LOCATION: Center for the Arts, Monson Grand Tier III

How are artists integrating accessibility techniques into art spaces and cultivating a welcoming environment for all patrons? Panelists will discuss the myriad strategies and practices arts spaces can adaptively utilize to provide fully accessible arts programming, and how these techniques impact the audience’s sense of inclusion and belonging.

Presented by George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, this panel conversation will be hosted and moderated by Niyati Dhokai, Program Director for the Veterans and the Arts Initiative at George Mason University and will feature:

Amanda Loerch
Captioner with c2, Director of Patron Services
Sixth & I

Betty Siegel
Director of the Office of Accessibility and VSA
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Ermyn King
Audio Describer, Consultant, Arts Educator

Rachael Abbott
Actor, Theater Artist, Advocate

This event will be hosted live in person at the Center for the Arts on George Mason University’s Fairfax, VA campus and also live-streamed.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Live-stream access will be shared with all registered guests.

This event will be sign-interpreted, and assistive listening devices (ALDs) will also be available for in-person attendance.

Event Image Description: A square collage of five photos, with Amanda Loerch top left, Betty Siegel top middle, Niyati Dhokai top right, Ermyn King lower left, and Rachael Abbott lower right.

PANELIST BIOS:

Amanda Loerch (she/her/hers) is a captioner with c2 and is the Director of Patron Services at Sixth & I in Washington, DC. Prior to Sixth & I, Amanda supported accessibility programs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company. To support this work, Amanda studied American Sign Language at Gallaudet University from 2011 to 2014 and volunteered as a reader for the Washington Ear from 2014 to 2017. Additional front-of-house and artist services experience also includes the Hylton Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and George Mason University’s Center for the Arts.

Betty Siegel (she/her) believes making cultural experiences and spaces inclusive of people with disabilities of all ages is an essential civil, cultural and human right. An innovative expert in disability, arts, and cultural practices, she has been the Director of the Kennedy Center’s Office of Accessibility and VSA for over 20 years where she has the privilege of working at the national and international level to improve and support equal rights to engage and participate in the arts for people with disabilities of all ages. She delivers lectures and training around the world. Her JD is from the Columbus School of Law and in 2021 she founded the Access Advisory Group a company providing bespoke accessibility consulting and training.

Ermyn King (she/her) works at the intersection of arts education, arts and disability, arts access, and arts in health. She completed an M.A. degree in speech and dramatic arts, graduate certificate coursework in special education, and a B.S. degree in education. She designs, delivers, presents, and consults about, inclusive and accessible arts/cultural opportunities. Her commitment to full participation and equity of experience for all is a cornerstone of her career, spanning roles such as arts educator, teaching artist, arts in health practitioner-administrator, registered drama therapist, and certified teacher with expertise in creating accessible learning environments. Seeking proficiency in vital accessibility practices, Ermyn built upon her skills as a verbal describer and verbal description trainer in festival and museum contexts by becoming an audio describer.

Rachael Abbott (she/her) is a vision disabled, neurodiverse actor, theatre artist, and advocate based in the Washington, DC area. Growing up in a low vision/blind family has brought a unique perspective to Rachael’s artistry and advocacy. As an actor, she has performed in The National Theatre’s Saturday Morning Live series, Queens Theatre’s New American Voices, Phamaly Theatre’s online play salons, and with the Mason Players, Are You There? and 1,001 Plays. Her voice acting work includes audio productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has also conceived, produced, and performed a one-person show based on the play, Butterflies Are Free, collaborating with a blind pianist to bring awareness to vision disabilities in the arts.