Guest Post, Newsletter, VocalEye 6 Minutes

VOCALEYE NEWS
MAY 2018

In this issue:
Happy Mother’s Day!
Described Performances and Events:
June 2: Described Tour at the Vancouver Art Gallery
June 3 and 8: Mamma Mia! at the Arts Club Stanley
Coming Up:
July 3: Once at the Arts Club Granville Island
July 22 and Aug 18: As You Like It at Bard on the Beach
Theatre Buddies | Ticket Access | Support | Reminders
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
We wouldn’t be here without them!

Last month we set a new record for the most Theatre Buddy requests for Misery at the Arts Club Granville Island, plus an out-of-town guest from Toronto. Big thanks to our Theatre Buddies Tal, Avital, Sandy and Rick Lin for taking such good care of them!

I just got back from leading an introductory workshop in dance description with CRIPSiE (Collaborative Radically Integrated Performance Society in Edmonton). It was wonderful to work with such a talented group of creators who are making accessibility and inclusion a part of everything they do. The workshop was held at the Universiade Pavilion at the University of Alberta, a sports stadium covered in bright yellow tiles that has been aptly and affectionately nicknamed “the Butterdome” by the locals.

Back in Vancouver this month, we’re partnering with the Revolver Festival at the Cultch to make the festival more accessible. Join community consultants, Deb Fong and Cathy Browne, as they check out some Low Vision Friendly programming (recommended as accessible without description) at the Cultch. Tickets are $15 with a free companion rate and priority seating when you mention VocalEye, 604-251-1363 (the Reading Series is free!).

June begins with two fabulous events: a described tour of Emily Carr in Dialogue with Mattie Gunterman at the Vancouver Art Gallery on June 2; and two described performances of Mamma Mia at the Arts Club Stanley on June 3 and 8.

Then I fly off to Ottawa to lead a describer/access training at the new Ottawa Art Gallery. The next edition of this newsletter will be out around mid-June with details on accessible and affordable Low Vision Friendly programming at this year’s Indian Summer Festival, updates on our continuing explorations with All Bodies Dance and more described performances.

I will leave you with a photo of the Butterdome and a couple of photos from the Touch Tour of Salt Baby at the Belfry. Big thanks to our volunteers Barbara and Frances, describer/photographer Rick Waines, artistic associate Erin Macklem, Linda Bartram and the Victoria Society for Blind Arts and Culture and all our patrons for another great year of described performances in Victoria. We look forward to spending next season with you!

Warmly,

Steph

The Butterdome, Edmonton (above). Patrons at the Touch Tour following Salt Baby at the Belfry (below).

DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS…

DESCRIBED ART TOUR AT THE VAG
VocalEye is delighted to celebrate BC Access Awareness Day at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver on Saturday, June 2 from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Join us for a special Described Tour of Emily Carr in Dialogue with Mattie Gunterman, facilitated by Steph Kirkland, Founder and Executive Director of VocalEye, and Art Educators Marie-France Berard and Lynn Chen. This enhanced Gallery tour is designed for people who are blind and partially sighted; however, all are welcome to attend.

Refreshments and a feedback session will follow the tour. As this is the first Described Tour led by the Gallery, we seek your participation and responses to help us create meaningful and inclusive services for non-visual learners and all visitors with vision loss.

Admission is free. Please register in advance by calling 604-662-4700 or RSVP online.

Sighted guides are available to escort visitors with vision loss to and from the Vancouver Art Gallery for this event. If you require a sighted guide, please arrange when you register by phone (604-662-4700) or email buddies@vocaleye.ca. The meet-up location will be at the ticket level of the Burrard Skytrain Station at 2:45 pm. Sighted guides will return visitors to this location at the end of the event at 5 pm or earlier, as needed.

MAMMA MIA!
Mamma Mia! One of the most popular musicals of all time, described by Anika Vervecken on Sunday, June 3 at 2 pm and again on Friday, June 8 at 8 pm at the Arts Club Stanley, 2750 Granville Street, Vancouver. Tickets start at $29 for VocalEye users, while they last. Please call the Box Office to purchase at 604-687-1644. VocalEye’s new Ticket Access Program provides rebates for those in financial need. Theatre Buddies are also available to guide members to and from the theatre from a convenient meet-up location. Please contact Donna for more details on both programs: buddies@vocaleye.ca (deadline to book a buddy or a rebate is one week before the described performance).

