Art in America online ran a couple of what I found to be amazing articles about artists, ableism, disabilities in the arts. The articles are written by Andrew Leland (“Ways of Not Seeing”) and Emily Watlington (“Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Arts Now”). Links are given below.
This is a larger interest for me as I am now formally considered “disabled.” Between a hearing impairment, progressive lung disease and macular degeneration developing my whole world is busy shifting. Fortunately, for the breathing thing, I am able to rent a POC—a Portable Oxygen Concentrator. This allows me to leave the house, with its O2 tubes lying about and its distinctly non-portable oxygen concentrator, while the 24/7 need for supplemental oxygen continues.
The POC is not quite quiet. Every time I take a breath it makes a sound. Not a loud, brassy noise, just an audible hiss/click sort of thing.
A dear friend of mine, Mikki Lipsey, will be performing on Broadway at the Newmark Theatre in December. Mikki and I met while working on the novel television series “Portlandia” and it would be great to see her on stage. The show sounded like great fun as well, yet I was hesitant. Is the POC going to be disturbing? In a quiet theater? I didn’t want my need for breathing assistance distracting attention and attracting possible hostility from nearby audience members. Some people are less tolerant or focused than others.
I really wanted to see Mikki in “The Midwinter Revels: Andalusian Night – A Celebration of the Solstice” and got in touch with the Accessibility contact at the Oregon Art Commission; Kat Bell responded quickly and thoroughly to my concerns. Does the theater accommodate POC users?
Meanwhile Mikki was able to consult with the stage manager and director and they kindly determined where the best seating, for the POC, acoustically would be.
Bell discovered the Newmark Theatre has no problem with audience members using POCs. [I’m quite convinced there will be more of us all the time; air quality, etc.] Mikki secured us tickets in an acoustically sound position, and we are a GO! Yay! And it’s supposed to be a very noisy show.
I’m still unsure about going to movie theaters, but hey.
Part Two continues with more about ableism, the arts, and cross-disability solidarity.
https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/interviews/blind-artists-roundtable-1234641927/#recipient_hashed=307fbcf3cd722a4f8d8efd1cab75119e7a60713fdd5512f73f8bd808749afab0&recipient_salt=b91dbb757b8f134b462f764546de428eb9574ef8fcb9fd40b72547cd783be0a9
https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/disability-arts-now-1234642326/#recipient_hashed=307fbcf3cd722a4f8d8efd1cab75119e7a60713fdd5512f73f8bd808749afab0&recipient_salt=b91dbb757b8f134b462f764546de428eb9574ef8fcb9fd40b72547cd783be0a9
This is a larger interest for me as I am now formally considered “disabled.” Between a hearing impairment, progressive lung disease and macular degeneration developing my whole world is busy shifting. Fortunately, for the breathing thing, I am able to rent a POC—a Portable Oxygen Concentrator. This allows me to leave the house, with its O2 tubes lying about and its distinctly non-portable oxygen concentrator, while the 24/7 need for supplemental oxygen continues.
The POC is not quite quiet. Every time I take a breath it makes a sound. Not a loud, brassy noise, just an audible hiss/click sort of thing.
A dear friend of mine, Mikki Lipsey, will be performing on Broadway at the Newmark Theatre in December. Mikki and I met while working on the novel television series “Portlandia” and it would be great to see her on stage. The show sounded like great fun as well, yet I was hesitant. Is the POC going to be disturbing? In a quiet theater? I didn’t want my need for breathing assistance distracting attention and attracting possible hostility from nearby audience members. Some people are less tolerant or focused than others.
I really wanted to see Mikki in “The Midwinter Revels: Andalusian Night – A Celebration of the Solstice” and got in touch with the Accessibility contact at the Oregon Art Commission; Kat Bell responded quickly and thoroughly to my concerns. Does the theater accommodate POC users?
Meanwhile Mikki was able to consult with the stage manager and director and they kindly determined where the best seating, for the POC, acoustically would be.
Bell discovered the Newmark Theatre has no problem with audience members using POCs. [I’m quite convinced there will be more of us all the time; air quality, etc.] Mikki secured us tickets in an acoustically sound position, and we are a GO! Yay! And it’s supposed to be a very noisy show.
I’m still unsure about going to movie theaters, but hey.
Part Two continues with more about ableism, the arts, and cross-disability solidarity.
https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/interviews/blind-artists-roundtable-1234641927/#recipient_hashed=307fbcf3cd722a4f8d8efd1cab75119e7a60713fdd5512f73f8bd808749afab0&recipient_salt=b91dbb757b8f134b462f764546de428eb9574ef8fcb9fd40b72547cd783be0a9
https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/disability-arts-now-1234642326/#recipient_hashed=307fbcf3cd722a4f8d8efd1cab75119e7a60713fdd5512f73f8bd808749afab0&recipient_salt=b91dbb757b8f134b462f764546de428eb9574ef8fcb9fd40b72547cd783be0a9