rocksongs and poetry in sign languageand dance. That also won alocal Emmy

In 1979, D.E.A.F. Media, Inc , inOakland, California, produced a pilotseries for "Rainbow's End", a pro-gram designed for deaf children andtheir families. This unique showuses a story format performed bydeaf actors to provide deaf childrenwith adult role models, to encouragelanguage enrichment, and tostimulate family interaction amongdeaf chidren and other hearing anddeaf members of their families. Thir-teen segments are being developedfor production, which the producershope wrIl be picked up by PBS. Forinformation: Betsy Ford, D E.A.F.Media, 401 East 21st Street, Oakland,CA 94606.

Another series featuring deafactors, "Our Place", is produced byAll Join Hands for adult deaf audi-ences. Funded in part by WarnerAmex Cable Communications, Inc.,the show uses a neighborhood storeas tne context for guest stars and in-

13

March 1985

teresting visitors who meet, con-verse in sign language and shareideas. "Our Place" is shown onWarner Cable TV systems aroundthe country. For intormationDouglas Paddock, All Join Hands, 17Saw Mill River Road, Hawthorne, NY10532.

The field of sign-language enter-tainment programs on TV is barelybeginning to be explored. Much canbe accomplished, especially sincethe increasingly vocal deaf com-munity is aware that it can gainpublic service air time through theFederal Communications Commis-sion (FCC) reporting requirement forradio and television stations. Therequirement, known as "ascertain-ment of community problen.- re-

quires all stations serving markets inexcess of 10,000 to regularly list 10community priorities ascertainedthrough interviews with localleaders and organizations. Obvi-ously, stations have to do a lot morethan cover one group or one seg-ment, but the ascertainment require-ment makes it easier for them to dotheir job correctly Deaf organiza-tions can use the ascertainment ruleto secure more time and coverage ontelevision.

Deaf audiences can alwaysbenefit from captioning of the kindof shows that hearing people enjoy.Captioning has an advantage oversign-language interpretationbecauso it serves the widest rangeof dear and partially deaf viewers"Deaf" refers to people who use signlanguage, and "partially deaf" tothose who do not u-e it but have asignificant degree of hearing loss

The first major national televisionexperiments in captioning weremade by WGBH-TV, the PBS stationin Boston, with funding by the MediaServices of the U.S. Department ofHealth, Education and Welfare.These efforts started with the cap-tioning of 26 hours of Julia Child's"The French Chef". Since then, cap-tioning at WGBH has provided clearand direct language for programs

14


such as "Nova", "The Advocates","ZOOM", and "Crockett's VictoryGarden" in the last live years WGBHhas produced more than 700 hoursof captioned programming on publicaffairs, t hildren, sports anddeafness.

WGBH has also produced in SignLanguage "Who Knows One", aPassover Seder featuring theNational Theatre of the Deaf and isworking on a 13-part series "Festivalof Hands" documenting majorworks by NTD in its 17-year history ofworldwide performances. The firstpart, with Jason Robards as narrator,will be aired April 29,1981. These pro-grams (with soundtrack) are distrib-uted through the Public TelevisionLibrary Video Program Service. 475L'Enfant Plaza West, SW, Wash-ington, DC 20022.

News ProgrammingThere are threrl ways of presentingintelligible news to deaf citizens: Bysign language interpreters super-imposed on the screen, captioning,and presenting deaf newsmen onthe screen. Interpretation is losingpopularity since watching the broad-cast and the sign language inter-preter on the screen is a distractingand visually tiring exercise to hear-ing and deaf audiences alike. Cap-tioning is an increasingly popularand widespread method, and somestations provide news summariespresented by deaf newsmen

Tht, first attempt to make newsbroadcasts accessible to deafpeople was made with signlanguage interpreters in 1956 byWOED in Pittsburgh. Soon after, sta-tions in Tennessee and Washington,DC, presented interpreted shortnews segments fordeaf people. Cur-rently, at least 40 provide some localnews for their deaf and hearing-impaired viewers. Usually these in-serts are five-minute summaries ofnews added to regular news broad-casts before 7 a.m. or on SundaysThey are seldom, if ever, in primetime viewing hours There is at least

one magazine-format deaf pro-gramthe weekly half-hour show"Silent Perspectives" 'which com-bines news, public affairs and enter-tainmecit.

The regular ABC network newsprogram is captioned every week-night at WGBH-P/ This captionedversion is news with a differenceacomplete 29- minute nev s packagewithout commercial interruptions.The six minutes of commerc, albreaks are replaced by the onlyregularly produced and nationallybroadcast materials for and aboutdeaf citizens. They include. The Cap-tion Center's Late R3port, a last-minute update of the evening'snews, Deaf Heritage, a iistory ofevents and people that made sign ifcant contributions to the world olthe deaf; Chronicle, news thatdirectly affects the deaf communitythrcughout the U.S ; and CaptionedConsumer, which offers special con-sumer tips. Sports and weatherreports for 86 cities are alsoincludea.

