Puppet's Without Barriers -The Pedaler's Wager

It's fun, it's intelligent, it's outdoors, and it's affordable- there are giant puppets!. Best of all, it's ACCESSIBLE!

For the third year in since 2009 I have had the pleasure of being a consultant on the Puppets Without Barriers project presented by Clay & Paper Theatre in Dufferin Grove Park in Toronto Ontario during the summer. I've just returned from my audit of the show, and wanted to let y'all know about it before I go on vacation. It's fantastic! These guys do such a good job. I always feel refreshed after seeing a C&P show.

Clay & Paper present a unique brand of theatre featuring giant puppets, small puppets, humans, bicycles and all manner of bizarre props. Performances are accompanied by original live music, and I guarantee, you'll be singing when you leave. 

This show "celebrates Toronto's public spaces, promotes active living and draws attention to urban environmental issues."  

(Before I proceed, I apologize for the lack of info in the photo descriptions (names, etc).  I will correct this, but this post is hasty, and I cannot identify who is who at the moment!)

I've been going to these shows long before I started working on them. I used to take my kids when they were small. It was a great activity and it was a chance chance for them to experience live theatre. I am always energized by the carnival atmosphere and fun that surrounds these shows.  One can step back in time and be a kid again.  This is the way theatre was meant to be.  The creativity contained in this 1 hour performance is amazing.  AND did I mention?  IT'S ACCESSIBLE!

The River as Goddess

About the Accessibility

This is not an ordinary traditional audio described event where the describer sits in a booth and the audience member listens to AD on a headset.  This is a fun, creative approach - incorporating organic accessibility into the show.  It features an extensive Touch Tour prior to the performance in which the sets, costumes, puppets, props and musical instruments are explained to the blind or vision impaired audience member. They are allowed to touch and ask questions and meet the cast members, who personally conduct the tours. Intricate visual action, gags, and other elements of the show that cannot be organically described in the script are explained beforehand.  So it is a good idea to arrive early by at least 45 minutes so that you can get the most out of it.  You won't be disappointed.  To see the giant puppets and their workings up close is well worth it.  They are amazing.

The show itself is done in the style of an audio play, or radio play.  The carefully written script contains all the information you need to follow the show, as if you were listening to it on an old time radio.  There is a narrator, a sound scheme designed to indicate certain characters and events.  We have dubbed this Integrated Descriptive Dialogue; but it is really a simple technique taken from days of old when this was just how you wrote things for an audience who listened to that magic wooden box.  

Narrator in costume

Not only is the show accessible, but programs are provided in Large Print and Braille.  Drawing on previous work we have also developed a Tool Kit that can be used as a guide to building similar performances. (please not, this is an electronic document that is not properly tagged for accessibility).

It is my sincere hope that this document can one day soon experience remediation repairs, and be treated as a living, evolving collection of ideas and practices that can be added to and used by more organizations as the spread of awareness and legislation takes hold in Ontario.

Another nice thing about this show is that, instead of having the ONE show time during the run to choose from, (usually on a small audience day, Tuesday Wednesday, or Sunday Matinée),  Clay & Paper Theatre’s Puppets Without Barriers program s makes The Pedaler’s Wager accessible to people who are blind and low vision, as well as Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing, with TWO WEEKS worth of specially adapted productions.

But wait. There's more! The Pedaler's Wager is also has ASL (American Sign Language) performances.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to comment on those as I am unavailable to see them.  But I've seen past shows and they are spectacular; adding a layer of a different kind of fascinating performance to an already shiny work.

Lady Grabsome and Barron Boots

Another Cool Aspect

If you happen to be a cycling enthusiast, Weekend mobile matinees require audience members to cycle alongside performers to three different parks, literally following the troupe to the show's conclusion. Perhaps the Trailblazers Tandem Cycling Club might enjoy this.  Although, these shows won't include touch tours!

 

About The Pedaler's Wager

This original comedy features puppetry, live music, and CYCLOPS: A Cycling Oriented Puppet Squad.