A daughter’s quest to find her biological father before her wedding brings together three men from her mother’s past. Who will walk her down the aisle? Will she find out before saying “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do”? This summer musical will transport you to a Greek island paradise filled with ABBA-tastic hits like “Dancing Queen,” “The Winner Takes It All,” and “S.O.S.”

Check out ABBA’s 1974 Mamma Mia music video, with original hairdos and white jumpsuits!

Song List
Plot Summary
COMING UP…

Once, a captivating do-it-yourself musical, described by Ingrid Turk on Tuesday July 3 at 7:30 pm at the Arts Club Granville Island, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver. Tickets start at $29 for VocalEye users, while they last. Please call the Box Office to purchase at 604-687-1644. This performance will be followed by a Talk Back with the cast.
As You Like It, Shakespeare meets the Beatles in this 60’s staging, described on Sun July 22 at 2 pm and Sat August 18 at 7:30 pm at Bard on the Beach, MainStage, 1695 Whyte Avenue, Vanier Park, Vancouver. Bard offers a special ticket rate for VocalEye users. Please call 604-739-0559 to purchase tickets and reserve headsets. Seating on the left side of the audience is recommended for best reception. The matinée performance on Sunday July 22 will be followed by a Touch Tour.

VOCALEYE THEATRE BUDDIES

Theatre Buddies are available to guide VocalEye Members, 18 years of age and up, from a designated meet up location to and from selected theatres. To reserve a Buddy in Vancouver, please contact buddies@vocaleye.ca
In Victoria, contact Linda Bartram at 250-595-5888. Buddies must be arranged 3 days in advance.
VOCALEYE TICKET ACCESS

VocalEye strives to lower barriers for members in financial need by providing rebates to reduce the price of admission to described shows. Members in Vancouver and the lower mainland can apply for assistance by contacting buddies@vocaleye.ca.
In Victoria, please contact lbartram@telus.net.
SUPPORT…
VocalEye is now a registered charity (#80166 6702 RR0001) and able to issue tax deductible receipts for monthly donations or individual donations of any size. Please include all your contact information for receipt purposes. VocalEye season supporters are gratefully acknowledged on our website

SUPPORT VOCALEYE

REMINDERS…
A complete listing of VocalEye described performances and events can be found on our website.
Tickets must be purchased by calling the theatre’s Box Office unless instructed otherwise.
Be sure to mention VocalEye when booking your tickets to receive any discounts offered and to reserve your headset. Please indicate whether you have partial vision, a guide dog or other seating preferences. Seating options may be limited.
Arrive early to pick up your equipment so you can be seated in time for a sound check. A live pre-show introduction to the set, characters and costumes will begin 10 minutes before curtain.
Our handheld receivers come with a single earpiece that can be worn on the left or right ear, or you can use your own earbuds or headphones. The audio signal is mono, so it will come through on one side only.
VocalEye Memberships are FREE for people with vision loss.
VocalEye Members are eligible for Theatre Buddy assistance, ticket discounts and equipment pickup without a deposit.
VocalEye newsletters are available in your choice of formats: Plain Text or HTML with images. Both include a link at the top to a simple Word Doc format.
Help us spread the word about described performances and arts access for people with vision loss by sharing this newsletter with those in your network.
VocalEye respects your right to privacy. We will not rent, sell or trade our list. Our mailings are intended to inform you of our events, programs, services and fundraising activities. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Thank you for reading through. See you at the theatre!

Images: Boaz Joseph/Surrey Leader, Steph Kirkland, Rick Waines, Shutterstock and the interwebs