The Captioned ABC News isbroadcast on 142 public televisionstations and after 5 years is still theonly nationally broadcast newsaimed at an estimated 14 millionhearing-impaired people. The suc-cess of this program, despite thelate hour, demonstrctes the oppor-tunities for cooperation betweencommercial and public televisionstations in serving deaf viewers.

The Deaf andEducational TVEducational TV is able to provideprogramming for deaf audiencesfree of many of the copyright restric-tions. Amendments to the copyrightlaw adopted by Congress in 1976state that, "Broadcasting perfor-mances of non-dramatic literaryworks, directed primarily at blind ordeaf audiences, is not considered aninfringement of copyright, provided:(a) the transmission is made withoutany purpose of commercial aavan-tage; (b) the broadcasting facilities

1.5

March 1981 Arts AciAssibility for the Deaf The National Access Center

are operated by a governmentalbody, a non-commercial educationalstation, a radio sub-carrier or a cablesystem ".

Closed circuit television systems(CCTV) have been introduced forlearning and entertainment pur-poses at many schools for the deafand at public day classes tor thedeaf. Portable video equipment isused to enable students aiidteacher:, to produce their own pro-grams, using a visual medium loexpress their visual world. In onecase, the TV program at theTennessee School for the Deaf inKnoxville was so successful thatWSJK-TV, the local PBS station, in-troduced a weekly program for thedeaf, "Signs of the Times", that hasbeen well received by both deaf athearing viewers.

In addition, educational institu-tions for the deaf and deafnessresearch centers are working ontelevision projects GallaucetCollege produces original programsin sign language and through itsOffice of Educational Technologycaptions commercially availableshows for the benefit of the campuscommunity. (Unfortunately, theseservices are not available to the non-college deaf population ) Callaudetalso produces instructional pro-grams for community outr.-.,achprojects

Similarly, the National TechnicalInstitute for the Deaf (1 LombMemorial Drive, Rochester, NY14623) includes video resources intechnical education for the deafTelevision is treated as a majorinstructional tool in such areas asmedical tech, ology, mechanicalengineering and commercial art.The programs are often coordinatedwith computer-assisted instructionsystems.

New York University's DeafnessResearch Center (80 WashingtonSquare East, New York, NY 10012) isalso involved in instructional televi-sion production. An introductorycourse in sign language, "Speaking

With Your Hands", has been aired onNBC stations. In addition, DeafnessCenter staff have been featured in atelevision series, "ChristopherClose-Up" with Carol Tipton, andhave provided full consultancy sup-port for a third series, NBC's "WatchYour Child". The Center produces"The Deaf Community" weekly forthe two cable television systems inNew York City, and makes video-tapes for in-house training purposesor for circulation to other schools oragencies.

In the past three years PBS hasdistributed an average of five hoursper week of programs with "opencaptions", including a weeknightrepeat of ABC's Evening News.Other major PBS series like "Master-piece Theatre" and "The AdamsChronicles" have been distributedin a captioned version. PBS has alsoprovided captioned repeats of majorspecial events, including presiden-tial campaign debates.

Closed CaptioningLast March, a system called closedcaptioning was introduced to com-mercial TV. ln contrast to "open"captioning used in WGBH broad-casts of the news, the closed cap-tion line is seen only by viewersusing a decoding device. Encodedsubtitles are imposed on line 21 ofthe TV vertical blanking intervalaportion of the screen that does notordinarily contain a television pic-ture. The encoded caption materialis transmitted by the television sta-tion alor g with the rest of the pro-gram. It becomes visible whendecoded by a device incorporated in-to the viewers TV receiver Viewerswith normal hearing ability will notfind the capuons diqruptive sincethey cannot be seen without adecoder.

Now that the Federal Communications Commission has finallyapproved permanent reservation ofline 21 fo: closed captioning, Sears,Roeouck, & Co , is selling a decodingattachment for standard TV sets, and

16

is planning to introduce a color TV setwith a built-in decoder.

Thousands of these decodershave been purchased by deaf peoplewho can now enjoy somebut stillnot allTV programs.

The National Captioning Institute(NCI), established as a result of theFCC's decision started by caption-ing 16 hours or programs weekly forABC, NBC and PBS last March, andexpects to raise this number to 221/2hours. The most recently added cap-tioned shows included "LittleHouse on the Prairie", "Disney'sWonderful World", "Diff'rent Strokes","The Sunday Big Event", and the12 -hour blockbuster "Shogun."

The support of the captioningservice by advertisers has been over-whelming. At least one agencyFoote, Cone & Belding, Los Angeleshas adopted a policy of urging allOT its clients to have commercialscaptioned. For more information,write: National Captioning Institute,5203 Leesburg Pike, Suite 1500, FailsChurch, VA 22041; telephone andTDD (213) 469-7000.

VideodiscsVideodiscs may be able to open thestorehouse of artistic and entertment programming to trio deaf. TheUniversity of Nebraska at Lincoln rsthe site of a na' 3nal research proj-ect for using videodisc technologyfor hearing-impaired televisionviewers. At the same time, the newtechnology will be assessed for itsvalue in delivering instructional andpublic television programmingAgencies involved on the Lincolncampus are the Berkeley MemorialCenter /Media Development Projectfor the Hearing Impaired, PBS sta-tion KUON-TV, and the Great PlainsNational Instructional TelevisionLibrary.