  

Journey through an epic tale of modernity, as told by a peddler (who pedals) and his troupe who risk their livelihoods to tell this story of societal transformation. When a small family is forced to leave their riverside home, cajoled by developer Baron Boots, his consort Lady Grabsome, their disastrously hungry son Otto, and a smooth-talking PR Department, where will they go? Pushed into the new life of the Future, how will the family survive?

Puppetiers operate giant river puppet

As someone who has worked closely with this company, I can attest to their commitment to accessibility.  They are a very small, underfunded organization, and, for those who do follow my links,  the public documentation and website do not conform to current accessibility standards. However, the progress made in delivering accessible performance and the commitment to maintaining the project far outweigh these short comings.  Very few Arts organizations in Canada can make this claim.  Very few make the effort.

This sort of thing is still all very new here.  It is ironic though that the small, underfunded theatres such as Clay & Paper, Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, and Tarragon Theatre, are the only ones undertaking such efforts.  Come on Stratified, Mirvish, Shaw, etc!

(FYI: with the exception of Tarragon, these websites are either completely inaccessible, or do not follow any accessibility standard, but this is for another post).

  
 Kudos to Clay & Paper.  I love working with you guys and always look forward to this summer project.  

Live musicians, sax, percussion, trombone.

Written & Directed by David Anderson & Amira Emma Routledge
Design by Amira Emma Routledge
Music Direction by Chris Wilson & Nuno Cristo

The Pedaler’s Wager

 Previews from

July 14 to 17 at 7:00 PM

Show runs from

July 20 to August 14, 2011

All performances start in Dufferin Grove Park (Dufferin south of Bloor)

The Sack Family daughter puppet with her puppetteer.

Stationary Performances

Wednesday through Sunday at 7:00 PM
and Friday at 2:00 PM

Accessible shows: August 3 to August 14, 2011

BLIND AND LOW VISION ADAPTED SHOWS:

Wednesday, August 3 at 7 PM

Thursday, August 4 at 7 PM

Friday, August 5 at 2 PM and 7 PM

Saturday, August 6 at 7 PM

Sunday, August 7 at 7 PM

The Pedaler’s Wager blind and low vision adapted performances feature integrated descriptive dialogue and sound cues, as well as guided touch tours of the puppets and props that take place at 6:30 PM, a half-hour before the play starts.

DEAF, DEAFENED AND HARD OF HEARING ADAPTED SHOWS

Wednesday, August 10 at 7 PM

Thursday, August 11 at 7 PM

Friday, August 12 at 2 PM and 7 PM

Saturday, August 13 at 7 PM

Sunday, August 14 at 7 PM

Traveling Performances

Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 PM

Act 1: Dufferin Grove Park

Act 2: Fred Hamilton Park

Act 3: Trinity Bellwoods Park

BYOB: Bring your own bike!

$10 or Pay-What-You-Can

Fitz Pix

Paintings Etc., a set on Flickr.

A set of misc paintings I've worked on over the last few months.

Front and Centre: Disability and Deaf Arts in Ontario - Event Review

In March of 2009 I participated a very promising event at the the Canada Council for the Arts in Ottawa.

The Disability Arts Focus Group was intended as a means for the Canada Council for the Arts to explore ways of  identifying and supporting specific needs of artists with disabilities associated with an artistic activity. After this two day, very intense focus group I really felt that something had been accomplished.  And, indeed it had. Several months later a shiny report was produced.  Some of the info gathered during that focus group would help the CCA identify;

• who and what types of activities needed funding 
• monitor relevance and impact on a variety of demographic groups in Canada 
• create greater access to grants and services for a broad range of artists
• address gaps and barriers to funding faced by different groups through the development of equity policies and strategic activities

So I was very  excited when I received an invitation to Front and Centre: Disability and Deaf Arts in Ontario; an event presented by The Ontario Arts Council, the Art Gallery of Ontario
and the Canada Council for the Arts held at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto on June 3rd 2011.

Finally something concrete was to come of this.  

I want to take a moment here to offer my thanks, congratulations and a big thumbs up to the organizations involved in this undertaking.  I am all too aware of the challenges and learning curve such an endeavour entails. The world of accessibility is a new frontier for many.  I think that for a first time you guys did an excellent job and I'm sure you learned a lot.  One is always learning when it comes to accessibility and the wide range of accommodations and implementation of practice that is involved.  Anything contained hereafter in this review  is solely intended as positive feedback, as I truly hope to see further development after this fine start. 

