Despite our guests only being with us for an hour, I feel like I learned so much, and am intimidated to think about how much more information I would have had to digest had they had more time. When thinking about my own personal connections to education and art and disability and access, I was thrilled to see such dedicated, innovative, and enthusiastic advocates for accessibility in the arts and culture.
I appreciated the basic facts and figures that Betty Siegel shared with us about the breadth in which disability affects the world’s population right away. I think that this was a helpful means of priming our thinking before delving deeper into our discussion.
When we moved into our Q&A session, I was really interested in learning more about the technology that is used to increase access within the arts and culture. I was expecting our guests to talk about new technologies that are being researched and used to improve the experiences of those with disabilities (because technology can do no wrong, right?). However, Betty Siegel especially made it clear that though technology has its benefits, it can also have its faults and make things more complicated than needed. I began thinking about technology, and how even with good intentions, it can raise questions about user-friendliness and basic knowledge about technology as well as financial access to adaptive technologies – base prices of hearing aids are well above $1,000 on the low end. Sometimes, advanced technology just isn’t that intuitive – think about if your grandparents tried to figure out Zoom for the first time (chances are, there would have been some issues).
I also hadn’t thought about how the advancement of technology informs the use and development of older technologies. For example, I hadn’t thought at all about how WiFi and Internet might change the way in which technology for hearing assistance is used to increase accessibility.
Betty, Diane, and Roger also all made it a point to emphasize how far assistance that doesn’t directly involve the advancement of technology can go towards supporting people with disabilities.
“We look for technology to save us, but it can’t negate the importance of human intervention,” – Betty Siegel
This quote also made me think about how we approach our policy proposals. While it can be fun and exciting to think about big ideas and new technologies, fulfilling the fundamental needs of people and organizations can’t and shouldn’t be ignored!
Something that I haven’t noticed in the past when reading mission statements of arts and cultural organizations was the lack of mention of accessibility when acknowledging the need for inclusion. Though I guess I’m not totally surprised by this, when considering that disability affects 25% of the population, it really should be included in the core values of organizations.
I was also interested to learn about the Kennedy Center’s relationship with the federal government as an “instrument of the federal government”. I wish we had had a bit more time to discuss this relationship, as I think it differs from a relationship with a direct governmental body or an organization that doesn’t have any direct ties to the government, especially as an art and cultural institution. I think it would have been interesting to discuss how or if that affects programming at the Kennedy Center or how that may affect access and inclusion efforts through laws and regulations.
As someone looking to pursue a further education in law, I enjoyed learning about how a legal background can still be applied in art and cultural institutions. While it’s possible I may have to sell my soul for a few years to pay off the cost that comes with obtaining a law degree, I can see myself using my knowledge in the future to work with ADA/504 compliance as well as incorporating diverse and inclusive hiring practices according to laws and regulations.
I was fascinated by Roger’s seemingly happened-upon connection to the arts and culture. By having a more “STEM” (for lack of a better descriptor) background rather than a formal background in a type of performance or visual art, the intersection of these fields in Roger’s experience goes to show the breadth and depth of the arts and culture as they are embedded in our society and the human experience.
If anyone is looking to contact any of our guests, I compiled their contact information below!
Betty Siegel, Director of the Office of Accessibility & VSA, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
E-mail: bsiegel@kennedy-center.org
Phone: 202-416-8727
Dianne Nutting, Independent Consultant for Inclusion and Accessibility
E-mail: nuttingdiane@gmail.com
Roger Ideishi, Program Director for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program; Professor of Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences at The George Washing University
E-mail: rideishi@gwu.edu