DanceDance as pure movement in theabsence of sound is a challenge tochoreography. Deaf dancers haveprovided a provocative point ofdeparture for dance with their gift of

15


einonstrating feelings throughfacial and hand gestures and fluidbody movements Their sense ofrhythm is based entirely on the purequalities of sight and movementwith only minimal input from vibra-tions

Two major companies of deafdancers tour the United States. thepioneering professions groupAmerican Deaf Dance Companybased in Austin, Texas, and theGallaudet College Modern DanceGroup. The American Dance Com-pany is under the artistic direction ofIsraeli choreographer Yacov Shawand is the world's first professionaldeaf dance troupe. Gallaudersstudent dance group, under thedirection of Dr. Peter Wisher, hasperfcirmed , cross the United States,in Canada and Israel. These twocompanies often develop danceswhich are not accompanied bymusic, thus forcing us to rethink ourconception of dance and to seedance clearly as an autonomous artform, independe-t of its musicalaccompaniment.

There have been few oppor-tunities for dance education for deafchildren. Just recently two excep-tional model programs for deafchildren have emerged which makethe future for dlaf dance promisingThe Joffrey Ballet in New York City ishosting an experimental "Ballet forDeaf Children" program whicl-offers classical ballet techniquesTwelve children were selected fromlocal schools for the deaf, and thestaff includes a total communica-tion interpreter. Stick figuresillustrate ballet postures, andrhythm is taught by beats defined onthe piano The music is quadri-phonically amplified

The Joffrey program has beensuch a success that the staff is con-sidering merging this class into theregular hearing classes under direc-tion of noted choreographerJacques D'Amboise of the New YorkCity Ballet. Yacov Sham- of theAmerican Deaf Dance Company

16

says the Joffrey program, canprovide companies like us withfuture dancers There is no ouestionthat the deaf can achieve a level ofprofessionalism in dance equal totheir hearing counterpals if they arejust given an opportunity The deafcan develop a special and uniquerelationship with music. They don'tinterract...they coexist with music."

The second model project Ilidance for deaf children was done bythe Rain Island Dance Company inPortland, Maine, during a month-long residency at the GovernorBaxterState School forthe Deaf Theresidency began with a workshop forthe staff and faculty, and an in-troductory workshop for 17- and18-year olds The focus was on highschool and middle school students,and the month's work ended with aperformance by all involved Thetotal involvement of staff andstudents and the cooperation be-tween the school for the deaf and thedance company is an experienceworth emulating

Resources for Deaf DanceAmerican Deaf Dance Company,PO Sox 339, Austin, TX 78767;telephone (512) 476-4894.

Gallaudet College Modern DanceGroup, Gallaudet College, Kendal'Green, Washington, DC 20002,telep hone (202) 651-5361

Robert Joffrey Ballet School, 434Avenue of the Americas, New York,NY 10001, telep -lone (212) :04-8520

MusicAn interesting experiment in makingorchestral music accessible to thepartially deaf is underway ,n Buffalo,New York, where the city's Phil-harmonic Orchestra has beentesting sound amplificationsystems for their fidelity in musictransmission Using high frequencywireless headphones and micro-phones, the orchestra began musiceducation classes for deaf childrenand adults Similar projects havealready been undertaken by or-

chestras ;n Syracuse, New York,Atlanta and Philadelphia

The technicalities of the soundamplification systems is discussedon page 00 Readers are remindedthat these electronic systems canbenefit or individuals with mild tomoderate hearing impairment Theywill not work for the profoundly deaf

Nevertheless, there are otherways to introduce tne profoundlydeaf to music The major techniqueis, once again, interpreters. But formusic, interpreters of a special kindare needed Just as dramatic inter-preters are needed in theater,special music interpreters areneeded in music For instance, con-sider two such disparate inter-preters as the "Rock Gospel" groupat Gallaudet College, and the"operatic interpreter ClarendaGaudio at the Miami (Florida) OperaCompany.

The Rock Gospelers use a blendof sign and mime while swaying andshaking with the inusic to convey tothe deaf audience a feeling of therhythm and emotion inherent in it

By contrast, Ciarenda Gaudiouses ballet-like techniques for inter-preting opera Using her face, bodyand posture, she communicatestempo, rhythm, delicacy, power. andother nuances of music.

In Chicago, a group of contem-porary musicians called Foxfire pro-vide signed and dramatically inter-preted music to deaf audiences.Fo.,:fire has developed an extremelyentertaining an., usefu: way of incor-porating signing and music foreveryone

With these companies, the pro-foundly deaf are being helped toexperience the full range of musicalinterpretation. They are being in-troduced to music as a languageintegral to our societya languagewhich sets moods and changes theatmosphere. Much still remains tobe accomplished in this field, butthe Rock Gospelers, the MiamiOpera Company and Foxfire haveshown the directions to take.

