Kestrell

Access-Palooza: A Celebration of Accessibility in Theatre
Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-midsummer-nights-dream-access-palooza-community-performance-tickets-276143240867

The public performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on May 7 at 2:00 p.m. will be at the Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road, Boston, MA 02125

“Access-Palooza” will offer a sensory-friendly performance, offering open captioning, ASL interpretation, audio description, and some sensory-friendly accommodations. We welcome all patrons to attend this performance as we hope to continue this vital work of making the arts accessible to all. A talkback with the artists and access teams and a Light Reception will follow the performance.

Headshot of Christopher Robinson, a Black cis-male, late 40s, clean shaven, with short twisty hair locs.

CSC Accessibility Advocate, Christopher Robinson, says “Offering accessibility services is, at minimum, a beginning to create an equitable experience for disabled artists and the disabled patron community. The cathartic experience of live theater requires everyone to be able to get in the door and sit at the table.”

About Accessibility Services
https://commshakes.org/accessibility/

Open Captioning
Open captioning is a display of text describing words and sounds heard during an event. The display is positioned in such a way that it is open for anyone to see in a particular seating area.
Two actors perform a scene with caption presented to the upper right of them.




ASL interpretation
ASL interpretation uses live interpreters to translate the text and action of the play into American Sign Language.
ID: Three interpreters translate for the characters of Othello.





Audio Description
Audio Description is a means to inform individuals who are blind or who have low vision about visual content essential for the understanding and enjoyment of a production.
ID: An audio describer as they describe our production of The Tempest.





Sensory Friendly
Sensory Friendly Accommodations include adjusted light and sound levels, a quiet area in the lobby, and relaxed audience expectations during the performance.
ID: Signage for an Accessible Seating Area on Boston Common



CSC is always happy to accommodate accessibility needs when possible at all performances and can be requested at audienceservices@commshakes.org.
CSC is a designated UP organization by the Mass Cultural Council. Universal Participation (UP) Initiative aims to activate the aspirations of the Americans with Disabilities Act to break down the barriers that prevent full civic participation in Massachusetts’ cultural sector. Visit
their website
https://massculturalcouncil.org/organizations/universal-participation-initiative/about/
to learn more about UP.

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Did you know that 80% of our financial support comes from donors like you? Please consider making a gift today to help us continue to keep theater accessible for all!

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I'm putting together a *very* general overview of accessibility of some of the major online education websites, such as Coursera, EdX, and Udemy, based on my personal experience, along with some tips for finding universities and instructors who are amenable to improving the accessibility of their online courses.

I would love to hear about other people's experiences, positive or negative, with these online course websites.

Also, it suddenly occurred to me that I don't really know anything about which of the AI transcribing programs are the best and worst, which work better or worse with accents, and which programs are best for creating captions. I'm sure I know people who have user experience which would be really useful to hear, if they wish to share it. Thanks!