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Jewish Hearing Friends in Deaf Circle |
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Carol Finkle
CREATIVE ACCESS
Where were you born and raised? Describe your childhood. How many members are in your family? Are any of them deaf or hard of hearing?
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. I basically had a normal childhood with 4 family members, none
of which were deaf or hard of hearing.
Describe your education background.
B.A. English and M.A. Deaf Education from Temple University, and M.A. Deafness Rehabilitation, New York University.
Did you have a Jewish upbringing? What is your fondest memory as a child growing
up in a Jewish home?
I did have a Jewish upbringing. Went to Hebrew school and was Bat
Mitzvahed at 13 and then confirmed at 16. I even remember my presentation at my Bat
Mitzvah... "The difference between Christmas and Chanukah", smile. Thirteen girls were Bat
Mitzvahed and I got an award. The party afterwards was marvelous, in the basement of the
Synagogue... so I remember it well. It was my first 'party'. Thanks for bringing back that
memory.
How and why did you get started working within the Deaf and hard of hearing community?
I have two Deaf children who spent most of their lives excluded from
most of what all our other friends & fami lies did as a matter of course, E.G. Going to the
movies, theater, museum tours and more. If you believe that the world of arts and culture
'nourishes the soul', then you know why I started Creative Access (smiling!)
Tell us about Creative Access. How did it get started?
Organization History/Mission - In the fall of 1991, com munity members gathered to address the historic exclu sion of individuals who are
Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the social and cultural fabric of our region, historically the
domain of the hearing world. Creative Access improves the quality of life for members of
the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community, friends, families and the hearing society at large
through communication accessibility to the arts in the Greater Philadelphia area, and does
so without discriminating on the basis of race, age, religion, gender, disability or sexual
orientation.
CA is the 501-C-3 advocacy, arts-service and presenting organization in
Southeastern Pennsylvania assuring visibility, full accessibility, new opportunity and
full inclusion of Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals of all ages in the cultural life of
our region, and, as such, provides, sup ports and advocates greater awareness,
understanding and appreciation of the Deaf Culture and American Sign Language through its
myriad programs and service.
How many people do you service?
350,000 Deaf and Hard of hearing individuals of all ages, plus the region's existing arts institutions.
Describe some of the programs your organization provides.
Movie Access Project (MAP)- monthly screenings of current-title American films, with OPEN CAPTIONS.
Museum Access Project (MUAP)-Partnering with muse ums to plan and carry out accessible events and pro grams (e.g.
Signed-interpreted tours).
Calendar of Accessible Cultural Events- Distributed regu larly
via email and snail mail. The Community depends on it (both the arts community and Deaf
consumers) for information about programs and event interpreted and/ or captioned.
Sign Language Interpreting Services- Providing interpret
ers, sign language classes and Deaf culture workshops to arts institutions, funding organizations and others throughout the
region.
'Accent on Dance'- Partnering with the Pennsylvania Ballet to
bring a new audience of students to the ballet with hands-on interactive pre-ballet program
for the Deaf, hard of hearing students.
Deaf and Hearing Performing Artists Initiative (DPAI) Showcasing performers and performances of and about Deaf Culture, expanding
presentations into mainstream venues and presented through the medium of American Sign
Language. Voice interpretation always provided for hearing audiences.
Has your organization been the recipient of any awards?
We have received the Access Achievement Award from the
Mayor's Office on People with Disabilities. In fact, since our beginning in 1992, Creative
Access has been acknowledged with four noteworthy awards. This is all due to our continued
support from the Deaf and Hearing community, all ages and stages of life.
What ways did you fund the business?
Foundation grants, individual contributions, fundraising events... still
very difficult because I built such a big and successful organization of programming that I
never took enough time to raise the money I/we need. I also spend so much time organizing
the community around the Movie Access situation... (protests and demonstrations in front of
the movie theaters etc.) that I have even less time to do the things an Executive Director
really must focus on. THAT is why we must find the funding to hire staff!!
What are your future goals for the organization you created?
To raise enough money to hire staff to help it grow and grow and grow...