Merch 1981 Arts Accessibility for the Deaf The National Access Center

The Visual Arts.The visual arts have expel tencedmajor stimulus from gifted deafpainters, and two in particular havegamed worldwide recognition. Mor-ris Broderson r, perhaps the mostwell known, both in the deaf landnearing worlds. His work is in thecollections of The Museum of FineArts in Boston, the Whitney Museumof American Art in New York andcountless other museums andprivate collections around the world.Henry Seldis, art critic of the LosAngeles Times, wrote, "It may wellbe that his [Broderson's] forcedescape from the din of modernityhay given this enormously giftedartist a better chance than most toalso eventually still the incessantchattering of the mind" In 1980,Broderson's work was the subject ofa cover story in the publication Art inAmerica.

Broderson works a seven-dayweek in his Los Angeles studio, andthe startling realer-than-real imageshe creates in strikingly clear colorsbetray the tremendous disciplineand eagle eye of a man who crashedthrough cultural barriers with sheertalent.

Robert Freiman does for water-color and acrylic what Brodersondoes for oil. The art critic Rosette C.Lamont describes his work as"Utterly generous, welcoming, all-embracing. Under a lyrical, tendersurface, one feels the strongskeleton, the powerful muscles of e.controlled form" His work is in theprivate collectio,,s of GeorgesBraque, Simone Signoret andTennessee Williams. among others,giving testimony to his internationalrenown The art critic Pierre Rouvesaid, "Water colours have been alltoo long a toy for pictorially mindedspinsters and spinsterishpainters...It is therefore refreshingto see them revitalized by thecolourist wealth and virile hand-writing of Robert Freiman, probablythe best American watercolouristsince John Mann .

MUSEUMS ANDDEAF VISITORSAfter the Smithsonian Institutionmade a comprehensive survey of theneeds of disabled students visitingmuseums, it published the prob-lems and their solutions inMuseums and HandicappedStudents: Guidelines for Educators.The book includes guidelines formuseum programs for deaf students,and the information equally pertainsto deaf adults who are not students.

The guidelines include instruc-tions for 'docents and interpretersaccompanying deaf visitors; clearlanguage on labels; amplificationdevices; film synopses; and liaisonwith the deaf community. Readerswho want to know more aboutaccommodating deaf visitors inmuseums should write foT' a freecopy of the book to The Coordinator,Programs for the Handicapped, Na-tional Air & Space Museum, Smith-sonian Institution, Washington, DC20560.

Model Museum ProgramsThe Smithsonian Institution offersinterpreted tours of six majorWashington, DC, museums (TheNational Air and Space M useum, theNational Portrait Gallery, theNational Collec.rion of Fine Arts, theHirshhorn Museum and SculptureGarden, the Museum of History andTechnology and the NationalMuseum of Natural History) andeven the National Zoo! The Smith-sonian's Coordinator of Programsfor the Handicapped, Jane

Meiewski, can provide on 48-hoursnotice sign and oral interpreters tordeaf visitors at lectures, programsand tours.

A similar effort has been success-ful on the other side of the continent.Docents for the Deaf, sponsored bythe Docent Council of the Asian ArtMuseum and the Fine Arts Museumof San Francisco, work wi.h par-ticipating docents from the SanFrancisco Museum of Modern Art inthe preparation and presentation ofmuseum tours for deaf visitors Theactivities of Docents for the Deafrepresent an outstanding exampleof an integrated community effortsince they are done in cooperationwith the San Francisco SeniorCenter, the California School for theDeaf and the San Francisco Com-munity College District.

The Museum of Modern Artoversees a program of signed gallerytalks, walking tours, demonstra-tions, courses, and lectures for thedeaf in New York City. Participatinginstitutions include the AmericanMuseum of Natural History, theCenter for Inter-American Relations,the Japan Society, the N N YorkBotanical Garden, the New York Hallof Science, the New York ZoologicalSociety, the South St eet SeaportMuseum, and the Studio Museum ofHarlem. The project, developed atthe Museum of Modern Art's Depart-

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March 15151

merit of Education and funded by theNational Endowment for the Arts, iscoordi.lated by Sue Yarboff, co-founder of the NPw York City MetroRegistry of Interp, eters for the Deaf,and Anr Silver, a member of the NewYork Deaf Cultural Arts Community.

The following museums provideinterpreted tours and/or special pro-grams for deaf visitors.

Jane Mejewski, Coordinato, cfPrograms for the Handicapped,Srr sonian Institution, Room 1163,911.. affersoh Drive, Washington, DC20560.

W J. Burbank, Director, Depart-ment of Education, Museum ofModern Art, 11West 53rd Street, NewYork, NY 10019.

Docents for the Deaf, Asian ArtMuseum and the Fine Art Museumof San Francisco, Golden Gate Park,San Francisco, CA 94118.

Ann W Lewin, Capital Children'sMuseum, 1334 G Street, NW,Washington, DC 20005.

Janet Karmen, Director of SpecialEducation, Boston Children'sMuseuni Jamaicaway, Boston, MA02130.

Ellie Rubin, Museum of Fine Arts.Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA02115.

Marianna James, WinterthurMuseum, Winterthur, DE 19735.

Lois Blomsterann, New BritainMuseum of American Art, 56Lexington Street, New Britain, CT06050.

