As a hard-of-hearing advocate for disability justice, this class gave me the opportunity to explore access to the arts as tools for creative translation. My practice spanned many genres as they each provided a new method for accessibility.

Two projects came from this course. First, [THE SOUND OF TRYING]. You can read more about this project by clicking this link:

This piece consisted of interactive captions prompting viewers to describe sound in these new contexts. Viewers closed their eyes, attempted to sense the sound fully, and were invited to think about where the sound manifested in the body. Then they could take to the words and transcribe the auditory story. Photos were sent to me to form a collaborative description that told a greater story of sound with meaning beyond trembling waves of air.

The second project, [THE SOUND OF REACHING], can be watched here:

This work explored the imperfections of access. As we strive for an accessible world, it is important to make new lenses instead of direct mirrors. Sometimes the tangible translations just don’t fit like a puzzle piece into the world of the eye. Instead of trying to reach for an impossible perfection, we try to create something new. The Hudson River is a site of peace, a safe space I can now carry with me in this tactile graphic.