So, being very excited, I promptly went to the Ontario Arts Council Website to register.  The OAC is also to be commended having redesigned their website to incorporate a variety of accessibility features to their online content.  However, the actual functionality of the content needs some work and a bit of maintenance to ensure true compliance.  

Being the good accessibility advocate that I am :), and since access to digital content is my specialty as a consultant,  I ran an accessibility test on the page, which contained a multitude of accessibility errors, the most glaring of which was that the form fields for registration form were not labeled, thus excluding users of screen reader technology from being able to independently complete and submit the form. A simple problem that could be fixed by following standard WCAG standards in website content design.  Incidentally, none of the downloadable contant, including grant applications, pdf and other documentation is propperly tagged to make it accessible.  Access technology cannot read any of this material.  (see info at the end of this post)

The following, quoted from the invitation is what the event offered;  

"The expert panel will feature artists who are Deaf or who have disabilities presenting their perspective on their arts practice and career development. Panelists will offer a better understanding of the voices; perspectives; artistic preoccupations of; and, issues facing artists who are Deaf or have disabilities."

"The event will also offer an opportunity for networking and relationship-building amongst artists, arts organizations and funding agencies."

How awesome is that! 

And it was awesome for the most part.  However, despite the wide range of accessibility needs that were addressed for the event;  (again quoted from their material)

• The Art Gallery of Ontario is wheelchair accessible (ramp entrance is on Dundas Street West at the front building entrance).
• ASL interpretation and English captioning will be provided.
• French simultaneous translation (audio) will be provided.
• Attendant care will be provided.
• A quiet, private space will be available at the event.

there was one significant oversight.  What about us blind and vision impaired folks?  I have participated in hundreds, if not thousands of accessible events, and consistently blind and low vision persons are rarely accommodated. There is no print access, no audio description, no knowledgeable trained guides, etc.  Frustrating to say the least. I will address this in greater detail shortly. I remain positive that upon recognizing these issues future accommodation processes will be implemented.

As I stated, I was really looking forward to hearing the panel discus their work, and presumably how these organizations had moved forward in implementing accessibility concepts which made this possible.  I was hoping that they would discus this process in the 20 minutes allotted each artist.

For the most part this was true.  I recognize that these presentations were for funders and arts professionals who are new to the disability arts world, so, although I personally didn't really get much out of these presentations, I'm sure they learned a great deal about artist abilities and the types of work being done.  Perhaps in future a different sort of informational session could be presented specifically for artists to gather and learn from the experience of others and the funders and arts professionals inclusively.

My only real criticism, was that save for one presenter, all visual presentations were not accessible to myself, or any of my vision impaired compatriots. Which is unfortunate, as there was a presentation by deaf media artist Chantal Dequire that I was very interested in, and would have appreciated a bit of structured Audio Description.  Subsequently, another slide show during the presentation was not described.   I think this is just a matter of educating presenters in effective accessible presentation technique.  Perhaps a future workshop?

I would however like to commend Janna Gorham for eloquently describing her slide presentation.  She was organized, articulate, and I thought it was very insightful and considerate initiative, and perhaps should be considered as a requirement, or strongly recommended to future presenters.  The awesome thing was, that Chantal herself was seated behind the projection screen, so she couldn't actually see what was up there.  Very together presenter, I must say.

The Q & A that followed was a bit of a let down.  Firstly because due to scheduling delays, there was not enough time for questions, and secondly, the question process needs a bit of work.

Following the presentations were the AGO tours.  I was looking forward to this too.  I was especially interested in the accessible tour for blind and vision impaired persons.  The tour guides stood at the back of the room holding up signs for the various tours, including this and the ASL tours.  WTF?

It might have been a good idea to announce the various tours following the presentation so that those of us who could not read those signs might have hooked up with the appropriate tour guide.

Another little thing I'd like to mention is that, after sitting for a couple of hours, we badly needed a bog break.  Upon returning from the lieu, most of the tours had left.

I was with a fellow vision impaired actor, and we ended up going on the Dutch tour as we couldn't find the specific tour we wanted.  Very disappointing as I would like to review that as well.  I'll be back AGO :).