Charles Steiner, MetropolitanMuseum of Art, Fifth Avenue at 82ndStreet, New York, NY 10028.

The Art Institute of Chicago is thefirst museum in the country todevelop a program for deaf andphysically disabled people to serveas paid lecturers and guides forphysically disabled persons as wellas for the general public. Deafmuseum guides are now beingtrained at Gallaudet College underthe direction of Professor DeborahSonnesto. The Hirshhorn Museumis also training a deaf docent to pro-vide interpreted tours.

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ARTSACCESSIBILITYFOR THE DEAFDeaf people and their organizationsmust be involved in an arts organiza-tion's overall plan for arts activities.This involvement is required by theEndowment's regulations, anc, thejointly planned program shouldgradually convert services andfacilities over a three-year period tomeet the needs of deaf audiences.The federal mandate of equal oppor-tunity for the handicapped is univer-sal, and professionals in the arts arewell equipped to respond creativelyto the social and communicationchallenges confronting this newcivil rights movement. An advisoryboard made up of deaf citizens fromvarying age gri ips and educationaland economic backgrounds will beyour organization's best tool.

"Special" programs fdr the deaf,while they may be appropriate onrare occasions, are generallydiscouraged since they tend to fur-ther isolate the deaf population.

nere are some cases in which pro-grams a1-e needed to orient deaf peo-ple to new areas of experience. Insuch cases, hearing people arewelcome participants. The main pur-pose of Section 504, however, isequal access to all programs open tothe public

Involve Your Saffin Awareness TrainingThe presence of deaf people in the

audience will bring a new ex-perience to many of your staff andhearing audience who have notpreviously had contact with deafpeople. Therefore, it is particularlyimportant to orient your staff to newpolicies that facilitate an easy andwelcoming atmosphere for all. In-service courses in sign language,materials about deafness, and openmeetings with members of your ad-visory board are a few ways toheighten awareness of deafness.The public can be advised of yournew policies through press releasesor printed information.

It is also important to train staff orvolunteers who will be associatingwith deaf audiences. Trainingshould include not only basic ASLand fingerspelling, but also deafawareness information. You maywant to have a deaf member of youradvisory board lead workshops anddirect you to the best readingmaterial on deafness. Reading thework of deaf people or listening totapes of oral deaf language can behelpful. Encouraging a healthy inter-change of ideas with members of thedeaf communit, is the best resourceyou will find.

Deaf people have recentlybecome their own best advocatesand are determined to be part of thesolution of arts programming prob-lems rather than the problem itself,Deaf people are always pleased tomeet people who can converse withthem in their owr, language, and so aknowledge of basic ASL helps over-come initial awkwardness ormisunderstanding, and establishesa good rapport between the sponsor-ing organization and the deaf com-munity. Assistance with training inthe form of films, brochures or con-sultants is available from The Na-tional Association of the Deaf, 814Thayer Avenue, Silver Spring, MD20910; telephone (301) 587-1788.

The MAD can also help you locatedeaf leaders in your community

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HOW TO DEVELOPA DEAF AUDIENCEPublicizing cultural events todevelop an audience from the deafcommunity requ'res differenttechniques than for other au-diences. In this section, Ann Silver,who serves as a deaf consultant toseveral a7ts institutions, explainswhy such techniques are required.Miss Silver designed the signlanguage interpretation logo usedthroughout the United States tosignify programs that are accessibleto deaf and hearing impaired people.

An extremely small percentage ofthe people in the deaf communityenjoy or take advantage of culturalactivities independently. Becausedeaf people are isolated by languageand communication from the hear-

culture, they have becomeaccustomed to enjoying their ownform of cultural entertainment attheir deaf clubs. Popular deaf enter-tainment, known as "deaf culture",includes skits, one-man perfor-mances, deaf folklore and humor,films with subtitles or captions,crafts, card playing, and bingo.These clubs are the core of the deafcommunity's existence, and oftenbecome almost a second home formany of the members.

A frequent mistake made by artsorganizations is to provide programsand events that are too sophisti-cated for the tastes of a deaf audi-ence. Deaf people rely heavily onvisual entertainment, and are notfond of lectures that have little or nographic backup. The more action,the better. More deaf people wouldattend a King Tut exhibit than alecture on the classic r-.onetarycrises of 14th-century Hugenots.

To avert situations in which pro-grams may be beyond the range of aprospective deaf audience, acultural organization should have adeaf person to serve as a consultant,advisor, or liaison with the deaf com-munity. Such a person will know and

understand the needs of a deafaudience.

In addition, it is always -ielpful toestablish a committee or board ofadvisors of popular deaf personswith strong community ties. Thesepeople can provide representationfor their own community and helprally support when needed.

Without community support noprogram will get far. Whenever acultural arts committee meets withdisability groups for advisory orplanning meetings it should focuson one group at a time and noattempt to mix two or more disabilitygroups together. Deaf people candiscuss their needs and problemsclearly and comfortably and addressthe arts group through an inter-preter, but it takes a little more timethan with hearing people. Thus their,Meetings should not be distractedby discussion of the problems andplans of other groups' disahilitie.s.

