For 27 years, Arts Access, a nonprofit organization
based in Raleigh, NC, has been making the arts accessible to people
with disabilities. We advocate for arts accessibility throughout
the Triangle area of North Carolina; provide audio description for theatre
patrons who are blind or have low vision; refer arts administrators to
sign language interpreters; and provide accessibility training to arts
organizations and arts accessibility information to the public.
Web
This Site
Audio Described Performances
The following performances will be audio described for people who
are blind or have low vision. There is no charge beyond regular admission
for this service.
Iron Man (movie) outdoors at the NC Museum of Art, July 31.
The Miracle Worker 30th Anniversary Edition of the 1979 TV Version starring
Melissa Gilbert and Patty Duke (2009) -- first time with Audio
Description and Closed Captioning -- now available on DVD (click on the
image or title to order).
Helen Keller was the young
girl who was blind, deaf, and mute since infancy. She was in
danger of being sent to an institution until a persistent and
outspoken teacher named Annie Sullivan came into her life.
Together they accomplished the impossible and taught one another the
values of patience, tolerance and compassion. (NOTE:
Purchase of this particular DVD via this website benefits the American
Council of the Blind and furthers the cause of audio described DVDs,
since the company that paid for the description is "counting clicks"!
Order by clicking the image or the title.)
Audio Description Now Available at Florida's Disney World
SPOTLIGHT
on REID DALTON: Reid is an attorney and Presbyterian minister
living in Burlington. He took up acting ten years ago as a hobby
and is now making a career of it. He has served as an Audio
Describer, primarily for shows in Durham and Chapel Hill, since 2001.
He has performed in Raleigh with Theater in the Park and in Durham with
the N. C. Kids' Theatre and Find the Light. Last year he played
Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" under the direction of Gennaro
D'Onofrio. Later this year he will appear playing opposite Ellen
Burstyn in the major motion picture, "Main Street", which filmed in
Durham this spring.
Read more Arts Access Bio's!
Artists With Disabilities: Call for Entries
CORE V: Defining Ourselves is an art exhibit and
juried competition in California. "The exhibit showcases
artwork, literature, and performances by artists with disabilities
with the purpose of providing a space for artists, community members,
and arts and disability advocates to build common bonds and promote
visibility through a diverse art forum." The submission deadline
is August 3rd. Read the Call for
Entries.
Described Video on Television
You can view a partial list of
most of the current television shows which carry audio description by
visiting WGBH Media Access Group's
DVS on TV web page. There you will find listings for CBS,
FOX, PBS, Nickelodeon, and Turner Classic Movies. However, the
transition from analog transmission of TV signals to digital on June
12, 2009, severely impacted your ability to receive video description.
Visit
AD
International for more information.
Support Arts Access by Using GoodSearch and GoodShop
GoodSearch is an Internet search engine powered by Yahoo.
Unlike other search engines (such as Google or AOL), GoodSearch
returns 50% of advertising dollars to charities selected by its users.
GoodShop is a referral service to major online retailers like
Lands End and offers us an even greater benefit. You can help support Arts Access financially at no cost to yourself
by simply using GoodSearch for your Internet searches and clicking
through our GoodShop link to make online purchases. You can
click the logos at the left (or at the bottom of the left navigation
column) or use the search box at the top of this page anytime to make a search, but we urge you to
read about how to implement GoodSearch
first. You can make it your default search engine and help us
out everyday. Thank you!
Audio Described DVDs: Five audio described DVDs from
2008 are available in our Shopping section: Hellboy II, The Incredible Hulk, The Mummy,Wanted,
and Blind Dating.From 2007: the critically acclaimed Knocked Up,
Evan Almighty, and the lesser-known The Ultimate Gift (which has very
high user reviews).
Also available, the independent film release, 9/12: From Chaos to Community, "a
vibrant, moving, sometimes funny, sometimes painful portrayal of hope
and healing in the wake of disaster."
The following 2006 DVDs also have audio description tracks: Miami Vice, United 93, Munich,
and Inside Man. Note:
the presence of an AD track on the DVD is not generally specified on the
box, and the "Director's Cut" or "Unrated" versions typically do not include audio
description. You can view a synopsis and order these DVDs
via this website.
AUDIO DESCRIBED AND CAPTIONED MOVIES
AVAILABLE IN THE TRIANGLE! Three Triangle
area movie theaters are offering accessibility for patrons with vision or
hearing impairments for first-run movies such as Frost/Nixon and
Australia. The White Oak Stadium 14 in Garner (919-676-3456) and Beaver
Creek Stadium 12 in Apex (919-362-7342) are offering audio description
and closed captioning on one screen and assistive listening devices
(ALDs) on all screens. Also, the Regal Stadium 14 at North Hills
in Raleigh (919-786-4494) has installed a system for audio description
and open captioning (plus they offer ALDs). Kudos to these
three theaters, the first in the Triangle serving both blind and deaf users!
NOTE: Over 500 first-run films have been captioned!
(See our Movie Theater Accessibility page for
more information.)
Books and DVDs related to the arts and disabilities.
We have compiled a large list of books which address the intersection of
Arts and Disabilities, plus we'll point you to several DVDs with
audio description. We have books for adults, parents, teachers, and
children. Have a look now -- they make great GIFTS for the right person.
Click the cover image to the left to learn more about this particular randomly
selected book, or click the Books and DVDs hotlink above or the Books
link in the left column to see the complete list.
?
Why aren't more DVDs available with audio description?
Click the question to find the answer ... and see how you can help!
38 movies had audio description tracks in 2003, 48 in 2004, 58 in 2005,
63 in 2006, 59 in 2007, 71 in 2008; but only a few made it to DVD each year. See the separate article above
about how these first-run movies are finally available in the Triangle,
but remember that almost none of the audio description tracks make it to
the DVD. You may order the few DVDs that are audio described via the
Audio Described DVDs link on this website.
We hope that you or someone you know will benefit from the free services
provided by Arts Access this year. TELL A FRIEND !
Arts Access Performing Arts Associates
Arts Access works with the following Triangle area arts organizations.
Clicking on their logos will take you to their web sites.
Site Accessibility: This website conforms to government
Section 508 and W3C WCAG Priority 1 standards for web accessibility. See our
Browser Accessibility page for ways to improve readability
of this and other web sites if you have low vision. This website displays
best at 1024x768 screen resolution using a modern browser with JavaScript enabled.
Comments, suggestions, and corrections for these web pages
are encouraged; please contact the
.
SPOTLIGHT
on REID DALTON: Reid is an attorney and Presbyterian minister
living in Burlington. He took up acting ten years ago as a hobby
and is now making a career of it. He has served as an Audio
Describer, primarily for shows in Durham and Chapel Hill, since 2001.
He has performed in Raleigh with Theater in the Park and in Durham with
the N. C. Kids' Theatre and Find the Light. Last year he played
Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" under the direction of Gennaro
D'Onofrio. Later this year he will appear playing opposite Ellen
Burstyn in the major motion picture, "Main Street", which filmed in
Durham this spring.
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