Following the success of the audio-described Tactile Tour program in 2010, Sculpture by the Sea are partnering with Accessible Arts to offer people with vision impairment and people with intellectual disability the opportunity to engage with art in a hands-on guided experience.
Accessible Arts hosted the Festivals Forum in July 2011, to review access for people with disability at festival events throughout NSW. Representatives from fifteen festivals large and small, and supporting arts organisations, gathered at the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera House to attend the three hour forum.
As part of an agreement to support festivals to develop accessibility, Accessible Arts has provided training to Sculpture by the Sea staff for the third consecutive year. Twelve staff from all sections of the organisation attended three hours of Disability Awareness and Access training to further embed accessibility practices throughout their organisation.
Festivals are increasing in popularity and continue to give expression and exposure to innovative creative arts and culture, which in turn adds greater vibrancy to communities who share in these occasions. Accessible Arts will present a forum in July, to bring festival producers together to discuss the unique challenges they face when improving access to festival events.
Nastasia Campanella is a Sydney based freelance print, radio and online journalist who also happens to be blind. She recently attended one of the audio described tactile tours presented by Sculpture by the Sea in partnership with Accessible Arts and reported on the experience.News
Captions at Dendy Awards applauded by filmmaker
The decision by Sydney Film Festival to include open captions at Australia’s first short film awards held particular significance for Sydney based filmmaker and finalist, Dave Carter.
As a filmmaker who is also Deaf, Dave applauds the festival and confirms there is a need for more captioning to be available in all cinemas.
“I'm used to being forced to only see foreign films and I miss out on relating to other films on a cultural level. Personally it was brilliant that I could critique the competitor's films fairly,” explained Dave.
Dave’s shortfilm ‘How To Lose Weight in 60 Seconds’ was one of three animations that made the short list Dendy Awards and his first attempt at claymation.
His other short films have screened at the London International Animation Festival and Bondi Short Film Festival and he has provided commissioned work for Comedy Central and MTV.
Dave knew from a young age that he wanted to be an animator. Having been born Deaf may actually have been an advantage in following his passion.
"No doubt my deafness has been great training for animation," he explains. "My dominant language growing up was visual and watching TV was visual storytelling. I just had to fill in the dialogue."
Captioning ensures that every member of every viewing audience has the ability to access TV, video, cinema, DVD, web streaming and live events. Accessible Arts has worked in partnership with the Sydney Film Festival to support the delivery of access since 2007.