To reach the deaf community, anarib organization must try severalapproaches. A direct route is to puton slide shows (called "sneakpreviews") at deaf social clubs or atmeetings of deaf organizatirms. Theslides should be accompanied by apopular deaf "word-of-mouthspreader", or if spoken, it should be

20

interpreted into sign languageaccompanied by a deaf consultantwork pith tne cultural organiza-tion.

Another direct approach is tocreate a newsletter or issue pressreleases telling what's happening,as well as placing news items innewsletters serving the deaf com-munity. Feature articles could becontributed to deaf publications asameans of informing potential audi-ences about your programs..

And, last but riot least, include atleast one deaf performer in all pro-grams you offer. He or she will be atremendous draw in developing adeaf audience.

Publicity for existing deaf groupsdepends heavily on mailers, news-letters, and bulletin boards at clubsand organizations' offices. Thuspublicity is critical for any group try-ing to develop a deaf audience and itmust be planned well in advance ofan event Without publicity and a fullcommunkatton network, the deafare handicapped communicatively,not physically!

Having planned a course of pro-motional activities, the next step isto write it in a manner easilyunderstood by deaf people. For deafreaders, always keep th,_ languagesimple and to the point. Avoid com-plex sentences with dependentclauses interrupting the straightflow of words

Include as mucn information aspossible in the text. Be sure to givethe following. Location, how to getthere, time and date, admissionprice and relevant discounts,availability of a sign language inter-preter, what to bring, and a TTYphone number for information.

A TDDITTY is to the deaf what atelephone is to the Gearing. It is asmall version of a teletype machine,and when attached to an ordinarytelephone it will transmit typedmessages between stations. TheTTY and sign language interpreta-tion are the deaf community's mostimportant technical services. You

19


can obtain information about eacntype of service from the followingsources.

Contact your local or statechapter of the Registry of inter-preters for the Deaf (RID), or thenational of lice of RID c/o NationalAssociation of the Deaf, 814 ThayerAvenue, Silver Sphng, MD 20910. ForTDDITTY information contactTelecommunications for the Deaf,Inc., at the address above. Eachgroup can be reached at TTY (301)589-3006, or (301) 388-4605, voice.

When sending articles to deafpublications, be sure to keep thestories short and simple Includephotographs wnenever possible tomake the articles visually more in-teresting. It is also a smart ideato pl ice an advertisement for yourprogram in the publications.

Publicity materials should carrythe sign language interpretationlogo whenever it is applicable. Thedeaf community in major cities isalready identifying with the logo andits use is spreading across the coun-try in an effort to end communica-iion isolation. Naturally, the logoshould not be used in publicityunless there is going to be an inter-preter present at the event In addi-tion to publicity materials, the syiti-bol can be used on programs, en-trance doors, calendars of events, IDbadges worn by interpreters andcoordinato-s, information desks,and on reserved seats.

Seats are important to the suc-cess of deaf people's enjoyment of aperformance. Front seating isnecessary to reduce the distance be-tween the interpreter and the deafaudience. Interpreters should bepositioned higher than the audienceso tt at the signers can ~e seen fromthe waist up.

For lectures, interpreters shouldstand next to the lecturer. For plays,several considerations prevail,depending on the theater configura-tion, set design, and seating. A deafconsultant and an interpreter shouldbe brought in to work out the pose

20

honing before the show opens Youmust avo:d a "ping pong" effectwhere the deaf people swivel theirheads from side to side, and youmust ensure that the interpreter isadequately lighted. If possible, pro-vide a synopsis and make full smptsavailable for those who want to readthe play beforehand. A.S

Accessibility to TheaterPrograms for Deai PeopleThe Theatre Script Center for theHearing Impaired in New York Citycontains a collection of scriptsdonated by the producers of currentBroadway plays. Deaf and hearingimpaired theater patrons may readthese scripts at the Actors Equityreading rooms at 1500 Broadway,The Script Center is a nonprofitorganization advised by a boardrepresenting the theater communityand organizations and schools serv-ing deaf and hearing impairedpeople. The Script Center is also ex-perimenting with audio-amplifi-cation in Broadway theaters. For in-formation: Ann Brownstone, TheaterDevelopment Fund, Inc ,1501 Broad-way, Suite 2110, New York, NY 10036.

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DESIGNING ARTSACCESSIBILITYFOR THE DEAFThe barriers that deaf and hearingimpaired people have to overcomeare related to communication Thuswhen adapting environments to deafaudiences, the emphasize is on max-imizing the visitors' safety andminimizing their discomfort andinconveniences.

Functionally this means thatfacilties should be adapted to con-veying information visually. Thisincludes safety considerations. Inaddition to the basic visual accom-modations, it would be helpful toredesign the acoustics and install ahearing amplification system for thehearing impaired people with ade-quate residua! hearing.

The five key areas for design are:visual cueing, lighting, fire andemergency warning, acoustics. andhearing amplification.

Visual CuesThe design options to enhFoicevisual interpretation of the environ-ment are:

Provide graphic systems of clearunadorned letters displayed inlight colors against a dark field.The sign should show direction,room numbers and functions ofspace and should be displayed atprominent locationsProvide cleat lines of vision tointerpreters and visual displays.Identify all recessed servicessuch as water fountains, restrooms, or telephones with visibleoverhead signs.caption films and other audio-visual materials.

