Every
DEAF Media program involves outreach to Deaf and hearing
communities, as well as a wide variety of expression
in the visual, performing, and media arts.
Click on the links below to learn
more about the many wonderful DEAF Media programs in
the Bay Area and nationwide.
Deaf Artists at the Oakland Museum of
California
DEAF Media works together with the Oakland Museum
to enable meaningful access to the museum for artists and
non-artists alike. The project provides Deaf adults, Deaf children,
and
their families hands-on experience in the arts, and gives
them an opportunity
to meet, acknowledge, and work with Deaf artists. It also
assists in audience development for the museum’s Deaf docent
program.
The workshops have given talented Deaf artists venues
in which
to share their skills with the Deaf and hearing communities,
and collaboration with the museum has provided full and meaningful
access to many of the museum’s festivals for the Northern
California Deaf community. This project is a national model
for Deaf centered programming. return to top
Feast for the Eyes
Created by Hedy Udkovich Stern and Susan Rutherford in 1986 DEAF Media has co produced this annual storytelling event for the Deaf community with the Office of Continuing Education at the California School for the Deaf, Fremont. Held each Fall to celebrate National Deaf Awareness Week, the event which is hosted by Dr. Rutherford and Sandra Ammons showcases American Sign Language storytelling and features performers of all ages—from adult masters of the art to youngsters who carry on the cultural tradition. With voice interpretation, this entertaining event also gives the hearing world a glimpse into the American Deaf
community’s rich storytelling tradition. return to top
DEAF Media Docents
In this project DEAF Media collaborates
primarily with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the
Oakland Museum of California, and Yerba Buena Center for the
Arts. In combination with the training of new Deaf docents,
this project features museum tours for the Deaf community led
by Deaf docents and provides voice interpretation for the hearing
public. This Deaf centered approach to what DEAF Media refers
to as “meaningful access,” consistently draws record
Deaf attendance for participating institutions. return to top
Deaf Education and Arts Network (D.E.A.N.)
This project uses
a community resource to fill a community need. Deaf storytellers
and artists participate in school and community programs that
serve Deaf children. They provide arts and cultural enrichment
and serve as social and linguistic role models for the Deaf
child. For the hearing parents and hearing contemporaries of
Deaf children, these artists are examples of successful Deaf
adults—living models of what any Deaf child can become. return to top
Information and Referral
Since its inception in 1974 DEAF
Media has provided information and referral as an ongoing service.
The founding of the organization brought together Deaf and
hearing educators, community leaders, and theatrical specialists
who formed a ready resource of information and technical assistance.
DEAF Media is repeatedly called upon to provide information
to other arts organizations, service agencies and media producers,
as well as to individuals in the general public. We strive
to provide accurate and clear information regarding deafness,
American Sign Language and accessibility as they relate to
education, the arts, stage and media.
Whether it’s for
the Berkeley Repertory Company in our own backyard, Hollywood
casting, the BBC in London or a PBS production in Boston, we
have given thoughtful assistance and identified other resources
that might also prove helpful. return to top
DEAF Media Presents…
Under this banner, DEAFmedia produces
live performances to the Greater San Francisco Bay Area community.
This project has brought productions such as Deaf West Theatre
Company’s Shirley Valentine, starring Freda Norman; has
assisted in integrating Deaf theatre into the San Francisco
Theatre community; and has provided opportunities for Deaf
theatre companies, performers, and artists. DEAF Media Presents… also
affords the opportunity to showcase individual talent, from
emerging artists to seasoned professionals. It i is produced
on a funds-available basis. return to top
DEAF Media Roundtables
Through these discussions, DEAF Media
brings together diverse parties to share ideas, stimulate discussion,
or provide consultation. They may take place to provide Deaf
expertise and advocacy to the media, like Hollywood screenwriters
and producers; to bring together visiting scholars with interested
Deaf community members; or to engage in a dialogue with organizations
such as the Berkeley Commission on Disability. return to top
Celebration: Deaf Artists and Performers
Deaf Artists and Performers: Begun in 1981, DEAF
Media’s Celebration was the first of its kind: a showcase
on a prestigious stage that simultaneously provided entertainment
and explored the nature of Deaf arts and culture. It continues
to serve as a model for other Deaf cultural festivals across
the country.
Celebration served to document the arts and culture
of Deaf America in order to gain recognition and acceptance
of American Sign Language. Produced in cooperation with the
University of California at Berkeley, Department of Linguistics;
the California School for the Deaf, Outreach Division; Gallaudet
University, Regional Extension Office; and DCARA, this three-day
program of lectures, workshops, and displays highlights the
work of Deaf artists from across the country. The activities
culminate in an evening performance that spotlights outstanding
Deaf performers.
To date there have been eight productions
of Celebration. DEAF Media continues to seek funding to carry
on this historical tradition. return to top
Advocacy
For all of its history DEAF Media has been at the forefront
of advocacy for Deaf artists and performers; for the recognition
and acceptance of American Sign Language; for hiring of Deaf
actors for Deaf roles; for the establishment and dissemination
of open-captioned films in first-run theatres, for deaf-centered
programming; for appropriate access to emergency broadcast;
and for ADA compliance, meaningful access and participation
in major cultural institutions and public media. return to top
Outreach
A major ongoing organizational activity is outreach
in the Deaf community on behalf of other arts organizations—such
as Deaf West Theatre Company’s San Francisco run of “Big
River” at the Curran Theatre; open captioned performances
at New Conservatory Theatre; World Institute on Disability
(WID)/Corporation on Disability in Telecommunication (CDT)
annual “Ever Widening Circle” at Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts; ODC's Annual Production of "Velveteen Rabbit"
also at Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts; interpreted theatre performance and events, Berkeley,
San Jose, San Francisco Fine Arts and Oakland Museums; the
California Governor’s
Media Access Office, among others. return to top
Broadcast Television and Media
Distribution
Rainbow’s End
is DEAF Media’s Emmy Award-winning
PBS series for deaf children. The project is dedicated to introducing
children to the humanities—history, literature, language
and civics. Employing positive Deaf role models using American
Sign Language (ASL) the programs also seek to promote literacy,
foster critical thinking skills and a positive self-esteem.
The episode “Rules, Laws, and the U.S. Constitution,” funded
by the National Endowment for the Humanities, was cited by
the U.S. Commission for the Bicentennial of the Constitution
as exemplary programming and is currently used by the Supreme
Court in its public programming. The original Rainbow’s
End series is available from Sign Media, Inc. (www.signmedia.com)
as part of its Sign Language Classic Series. return to top
