National Open Captioning Initiative

TDF offers a limited number of two-year partnerships with professional regional theatres to sponsor open captioned performances and increase attendance by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The sponsorship is intended as a service in and of itself for people who are hard of hearing or deaf rather than a supplemental service to be offered in tandem with regularly scheduled sign language interpreted performances.

Theatre Development Fund Provides:
COST OF SERVICE
Payment of expenses for contracting open captioning services through a professional theatre captioning company, which includes captioning fees as well as any travel expenses incurred by the caption operators during the preparation process and performance. Our service provider is c2, Caption Coalition Inc., for any OC sponsorship as we have a long-standing partnership with the company in modeling best practices on a national level. c2 is specific to TDF partnerships.

ASSISTANCE WITH PROMOTION
Listing of TDF sponsored open captioned performances at the partnering venue on TDF's website, with links for ticket purchasing; and publicizing these accessible performances through mail and email newsletters to TDF theatregoers with hearing loss.

EXPERTISE
Readiness to share experience on audience development, equipment options and funding; and to serve as a liaison, when needed, between producing entity and venue in regard to queries that may arise.

HOW TO APPLY:
Professional theatres interested in being considered for a partnership should send a letter of inquiry to tap@tdf.org by 6pm on April 21st, 2017 that briefly outlines the following:
*Commitment to providing better access for people with disabilities.*
*Indication of strong community support for open captioning; e.g., letter(s) from members of the community with hearing loss requesting open captioning and/or letter(s) from local HLAA chapter(s).*
*Proposed season schedule of open captioned performances with dates, times and productions listed, preferably in a series; e.g., one open captioned performance of each production in the Broadway series, offered on the first Saturday matinee of each show's run.*

TDF Now Accepting Applications for National Open Captioning Initiative

TDF offers a limited number of two-year partnerships with professional regional theatres to sponsor open captioned performances and increase attendance by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The sponsorship is intended as a service in and of itself for people who are hard of hearing or deaf rather than a supplemental service to be offered in tandem with regularly scheduled sign language interpreted performances.

Theatre Development Fund Provides:
COST OF SERVICE
Payment of expenses for contracting open captioning services through a professional theatre captioning company, which includes captioning fees as well as any travel expenses incurred by the caption operators during the preparation process and performance. Our service provider is c2, Caption Coalition Inc., for any OC sponsorship as we have a long-standing partnership with the company in modeling best practices on a national level. c2 is specific to TDF partnerships.

ASSISTANCE WITH PROMOTION
Listing of TDF sponsored open captioned performances at the partnering venue on TDF's website, with links for ticket purchasing; and publicizing these accessible performances through mail and email newsletters to TDF theatregoers with hearing loss.

EXPERTISE
Readiness to share experience on audience development, equipment options and funding; and to serve as a liaison, when needed, between producing entity and venue in regard to queries that may arise.

HOW TO APPLY
Professional theatres interested in being considered for a partnership should send a letter of inquiry to tap@tdf.org by 6pm on April 21st, 2017 that briefly outlines the following:
*Commitment to providing better access for people with disabilities.*
*Indication of strong community support for open captioning; e.g., letter(s) from members of the community with hearing loss requesting open captioning and/or letter(s) from local HLAA chapter(s).*
*Proposed season schedule of open captioned performances with dates, times and productions listed, preferably in a series; e.g., one open captioned performance of each production in the Broadway series, offered on the first Saturday matinee of each show's run.*

Technology for Access: Innovation, Inspiration and Implementation

Thursday, January 28, 2016 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (CST)
Museum Of Contemporary Art Kanter Meeting Center
220 E. Chicago Avenue
Click here to RSVP

This workshop will explore innovative and inspirational technology being used or considered by cultural organizations to help improve access and inclusion for people with disabilities. From web accessibility to use of apps and emerging assistive technologies, the session will feature a range of potential options for cultural organizations to explore. We will discuss the process of incorporating accessibility with technology, demonstrate some assistive technologies in use, and have an opportunity to share and show off new and upcoming uses of technology for access in cultural spaces.

Panel will include:
• Sina Bahram - President, Prime Access Consulting, Inc.
• Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli - Director of Digital Media, Museum of Contemporary Art
• Susan Chun - Chief Content Officer, Museum of Contemporary Art

Who Should Attend CCAC programs are always free of charge and open to the public. For this program, we recommend:
• mid-level cultural administrators from museums, theaters, zoos, gardens and other cultural spaces
• those who officially (or unofficially) are responsible for accessibility at your organization

Entrance: Use theater lobby entrance, via the street-level doors at the corner of Pearson & Mies van der Rohe (behind Watertower Place.) The Kanter meeting room is located adjacent to the theater lobby.