LightingProvide glare-free lighting.Assure lighting of interpreterswith a shadow4ree diffuse light ofhigh illumination. Special lightingfixtures, possibly portable, maybe needed in rooms which are

March 1981

darkened for media presentationor spot-lighted events.Provide elevator light signals thatare visible as well as audible.Locate signals in direct line ofsight.Provide round or oval tables forgroup discussions to improvesight lines among all participants.

Fire and EmergencyWarning SystemsSince alarms and emergencysionals are of little use to the deafunless accompanied by visual cues,th., vincipal elements of such asystem should include:

Emergency telephones designedto summon help whether or not aspoken message is transmitted,i.e., lifting the receiver oractivating an alarm will summonaid. A visual display panel lightingup when an emergency call is re-ceived and relaying the message,"Please Be Patient. Help Is OnThe Way," would be desirable.Elevators provided with "Help IsOn The Way" signs that lightwhen stalling occurs.Visual fire alarm systems withhigh-intensity flashing lightsshould be installed in publicareas. Since rapid high-intensityflashes are suspected of causingseizures, the flashes should notexceed five per second, accord-ing to the American NationalStandards Institute's manualANSI A117.1.Install variable-intensity fanswired into tne fire alarm systemso that the high-speed air flowsetting serves as a fire warningsignal. Lower speeds can be usedfor communicating other mes-sages to deaf or blind people.

AcousticsReduction of background noise isimportant because rnany oeaf peo-ple havA some residual hearing, andmany wear hearing aids. Thelowered noise level improves the in-telligibility of the speech signal. In

Arts Accessibility for the Deaf

addition, hearing loss is often con-centrated ;n particular frequencyranges.

Reduction of noise interferenceand control of frequencies of sound,both significant aspects ofenvironmental design, can beaccomplished with these steps.

Soundproof the premises.Insulate heating and ventilationducts.Suppress noise from mechanicalequipment by floor and wallinsulation.

Regulate airflow velocities to con-trol turbulence-induced noise.Reduce electrical interference.

Install anti-static carpet (or treatexisting carpet) to control build-up of static electricity thatinterferes with hearing aids.Provide increased humidity tominimize static electricity.Control frequencies of trans-mitted sound.Avoid ultra-high-frequency soundsecurity systems and low-cycleelectric transformers, both of


which can cause problems withhearing aids.

Hearing AmplificationAmplification systems can be usedto allow a hearing-impaired personto use his residual hearing by in-creasing the level of sound in his ear.The systems now in use are compati-ble with most theater soundsystems and include:

Wireless listening system. !r-stalled in the Kennedy Center'sEisenhower Theater in Wash-ington, DC, and several Broadwaytheaters. rtvz system transmitssound, in the form of invisibleinfrared light, from the stageto patrons wearing light head-phones.Audio loop system. The soundfrom the stage is picked up by anamplifier and is fed into the loopencircling the auditorium. Thesignals are picked up by tele-coilsin hearing aids. Installed at theWalnut Street Theatre inPhiladelphia."Cinema-Radio." An AM receivertype of system for hard-of-hearingfilm spectators that can be pur-chased in electronics stores.Infrared listening system. Invisi-ble infrared light transmits sound

2221


from stage microphones topatrons wearing special hee-sets. Installed at the Barrymoreand Lunt-Fontanne Theaters inNew York City, and in severalother theaters across the country.

The comparison tests being con-ducted by the Buffalo PhilharmonicOrchestra should clarify theusefulness of the various audioamplification systems, and in thissense they can serve as a model forother cultural institutions such astheater, ballet, opera, and cinemas.

The Buffalo Philharmonic Or-chestra will send inquirers a copy ofthe comparison tests. Write toCharles Burdett, Coordinator,Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra,Philharmonic House, 26 RichmondAvenue, Buffalo, NY 14222.

Butand there is a outartsadministrators should be wary ofsalesmen who tell them that all theircompliance problems in assuringaccess to the arts for the hearing im-paired will be solved by purchasingan audio amplification system.These systems are virtually uselessfor the profoundly deaf. For thesethree million people, nothing canreplace a sign language interpreter.

Design Inform:lionSourcesTwo organizations provide informa-tion about specific design optionsthat will accommodate the needs ofdeaf people.

The Design Center for the Deaf,Rochester Institute of Technology,Rochester, NY 14623.

Breaking Through the DeafnessBarrier Advisory Committee, Dick P.Hoke, Coordinator, GallaudetCollege, Washington, DC 20002.

I- addition, current informationon audio-visual warning systems forbuildings that serve handicappedpeople can be obtained from.The Compliance Director, Architec-tural and Transportation BarriersCompliance Board, Washington, DC20201.

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Information on making all newconstruction fully accessible tohandicapped persons is provided in7 he American National StandardSpecifications fur Making Buildingsand Facilities Accessible to, andUsable by, th9 Physically Handi-capped (ANSI A1171-80). These stan-dards are available from theAmerican National Standards In-

stitute, Inc., 1430 Broadway, NewYork, NY 10018.