Following the tours was the "networking" part of the program.  Food and drinks were served buffet style.  Always lots of fun for us blind folks.  Hmm, whats this, and how do I get it?  This is very common at events, and I'll just skip over for now, but access to comestibles should be a consideration at any event!  Free food to artists is gold.

It seemed to me that most of the professional people that |I would have liked to connect with had disappeared by now.  Not that I would have known who they were anyway.  I have pretty good vision for my condition, but I cannot really identify people from a distance unless I am very familiar with them.  I certainly cannot read their name tags. Mostly I guess.  It's instinct. 

So I find these networking events stressful and intimidating (not something I like to admit to, but let it be said here).  Those of us who have this problem need to have some way of finding, and identifying persons of interest.  Perhaps some sort of guide to provide introduction?  I'm not really sure how to solve that.  But it's always been a real obstacle for me, and this is really the first time I've admitted to that. Ouch. 

Some people think we low vision people may be rude or aloof, or shy, but really it's just that we don't know who the heck you are. .

That said, the following entertainment, while a nice showcase of talent, prevented any meaningful conversation.  I had assumed that the performers would provide an ambiance to the event, but the remaining time was taken up by focusing everyone's attention to the stage.

No further networking was accomplished. 

I'm glad I had the foresight to bring some printed material for the table and hope that it made it's way into the appropriate hands. I will also present this info again at the end of this post.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I think this event was a huge success for the most part.  It was a big step forward, and as I stated earlier, I'm sure future initiatives will improve from the experience.  Thanks again to the AGO, the OAC and the CCA.  I look forward to traveling this road with you.

Now, here is some info on how I can help provide access solutions to help you pave that road a little more smoothly.  You can also check out my previous blog post. Increase Your Audience By Being Accessible – Access to Digital Content http://accessfitz.blogspot.com/2011/06/increase-your-audience-by-being.html

Make the Arts Accessible To Everyone

Increase your audience.
Make digital content,
performance & events accessible.
Contact Access (SCS) Consulting Services
416-561-7942

 

Attention Arts organizations - Access (SCS) Consulting Services can help solve your accessibility needs. We provide Training and Audience Accessibility workshops, Digital Content Services, Website audits and more.   

What makes Access (SCS) Consulting Services Different?
We engage experienced arts practitioners with disabilities who understand the industry as well as accessibility compliance standards.
 

Website AuditsEnsure that your website is accessible. We can provide:

• Evaluation of your site using current accessibility standards 
• Explanation of what the problems are, including a ranking of priorities and specific instruction on what needs to be done 
• Overall best practices, recommendations
• A usability section provided by access technology users

Document Conversion

• Convert documents into an accessible format compatible with adaptive technologies
• adapt document styles and formats in Word, PowerPoint & more.
• Create accessible PDFs 
• Modify existing PDFs with accessible tags 
• Convert existing PDFs into other formats such as accessible HTML, Word and PowerPoint

Workshops and Seminars

• Accessibility training or awareness
• Accessible web design to reach a wider audience
• Document Accessibility
• Performance and Event accessibility:
• Audio Description
• Captions
• Touch Tours
• ASL 

Leave the Accessibility to Us! Our expertise will make you accessible! See www.access-scs-consulting.com or call 416-561-7942.

Butternut Series

Butternut Series, a set on Flickr.

Now you can check out my recent projects and creations on flicker; artwork and photography. Why not visit Fitz Pix. Please take a gander, and if you like what yous ee, leave a comment.
Thanks.
Wanda

Via Flickr:
On her 40th birthday, Sylence MacCleod awoke to find she had changed. Upon looking in the mirror, she found she had become a clown. This series depicts moments in her life after that awakening.

Sargasso - The Audio Described Experience

Yesterday I went to Sargasso by Philip Beesley.  Sargasso is a large scale suspended sculpture on display during the Luminato Festival at the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place from June 8 to 18, 2011.  

The instalation is amazing.  


Philip Beesley’s “Sargasso” combines visionary design with high-tech digital engineering to transform a downtown public space – and to offer a glimpse of the potential future of architectural art. A worldwide pioneer in the fast-growing field of responsive architecture, Beesley and his team of collaborators from the disciplines of architecture, engineering, biology, and sculpture use interactive technology to infuse one of Toronto’s busiest spaces with astonishing new life.

