Pssst…All Art-Reach Members

Have we got a great deal for you!  Utrecht Art Supplies is offering you a special 10% discount on all your purchases from both of their stores in Center City and will throw in free delivery for any orders over $100.

Why is this such a great deal, you say?  Well, it gets even better.

Utrecht is a Brooklyn-based company (they still make their own paint) started by two brothers 60 years ago and has been serving the Philadelphia community for almost 30 years. It already honors local competitors’ coupons by matching them. So get out those scissors and start clipping, and you can save 10% off already low prices on the highest quality paints, papers, and other materials for your organization or agency.

And there is another little reason to patronize this family-run, socially responsible business. Jennifer Demmer, the indefatigable outreach coordinator for Utrecht Philadelphia, informs us that the company  "hearts" Art-Reach: “Utrecht is proud to partner with an organization that gives access to the arts for groups such as at-risk youth, people with disabilities, and elderly people in need.”

Show Utrecht some Art-Reach love back. Click on this link http://philly.utrechtblog.com to start shopping for great deals on quality art products. They also have a knowledgeable staff of working artists to help you make the best selections. Satisfaction Guaranteed!

-by Kathy Spillman

What’s Audio Description?

Audio description allows people who are blind or have low vision to enjoy equal access to cultural events such as live performances, film, or television, providing individuals with descriptive information about visual elements during pauses in dialogue or narration.  Information is transmitted to listeners through a wireless earpiece, allowing people with visual impairments to sit anywhere in the audience during live performances.
Audio description is a means of communicating the most essential information about significant visual elements such as actions, body language, costumes, and settings.  Bill Patterson, owner of Audio Description Solutions and a founding member of the Audio Description Coalition, explains audio description as “being the eyes of the audience.  So much of our world comes to us through visual information.”  The audio describer’s role is to describe what he or she sees without interpretation or explanation.  For instance, rather than describing a character as “angry,” the audio describer would say, “Sarah clenches her fists.”  This allows listeners to draw their own conclusions. 

Audio describers come from a variety of backgrounds and participate in extensive training and coaching.  Qualities that make a good audio describer include strong verbal skills, a pleasant voice, and the ability to process information quickly.  Ermyn King, Manager of the PA Cultural Access Project at VSA arts of Pennsylvania, says, “It’s exhilarating to do audio description.  It requires the integrated application of so many principles, and when you do it well, the difference that it makes is indispensable to the listener.”
For more information about audio description, visit the Audio Description Coalition’s website at www.audiodescriptioncaoliation.org.

-Jennifer Oglesbee

People First Language 101 (Or how I failed this course miserably)

There I was, having dinner recently with a very dear friend, and I used the word “lame” to describe something I thought was done very poorly. Did I mention my friend has a disability, one that involves mobility?

Audience: Gasp!

Me: Massive. FAIL.

My, uh, experience in unthinkingly using abelist* language got me thinking about issues of respect and dignity in not just how we treat people with disabilities, but how we speak to and about them. And the way we sprinkle our daily lingo with words like “lame,” “retarded,” “schizoid,” “madhouse,” and so on. So I thought I would jot down some pointers and drop a few hot links for all of us, so we can better check our abelist privilege at the door.

The cardinal, golden, primo rule when speaking about or to any person who has a disability is to use People First language. This is simply positive language that recognizes the person first, the disability second.

So…

Examples of People First language include:

• People with disabilities
• People who use wheelchairs
• People who are blind
• People with a mental illness
• People with cognitive disabilities
• People who are deaf or hard of hearing
• People with mental retardation
• People with a congenital disability

And so on.

And some examples of language not to use?

• The handicapped, not normal, not able-bodied, lame, crippled
• Confined to a wheelchair, wheelchair bound
• The blind
• Insane, crazy, psycho, nuts, lunatics
• Morons, idiots, retards, “slow”
• The deaf
• Mentally retarded, retarded, retards, “slow”
• Birth defect (As in, “She suffers from a birth defect.” By the way, don’t use the verb “to suffer” when referring to a person with disability, either. Another biggie to avoid: the noun “victim.” And when using “People First” language with a person with a disability, always address the person, not the caretaker/translator.)

What happens if you mess up in front of a person with a disability? Do you have to blog a public confession like I have here? Absolutely not! We are all human, and we all make mistakes. The important thing is that you own up to your flub, apologize sincerely while not making too big a deal of it (thereby embarrassing yourself further), and think before you speak next time.  Here are a couple of educational links on People First language and why it’s important:

www.kidstogether.org/pep-1st.htm
www.txddc.state.tx.us/resources/publications/pfanguage.asp

*Abelist: somebody who exhibits discrimination, or uses prejudiced language, against people with disabilities or in favor of able-bodied people.

-Kathy Spillman

Piano Stairs

Your daily dose of "fun" care of Volkswagen.
Art truly keeps us healthy!

The Independence Starts Here! Cultural Calendar is Gaining Momentum

Art-Reach thanks their volunteer ambassadors who visited neighborhoods in Philadelphia this week handing out postcards and posters to businesses, arts venues, recreation centers and senior centers who serve individuals likely to benefit from the Independence Starts Here! Cultural Calendar.  This was so successful that Art-Reach ran out of materials advertising the calendar, and will be making more to continue to spread the word to even more neighborhoods. The initiative has been featured in the Philadelphia Business Journal and Philadelphia Gay News. Take a look at the articles and contact Art-Reach if you have any questions about how the calendar can help you or people you know.

Learning is Fun Especially with the Arts: Echo Singing

Happy Monday! Let's start the week off right with an educational song.