Parking: Discounted parking ($12 for up to 6 hours) is available for the MCA garage, at 220 E.Chicago Ave. Parking vouchers will be distributed at the program.

Public Transportation: The MCA is located four blocks east of the Chicago El stop on the CTA Red Line. Three CTA bus routes stop in front of the building, #3 King Drive, #10 Museum, and #66 Chicago Ave., and several Michigan Ave. bus routes have stops within 3 blocks west of the building.

Accessibility: The event space is accessible to wheelchair-users and visitors who need to avoid stairs. Open Captioning and Assistive Listening Devices will be available. For further accessibility information or to request additional accommodations, please contact us at least two weeks in advance by email at ChicagoCulturalAccess@gmail.com or by calling Lynn Walsh at 708-921-1980.

Intro to Captioning: The Who, What, Where, When, Why & How (not necessarily in that order)

Wednesday, November 18 at 3PM - 5:30PM
Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre
1650 N. Halsted. St. Chicago

Presented by CCAC and the League of Chicago Theatres

Captioning makes our art accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Open and Closed Captioning can be presented via a variety of platforms to offer a text translation of auditory elements such as dialogue, sound effects and music.

Focusing on theatrical captioning, including concepts and themes that apply to any cultural environment, this workshop will:
-present a survey of captioning options currently utilized in Chicago
-define elements and standards that facilitate the best patron experience
-provide instruction and best practices for implementing a captioning program at your organization, including the creation of cost-effective DIY solutions

Who Should Attend
CCAC programs are always free of charge and open to the public. Click here to RSVP.
For this program, we recommend:
-mid-level cultural administrators from museums, theaters, zoos, gardens and other cultural spaces
-those who officially (or unofficially) are responsible for accessibility at your organization

Parking & Transportation
Complimentary parking. Close to North/Clybourn Red Line and #8 and #72 buses.

Accommodations
The event space is accessible to wheelchair-users and visitors who need to avoid stairs.

Open Captioning and Assistive Listening Devices will be available.

For further accessibility information or to request additional accommodations, please contact ChicagoCulturalAccess@gmail.com or call Lynn Walsh at 708-921-1980. We kindly request 2 weeks notice for other accommodations.

Implementing Ideas from the LEAD Conference at your Cultural Space

Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium (CCAC) 
Thursday, September 24, 2015 from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM (CDT) 
Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanter Meeting Center 
 220 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611
It's back to school time, and that means we're back to work making Chicago's cultural institutions more accessible! In August, many of us will attend the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference hosted by the Kennedy Center in Arlington, VA. We're eager to share information and insight on multiple topics at LEAD. We will offer small group discussions with opportunities to ask questions and join in the conversation. Whether or not you were able to attend LEAD, please participate and help us set goals to make our Chicago area cultural institutions more accessible for people with disabilities. Join us to informally review ideas from LEAD and acquire information on tools and resources to implement new ideas at your cultural institution!
FREE!
Learn more and register

Access Night 2015 at Victory Gardens Theater

As we start to celebrate the ADA’s 25th anniversary, a lot of us have been wondering how we can make Chicago theatre more accessible. At Victory Gardens, we believe a lot of this work starts with keeping our front of house staff informed. That's why Victory Gardens' Access Project and The League of Chicago Theaters are teaming up to invite you to ACCESS NIGHT 2015!

We’re inviting you and your front of house staff to one fun night of shmoozing with other box office staffs from across the city and learning about disability services in the arts. Whether your annual budget is $10,000 or $10,000,000, if you have a space or are itinerant, there's a lot you can do to improve access to blind, deaf, and physically disabled patrons. At Access Night we'll discuss ASL interpretation, audio description, captioning, touch tours, and physical access with hands-on workshops and demonstrations. Also included is a panel of disabled patrons to share their experiences and answer any questions you have. And it’s FREE! And yes, of course, there will be food.

Join us in our goal of making theatre in Chicago fully accessible to all patrons.

Date: Monday, August 17th 2015
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Victory Gardens Theater
Cost: FREE!
RSVP to bbalcom@victorygardens.org

Accessing Accessibility

A Workshop on Touch Tours & Audio Description in Chicago Storefront Theatre

Join Us May 4!
Jackalope Theatre invites company member Elana Boulos and Steppenwolf Theatre's Director of Audience Experience, Evan Hatfield, for a short and sweet Seminar on Touch Tours and Audio Description, and how Chicago Storefront Theatres can improve their accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision.