You may use other standLrds ifequivalent access if provided.

Design BibliographyAnders, Gustavo, Ed., Disability &Housing Needs, ;CI InformationCentre, Fack, S-161 03 Bremma,Sweden, December 1975.

Barone, L., and Wood, Lyn, AnIntroduction to Design For The Deaf.An Information Center, DesignCenter for the Deaf, EnvironmentalDesign Department, RocnesterInstitute of Technology, 1976.

Designing for Deaf and HearingImpaired People, Gentle on Environ-ment for the Handicapped, 125Albert Street, London, England.

,;lhnson, Donald D., Ph.D., andWilliam E. Castle, Ph.D, Eds., INFOSeries 2, Equipment Designed toImprove the Communication Skillsof the Deaf. Department of HealthEducation and Welfare, May 1976(Available through Public Informa-tion Office, Rochester Institute ofTechnology, One Lomb MemorialDrive, Rochester, NY 14623).

Morgan, Michelle, Notes onDesign Criteria for People viithDeafness, Yearbook of SpecialEducation, 1977-78, pp. 271-290.

Wadsworth, Raymond H. AVTechnology Abounds in New Facil-ity for Deaf, AS&U, July 1975, pp.43-46.

Wood, Lyn, and Barone, Larry,Educational Facilities for the Hear-ing Impaired: Considerations forPlannings and Design, DesignCenter for the Deaf, EnvironmentalDesign Dept., National TechnicalInstitute for the Deaf, 1976.

HOW TO REACHDEAF PLOPLEThe reg;. lations in Section 504 of theRehabilitaton Act encourage arisorganizations to seek the help oflocal deaf people when planningaccessible arts programs. Real in-novations in program and facilitydesign only occur when deaf andhearing groups work cooperatively.

To locate deaf people in your com-munity, contact the followingnational and regional consumer andservice groups that are run entirelyby deaf people.

National Association of the Deaf,814 Thayer Avenue, Silver Spring,MD 20910.

Alexander Graham Bell Associa-tion for the Deaf, 3417 Volta Place,NW, Washington, DC 20007

Gallaudet College AlumniAssociation, Gallaudet College,Kendall Green, Washington, DC20002.

Registry of Interpreters for theDeaf, PO. Box 1339, Washington, DC2001:4.

National Fraternal Society of theDeaf, 1300 Webt Northwest Highway,Mt Prospect, IL 60056.

HOW TC LOCATEDEAF ARTISTSAmerican Deaf Dance Company,P.O. Box 339, Austin TX 78767.Office of Public Sen. es, GallaudetCollege,KendallGreen,VVashington,DC 20002.

Beyond Sound Production Unit,National Communications Founda-tion, 6253 Hollywood Boulevard,Suite 1019, Hollywood, CA 90028;(213) 4:718181.

The New York Deaf Cultural ArtsCommunity, c/o Ann Silver, 112 East19th Street, New York, NY 10003.

Two nonprofit agencies will putyou in 'ouch with deaf performingartists.

23


Elizabeth House, Actor's Ad-vocate, The National Theater of theDeaf, 305 Great Neck Road. Water-ford, CT 06385, telephone (203)443-5378 The NTD publis,nes theDeaf Players' Guide, $3.

Betsy Fcrd, D.E.A.F. Media, 401East 21st Street. Oakland, CA 94606.

HOW TO REACHDEAF AUDIENCESPubiications read by deaf peopleand newsletters of deaf clubs can beused for arts programs. Local andstate associations of the deaf willprovide information and addressesof these publications. ProjectD.A.T.E. at the Mark Taper Forumoffers consultation on advertisingand building an audience in deafcommunities.

The major publications andaudience-building resources are:

Timothy Johnson, Director, ProjectD A.T.E., Mark Taper Forum, 135North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles,CA 90012

The Silent News (nationalperiodical), 193 Main Street, LincolnPark, NJ 07035.

The Deaf American (nationalperiodical), 814 Thayer Avenue,Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Gallaudet Today (alumni publica-tion), Alumni/Public RelationsOffice, Gallaudet College, KendallGreen, Washington, DC 20002.

The American Annals of the Deaf,5034 Wisconsin Avenue, NW,Washington, DC 20016.

504 and the Performing Arts and504 and the Visual Arts (the NationalEndowment's free publications onaccessibility), National AccessCenter 1419 27th Street, NW,Washington, DC 20007; telephone(202) 333-1712.

Access (newsletter, everysecond month) National Access

nter, 1419 27th Street, NW, Wash-ington, DC 20007.

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MATERIALSAVAILABLE FROMTHE NATIONALACCESS CENTERE 504 and the Visual ArtsLi 504 and the Ferforming ArtsCI Arts for the Blind and Visually

ImpairedFunding SourcesNew Programs and Facilities

0 Access (newsletter)

For copies: National Access Center,1419 27th Street, NW, Washington,DC 20007; telephone (202) 3311712,TTY (202) 333-1712.

This report is supported by acontract from the National Endow-ment for the Arts in Washington,DCa federal agency.

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