Alie B. Gorrie is a Disability Inclusion Consultant. Learn more at www.aliebgorrie.com and contact at inclusion@aliebgorrie.com.
Christine Bruno (Disability Equity Consultant) is an award-winning actor, director, teaching artist, and disability equity consultant for the entertainment industry and arts & culture organizations. Based in NYC, she holds an MFA in Acting and Directing from the New School and is a member of The Actors Studio. A proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA, she sits on the NY Local Board of SAG-AFTRA and is Chair of NY SAG- AFTRA Performers with Disabilities (PWD) Committee. She recently starred Off-Broadway in the world premiere of Bekah Brunstetter’s Public Servant and can be seen in the award-winning indie feature Best Summer Ever on Amazon Prime and iTunes. For more information on her consulting services, please visit www.BrunoDisabilityInclusion.com.
Marilee Talkington is a leader in the disability justice in arts and entertainment movement. Her niche expertise is training, writing for, casting, and working with blind & low vision actors and artists.
She is the founder of Access Acting Academy, a first-of-its-kind acting studio (virtual and in-person) for blind & low vision actors at all levels, where she, along with her master collaborators, have revolutionized the pedagogical approach to training with equity and access at the forefront at all times. She has consulted for major film studios, independent film production companies/writers/directors/producers, television networks and specific shows, theater, commercials, acting conservatories/university drama programs/acting studios, and non-arts related organizations. She is the recipient of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award for transforming the way the world views blind humans, and has been profiled on Apple’s “Time to Walk”, Forbes, NY Times, AbilityMagazine, Spectrum TV, and so many more for her artistic and advocacy work. She is a professional actor with an M.F.A in Acting and one of the only legally blind women in the United States to be awarded this degree www.accessacting.com. For consultation rates, please contact me directly and mention where you got my information at Marilee@accessacting.com
The Rainbow Butterfly Café is an EduTainment Production & Consulting Company that creates performances and expressive arts workshops to eradicate ableism, racism and othering stigmas. Offers Disability Equity, Inclusion & Access Consulting for Individuals, Productions (Theater, Film & Television) & Arts Organizations: Diana Elizabeth Jordan- Chief Creative Artivist/Founder, www.rainbowbutterflycafe.com, therainbowbutterflycafe@gmail.com, 424-259-1802
ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION RESOURCES
Closed captioning and live transcription resources:
Article about closed captions and live transcription on Zoom: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/207279736-Closed-captioning-and-live-transcription
ASL Interpretation
The Sign Language Company Since 1986, The Sign Language Company has provided certified and qualified interpreters throughout California and around the Globe. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Sign Language Company has established an enviable reputation in a wide array of settings. We have unique expertise in the Entertainment Industry serving as the preferred agency for Theatre, Television (including commercials, music videos, and Public Service Announcements) and Film. https://signlanguageco.com
Student Volunteer Communication Services through California State University Northridge.
Free student volunteer interpreters--note that recruiting process can take up to 7 days to complete: https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/deaf-studies/requesting-student-volunteer-communication-services
Pro Bono ASL Professional deaf and hearing BIPOC ASL interpreters with negotiable rates: https://www.probonoasl.com/professional-requests
LIFESIGNS, Inc Certified sign language interpreters: https://lifesignsinc.org/sign-language-interpreting/28
AUDIO DESCRIPTION SERVICES
Audio Description, also known as Descriptive Audio or Video Description, narrates the relevant visual information contained in a video and is an accommodation for blind and low-vision viewers. These descriptions fit into natural pauses in the video’s audio track to provide context, to clarify speakers, and to articulate visual elements that are critical to gain a comprehensive understanding of the video.
Deluxe Media Services’ in-house audio description department has described more than 130 feature films. Certified by the American Council for the Blind, they have a database of more than 200 professional voice talents. They can provide audio description in foreign languages.
Phone: (818)565-3600
Website: bydeluxemedia.com
Descriptive Video Works specializes in descriptive video for broadcast programming and feature films. They have completed audio description for more than 20,000 television shows and feature films. Their audio description for U.S. networks and film studios give 22 million American viewers access to a wide variety of broadcast programming.
Phone: (866) 818-3897
Website: descriptivevideoworks.com
WGBH’s Media Access Group has pioneered and delivered captioned and described media for more than30 years to people in their homes, classrooms at work and in the community. WGBH serves 35 million people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision. For feature films, DVS® Theatrical® allows moviegoers who are blind to hear descriptions of the film’s key visual elements without distracting other patrons.
Phone: (617) 300-3600
Email: access@wgbh.org
Website: access.wgbh.org
Woman of Her Word provides the specialized voiceover style required for audio description. Michele Spitz has produced and narrated AD for 50 films, as well as voiced AD for museum tours, educational videos and audio newsletters that provide access to information for the low vision and blind communities. Michele is a disability advocate, public speaker and philanthropist supporting arts and accessibility.
Website: womanofherword.com
Email: michele@womanofherword.com29