As if existing properties of this piece of "living art" aren't awesome enough; and they are, things move in response to your presence, there are little sounds and lights continually participating in the evolution of your experience, this  exhibit is AUDIO DESCRIBED FOR BLIND AND LOW VISION visitors.  You can download the audio file, or, if you have a smart device, you can scan the bar code at the site and play it on your phone.  Pretty cool eh?


The afternoon was beautiful and sunny.  The light in the space was stunning.  My friend and colleague Rose Jacobson and I were blown away by the beauty and genius of the design and application of the piece.  And the audio description mad it even better.  I took some photos (alas, silly me didn't bring a proper camera) on my iPhone, and have put together a little video with the audio for you to share a little of our experience.    This was a pretty quick job, as I want to get it posted ASAP, so people can get down there while Sargasso is still up.  


So, enjoy the soothing voice of audio describer Rebecca Singh on this photo tour of Sargasso.
This video is a creative collage made by artist Wanda Fitzgerald. the
soundtrack is an audio description of the sculpture "Sargasso" and is
intended for use while physically at the sculpture. This audio recording
is being used as "narration" here by special permission from Rebecca
Singh and Theatrelocal.org
 




 

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe2YsNcUJNU

Increase Your Audience By Being Accessible – Access to Digital Content

Attention Arts organizations - the information contained here may prove invaluable. Access (SCS) Consulting Services can help you solve your accessibility needs and increase your patronage.

Arts organizations have long been struggling financially; this in part has to do with cuts to arts funding and in part due to declining audiences. Making your online content accessible for people with disabilities, seniors, friends and family can increase your profitability.

People with disabilities make up 15.5% of the population, which is a significant number when you consider audience development.  Providing access to digital content, making exhibits and performances accessible could help to capture this market. People with disabilities, seniors and their companions have money to spend and want to enjoy the arts.

While Arts organizations in Ontario are slowly beginning to make an effort to make events accessible with audio description, closed captioning and ASL, they consistently disregard one very important aspect of making their events fully accessible: access to digital content.  Potential patrons may not be able to interact with content on websites, PDF documents, forms, ticketing information, videos and other content.  As a result, your organization may not be attracting a large segment of the population that can make your events more profitable. These barriers need to be addressed if change is to happen.

The goal here is to make the arts accessible to all people – a goal that needs to be adopted both in the material universe as well as in policy-making circles. We must ensure that all people, artists and patrons, have the ability to participate in the arts with ease and dignity. This is a win/win situation for everyone!

What Is Digital Content?

Digital content is any information that is published or distributed in digital form, including; text, data, sound recordings, photographs and images, motion pictures and software.

What Needs To Be Made Accessible?

• Web Design and Usability (including online ticketing)
• Text and data
• photographs, images
• Audio/Video
• PDF (including documents, applications and facility rental forms)
• Word and PowerPoint documents
• Events and Performances

As more information is transferred electronically, making digital content accessible becomes a social responsibility, especially if the content is meant for the public.

Making digital content accessible is neither a difficult nor an expensive task. Most common software applications like Adobe PDF maker and Microsoft Office have built-in tools for making documents accessible.

While providing accessibility benefits people with disabilities who are deemed a large minority group, it should not be forgotten that these same features are useful for seniors, people who have low internet bandwidth, and individuals accessing content through mobile devices. Making digital content simple to interact with is a priority when attracting a wide audience.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outlines the following four basic principles in making websites accessible:

Perceivable — Information and user interface components must be presentable to users such that they can perceive the presented information, i.e. it can’t be invisible to all their senses.

Operable — Users must be able to operate interface components and navigate. The interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform.

Understandable— Users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface.

Robust— Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. Users must be able to access the content even as technologies advance.

ACCESS (SCS) CONSULTING SERVICES

What makes Access (SCS) Consulting Services Different?

We engage experienced arts practitioners with disabilities who understand the industry as well as accessibility compliance standards.