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Published by Albert Ruel

The Albert A. Ruel Road to Blindness A 21 year old man stood on the beach at the Sproat Lake Provincial Park with friends early in May of 1977, and upon gazing across the lake found the Gulf Oil sign missing from the dock-side filling station there. When this fact was shared with his companions they glanced at him with puzzled looks and said, “No Albert, the sign is still there”. That was the beginning of a road through confusion, anger, isolation, loneliness and discovery for me. It all began with a visit to a local Optometrist who could see that my vision wasn’t right, but that corrective lenses wouldn’t help. He then referred me to a General Practitioner, where I received a clean bill of health and an additional referral. This time to an Ophthalmologist. Immediately upon peering through the dilated pupils, Dr. McKerricher was able to see the problem, Retinal Vasculitis. Now, you would think that all would start to improve at this point, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You see, CNIB, from 1918 until 1985 only served the needs of people who were “Legally Blind”, a level of vision loss I wouldn’t reach until November of 1979. The words of Dr. McKerricher still echo in my mind today, “Albert, I don’t know what has caused this and nothing we’ve tried is helping to stop it, and you’re not blind enough for me to refer you to CNIB”! In the middle of this transition from 20/20 vision to “Legally Blind” came the Motor Vehicle Branch and it’s rules of the road. On August 3, 1978 I drove a car for the last time as my vision had reached the level at which operating a motor vehicle became too dangerous, further intensifying feelings of fear, isolation and anger. Sadly, through this period the only available guidance and support was through family and friends, but not the experienced professionals I needed at the time. Although these support systems are critically important they can often be smothering and facilitating, rather than encouraging and supportive. With gratitude, and some trepidation I finally was able to access CNIB services in November of 1979, and the world opened up then. There I was able to meet other blind people and receive the daily living and mobility skills required to live independently in this sighted world. I learned elementary braille and began to discover technology as necessary tools of independence. Thankfully, in 1985 CNIB’s National Board altered the course of service to visually impaired Canadians forever. They added a third prong to their Mission Statement, “To promote sight enhancement services”. This opened the door to all Canadians who were beginning to lose sight, as well as those who had a fear of vision loss to access the full range of CNIB Support and Rehabilitation Services. So now, whether it’s someone’s Mother who is experiencing Macular Degeneration, or an Uncle experiencing the affects of Glaucoma, all have the ability to seek information, guidance and support as all involved deal with the fear and anxiety that accompanies such life altering experiences. With the help of professional Rehabilitation Workers and Employment Counselors I was able to continue traveling independently within my own community, and even more remarkably anywhere in the world I desired to go. I managed to attend College in Nanaimo and New Westminster, as well as traveling to the Mayo Clinic and to doctor’s appointments in Nanaimo and Vancouver without assistance. All of this while living with some usable vision, but not yet needing a white cane for travel. During the mid 1980’s I was a stay-at-home Dad and did all that was required of that challenging work, from changing diapers to preparing meals, and from cutting the grass to maintaining our home. I even took a woodworking course through Alberni’s Adult Education program and built and restored several pieces of furniture. Of course the 1958 Chevy Impala in the garage was my pride and joy, and I devised ways to do much of the work it required. I also joined and participated in many community activities, like the local Car Club, and a disability support group that catered to the needs of people with many different disabilities. Of course, continued participation in family life remained of critical importance through this period. In 1989 a secondary condition began to extinguish the vision that remained, which set into motion a new stream of professional rehabilitation services and supports. By the spring of 1990 Glaucoma had turned out the lights completely, and the darkness I had feared so desperately was upon me. Strangely though, I found this to be a great relief rather than the tragedy I had imagined it would be. Through several professional rehabilitation sessions, and by joining peer mentoring and advocacy groups I was able to come to terms with this strange feeling, and to learn additional skills and strategies for living with no visual cues of the world around me. This is also about the time that I decided to explore CNIB as an employer, and to see if I could provide the sort of guidance and support to others that had been my pleasure to receive. Those 14 years were a wonderful experience of ongoing discovery for me, as teaching may be the best way to solidify one’s own learning. In other words, those we assist through this transition in turn help us all as we develop best practices and improved service. Following a 14 year career with CNIB I also served the blind community as the first National Equality Director employed by the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC), and as a Basic Computer Literacy Trainer with the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB). Most recently I have enjoyed coordinating the CCB’s newly launched Get Together with Technology Program in Western Canada, which brings to the fore my passion for assistive technology and the power of peer mentoring. Without sight I have continued to travel far and wide, with trips to Conventions of and for the Blind in Anaheim California and Melbourne Australia, as well as to many events and activities in Toronto and Vancouver. Of course my work has taken me to many communities throughout Western Canada, and most particularly nearly all regions of BC and on Vancouver Island. None of which would have been possible without the services and support of organizations like CCB, AEBC and CNIB. For most people blindness generates a fear of extended movement, both within one’s home and community, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Independence comes from personal desire and increased skill. Many community organizations can assist with both through their mentoring and skill development programs. I remember always that life has little to do with what happens to me and 100% what I do about/with it. There is a quote I like to use from the National Federation of the Blind in the USA, “With adequate skill development and opportunity blindness can be reduced to the level of a nuisance”, and nothing could be closer to the truth. Helen Keller said many years ago, “There is nothing more tragic than someone who has sight, but no vision”. She also challenged the Lions Clubs of the world to become the “Knights of the Blind, and to take up the crusade against darkness”. I too joined a Lions Club in 1992 and continue to work on the crusade that Helen Keller began in the 1920-s.

Published