What is a Touch Tour?
A Touch Tour is a scheduled program preceding a performance, where patrons who are blind or have low vision participate in an artistic conversation, experience a detailed description of the set, actors, props, and costumes, and have the opportunity to walk on the set and take a "touch tour" guided by a sighted companion.

What is Audio Description?
Audio Description is the real-time narration of crucial physical action and elements in a live performance, delivered into a microphone that is transmitted via FM signal to headsets worn by patrons using the service.

Why is this important? Over the past five years, accessibility initiatives in Chicago have helped develop wider audiences for theatrical productions. Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Evan Hatfield have been pioneers in making sure that anyone who wants to come to a play can. Steppenwolf offers services such as ASL Interpretation, Open Captioning, Touch Tours and Audio Description.

Elana has been working at Steppenwolf as the Touch Tour Coordinator for the past four years and has helped Evan to establish their format for presenting Touch Tours and Audio Descriptions. Jackalope Theatre is passionate about striving to help other Storefronts in Chicago learn about how to offer accessibility accommodations for audience members who are blind or have low vision.

Join us for a casual dialogue between Evan and Elana that walks you through Touch Tour basics and provides you with simple ways to implement accessibility programming in your own theater.

It's Free! RSVP to jackalope@jackalopetheatre.org 

When: Sunday, May 4th 6:00 PM
Where: The Frontier 1106 W Thorndale Chicago, IL 60660

ADA 101: The ADA & Cultural Spaces

Please join us for Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium (CCAC)'s Kick-Off Program . . .
ADA 101: The ADA & Cultural Spaces
Date: Monday, January 27, 2014
Time: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Lincoln Park Zoo, Judy Keller Education Center , 2150 N. Cannon Drive Chicago, Illinois 60614
Registration Required: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/ada-101-the-ada-cultural-spaces-tickets-9879217004 . If you encounter difficulties using this online registration, please RSVP to chicagoculturalaccess@gmail.com.
Description: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became federal law more than 20 years ago, but not all cultural organizations are aware of its implications, or about the recent changes in 2010. Join us for a brief ADA introduction geared towards beginners, especially focusing on how the law relates to cultural organizations like yours. To help make the topic more approachable, a panel of local cultural administrators will practically discuss how different-sized cultural organizations--representing a variety of budgets and facilities--have approached different aspects of the law.

Submit your own ADA questions prior to the session to ChicagoCulturalAccess@gmail.com. Submit questions by January 25. All questions will remain anonymous.
Facilitator: Robin Jones, Director, Great Lakes ADA Center
Panel members include: Christena Gunther, Elmhurst Historical Museum; Evan Hatfield, Steppenwolf Theatre; Lynn Walsh, Chicago Children's Museum and more To Be Announced

Accommodations and Accessibility Information:
• The event space is accessible to wheelchair-users and visitors who need to avoid stairs.
• Open Captioning and Assistive Listening Devices will be available.
• For further accessibility information or to request additional accommodations, please contact ChicagoCulturalAccess@gmail.com or call Lynn Walsh at 312-464-7679. We kindly request 2 weeks notice for other accommodations.

Directions
Lincoln Park Zoo is located off Lake Shore Drive at the Fullerton Parkway exit, just minutes north of downtown Chicago. From I-94, exit at either Fullerton Parkway or North Avenue and go east. CTA bus routes 151 or 156 both serve the zoo; for schedules, contact the RTA/CTA at 312-836-7000. Visit the CTA/RTA Travel Information Center.
Parking The zoo’s parking lot entrance is located at Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive (2400 North Cannon Drive, Chicago IL 60614). Parking fees are collected at the lot exit.
Rates: 0–30 minutes—No charge 30 minutes or more—$20 flat rate

The Inclusive Arts and Culture Project

Open Doors Organization has received a generous grant from the Chicago Community Trust to host the Inclusive Arts and Culture Project for Chicago theatres, museums, and other cultural venues. The objective of the program is to assist our arts community to improve both accessibility and outreach for people with disabilities and older patrons. From October 2009 to January 2010, ODO will be holding 4 free-of-charge workshops at various cultural institutions in downtown Chicago. Program participants must attend at least 3 of the 4 sessions. The workshops are entitled: Attracting and Embracing the Community, Enhancing the Customer Experience, More than Nuts & Bolts, and Victories & Challenges. Betty Siegel of The Kennedy Center and Jay Cardinali of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts will be presenting along with many other knowledgeable guest speakers. For additional information on the Inclusive Arts and Culture Project click here or to RSVP, please contact Program Coordinator Brittany Stern: brittany@opendoorsnfp.org or 773-388-8839.