On May 20th Susanne and Stephen and Jocelyn, on behalf of DCLL, co-led a workshop at the Center for Accessibility at the DC Public Library. Some attendees were blind, vision or hearing impaired and deaf. The session began with a small group discussion about sounds in our daily lives (which are pleasant, grating, small and large) as a way to explore the ways that our sense of sound (whether perceived through our ears or through vibrations felt elsewhere) is experienced.
We listened to a collection of audio stories and sonic snippets including the illusive sounds of compost digesting, ice-melting, and animals scratching. We heard the story of DCLL'er Selina S.D. moving through a case of laryngitis and we heard words gathered from the streets of Columbia Heights about aspirations and personal motivation.
The workshop was an opportunity to listen together and for DCLL to learn some new tips for making the listening experience more inclusive and inviting. DCLL is looking forward to putting many new ideas into practice at Sound Scene on July 8th (if not before). Some of the great ideas we discussed are noted below.
Thank you to the Public Library for hosting us!
Great tips for more inclusive programming:
-Columbia Lighthouse is the best bet Braille Printing Service and other services in the area listed here: https://nfb.org/braille-transcription-resource-list
-Consider large print versions of written materials
-Make your website and web materials work with screen readers
-Mentioning "audio" leads many blind people to think first of "audio descriptions" and that isn't as fun as "interactive, exploratory, storytelling and sonic adventuring."
-Can listen with more than your ears. Consider putting your hands on a balloon, but also your hand on your neck and throat can enable you to feel the ways that sounds bend and change pitch vibrationally
-It's helpful to have a visual version of the waveforms of audio to follow with your eyes
-Interpretive dance can help
-Not all ASL is created equal
-If you have an ipad sign in at the front door, its best to have someone there to assist and walk-through the process
We have a lot to learn but we're grateful to be improving.
We listened to a collection of audio stories and sonic snippets including the illusive sounds of compost digesting, ice-melting, and animals scratching. We heard the story of DCLL'er Selina S.D. moving through a case of laryngitis and we heard words gathered from the streets of Columbia Heights about aspirations and personal motivation.
The workshop was an opportunity to listen together and for DCLL to learn some new tips for making the listening experience more inclusive and inviting. DCLL is looking forward to putting many new ideas into practice at Sound Scene on July 8th (if not before). Some of the great ideas we discussed are noted below.
Thank you to the Public Library for hosting us!
Great tips for more inclusive programming:
-Columbia Lighthouse is the best bet Braille Printing Service and other services in the area listed here: https://nfb.org/braille-transcription-resource-list
-Consider large print versions of written materials
-Make your website and web materials work with screen readers
-Mentioning "audio" leads many blind people to think first of "audio descriptions" and that isn't as fun as "interactive, exploratory, storytelling and sonic adventuring."
-Can listen with more than your ears. Consider putting your hands on a balloon, but also your hand on your neck and throat can enable you to feel the ways that sounds bend and change pitch vibrationally
-It's helpful to have a visual version of the waveforms of audio to follow with your eyes
-Interpretive dance can help
-Not all ASL is created equal
-If you have an ipad sign in at the front door, its best to have someone there to assist and walk-through the process
We have a lot to learn but we're grateful to be improving.
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