Website Audits

Ensure that your website is accessible. We can provide:

• Evaluation of your site using WCAG 2.0 and W3C guidelines, U.S. section 508 of the rehabilitation act and AODA legislation
• Explanation of what and where the problems are, including a ranking of priorities and specific instruction on what needs to be done to address each issue
• Overall best practices, recommendations
• A usability section provided by both screen magnifier and screen reader users

Document Conversion

• Convert your documents into an accessible format that works with adaptive technologies.
• Adapting document styles and formats in Word, PowerPoint and other formats
• Creating accessible PDFs from documents in Word, PowerPoint and other formats
• Modifying your existing PDFs with accessibility tags and alternative text for images
• Converting your existing PDFs into other formats such as accessible HTML, Word and PowerPoint

Special Workshops and Seminars

• Accessibility training
• Accessible web design to reach a wider audience
• Document Accessibility
• Performance and Event accessibility:
• Audio Description
• Captions
• Touch Tours
• ASL 

Access (SCS) Consulting Services

Leave the Accessibility to Us!

Need help making digital content accessible?  Contact Access (SCS) Consulting Services to try our NEW website design and PDF document conversion services. Our new associate, Wanda Fitzgerald, is an expert accessibility and digital content consultant with more than 15 years experience. We make existing documents, forms or other digital content accessible.  Our prices will make you smile. Our expert services will make you accessible! See www.access-scs-consulting.com or call 416-561-7942

LUMINATO FESTIVAL, SARGASSO DOWNLOADABLE MP3 FILE LINK

Dear Friends!

Here is the accessible URL for our Audio Description of Sargasso- which is a
wonderful large-scale suspended sculpture at this year's LUMINATO.

 http://www.luminato.com/2011/download/sargasso

Select the URL to go directly to the downloadable audio file. You can
download this file and bring it with you to listen to on your mobile device
or mp3 player.

The press release about the exhibit is pasted below! Please enjoy and  bring
your friends! I welcome your feedback as well,

yours, on behalf of Picasso PRO/CT

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luminato 2011 is June 10−19, mark your calendars!


LUMINATO INTRODUCES AUDIO DESCRIPTION PILOT PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP WITH PICASSO PRO/CREATIVE TRUST AND THEATRE LOCAL

The Luminato Festival is proud to announce the preparation of an audio description for “Sargasso,” a large scale suspended sculpture on display at the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place from June 8 to 18, 2011. Users will be able to download the audio description as an mp3 file in advance or onsite with a smart phone device. This marks the first time that Luminato offers a descriptive service specifically targeted at the visually impaired community.

In his Luminato-commissioned installation, Philip Beesley’s “Sargasso” combines visionary design with high-tech digital engineering to transform a downtown public space – and to offer a glimpse of the potential future of architectural art. A worldwide pioneer in the fast-growing field of responsive architecture, Beesley and his team of collaborators from the disciplines of architecture, engineering, biology, and sculpture use interactive technology to infuse one of Toronto’s busiest spaces with astonishing new life.

From June 8-18, Beesley’s “Sargasso” transforms a familiar downtown locale: the sweeping atrium of the Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place. “Sargasso” is a vast canopy consisting of tens of thousands of lightweight, digitally-fabricated components which form an interconnected network of metal, acrylic, and mylar elements. Sargasso slowly shifts and floats above the pedestrian traffic, while shaping the nature of the environment itself.


Previous projects undertaken by this multidisciplinary group have been featured internationally, including in the Canadian Pavilion at the 2010 Venice Biennale in Architecture, and have won many awards, notably VIDA 11.0, FEIDAD, the Prix de Rome in Architecture, and the People’s Choice award at Toronto’s 2010 Nuit Blanche.

Audio Describer Rebecca Singh trained with Picasso Pro/Creative Trust and was last heard describing “More Fine Girls” at the Tarragon Theatre. Rebecca has also been a Fellow of the Luminato Festival* since September 2010.


The audio description pilot program is produced in association with Picasso Pro/Creative Trust and Theatre Local. This small project is serving as a pilot project, with the hopes that audio description can be integrated throughout the visual arts program in years coming.

*This position is generously funded by the Canada Arts Training Fund at the Department of Canadian Heritage, in partnership with Obsidian Theatre Company.