Page 16 - APAP - Inside Arts - Conference 2020

VO!CE
audiences and practitioners alike, says Indira Goodwine, NEFA’s program director for dance. “As
we closely examine the evolution
of our programming in response
to the needs of our community, we recognize the onset of a renaissance
A SENSORY
SENSATION
In recent years, many performing arts centers have introduced sensory-friendly performances, but some, including the Charleston Gaillard Center,
an APAP member organization in Charleston, South Carolina, have taken this commitment to inclusion a bit further. Through a partnership with and certification from KultureCity, the center has made
all of its programming and events sensory-inclusive.
Kulture City is a nonprofit committed to building acceptance and inclusion for those with sensory needs, including but not limited to individuals with autism spectrum disorders, dementia and PTSD. As part of the certification process, medical professionals train staffers how to recognize guests with sensory sensitivities and how to handle a sensory overload situation.
Because they are inherently noisy, stimulating places, performing arts venues present a particular challenge to those with sensory needs. The certification process has prepared the Gaillard Center team to create a comfortable and accommodating experience.
In addition, the center has created sensory bags, equipped with noise canceling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards and weighted lap
of dance makers in our region contributing to the vitality of our communities and we are ready
to use our wealth of knowledge
and experience to do our part to strengthen the capacity of the dance community that surrounds us.” The
core element of the initiative is an intense dance lab in the summer of 2020; regional dance makers interested in participating will be able to apply in December 2019. For more information, visit nefa. org/NewEnglandNow.
pads for all guests who may feel overwhelmed by the environment.
"The Charleston Gaillard is proud and excited to continue
our efforts toward providing barrier-free performing arts for our community,” says the center’s director of education, Sterling deVries. “Through this initiative, our patrons are aware that we support, welcome and are happy to be a venue for everyone."
Kulture City was founded in 2013 by the parents of a son on the autism spectrum, and it was included on Fast Company’s 2019 list of Most Innovative Companies. It recently introduced the KultureCity app, which provides a list of all certified sensory inclusive venues. (There are more than 200 in three countries, including the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Quiet Space Sensory Room at Quicken Loans
Arena.) The app also allows guests to research what sensory features are available in a venue and a social story that provides a preview of what to expect while enjoying an event.
“To know that you soon will
be able to see families attend a performance, a true community binding experience, with their loved ones who have a sensory challenge and who were not able to previously attend, is truly a heartwarming moment,” says Julian Maha, co- founder of KultureCity. “Our communities are what shapes our lives and to know that the Gaillard Center is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that everyone, no matter their ability, is included in their community is amazing.”
For more information, visit KultureCity.org and GaillardCenter. org.
14 INSIDE ARTS CONFERENCE 2020