Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2022 - 17

* Americans with Disabilities Act
Amendments Act (ADAAA): This 2008
law took the expanded definition of
" disability " from IDEA and applied it
to all areas of public life, essentially
providing for equal opportunities and
reasonable accommodations to persons
with disabilities in employment,
education, and public access.
* Disability: The current legal definition
of this term qualifies disability as a
physical or mental impairment (bodily,
cognitive, or emotional) that substantially
limits one or more major life
activities, as well as a record of such
impairment or being regarded as having
such an impairment.
* Accessibility: This broad term includes
not only physical access such
as wheelchair ramps, but the design
of products and environments for all
manner of disabilities.
* Reasonable accommodation: This purposefully
nonspecific term is a legally
binding modification to products, environments,
policies, and procedures to
provide equal access to persons with
disabilities.
In all instances of public interaction,
we are required to make reasonable accommodations
for persons with disabilities.
As one can imagine, " reasonable
accommodation " is deliberately vague
to provide for flexibility in interpretation
under the law but is the key concept in
both implementation and adjudication.
For instance, while it would be ideal for
everyone to install elevators to every
hang position, it would be extremely
expensive and, in some facilities, would
depend on extensive renovations, an
undue financial burden. A reasonable
accommodation could be to install a
suspended focus chair on a hanging
track, or build ramps to positions that
can use it, or utilize a person with mobility
challenges on deck or at the board.
It would not be reasonable to discriminate
in the hiring, firing, or compensation
of an otherwise qualified individual
because of their disability; that's illegal.
An organization does not have to have
such accommodations in place before
hiring a person with disabilities, but it
always helps to have the infrastructure
in place. This goes back to having a simple
conversation to ask how one could
accomplish a specific task and problemsolving
together.
" Disability is very individual.
What works for one person
doesn't necessarily work for
another. "
-Betty Siegel, director of VSA and
accessibility at the Kennedy Center
3. Have a private, informal conversation
between the person with
disabilities and the supervisor/instructor.
" Show that you understand
and try to make [the conversation]
as
seamless
as
possible, "
suggests
Professor Terena Wilkens, lights and
sound designer in theatre and dance at
Gustavus Adolphus College. " You don't
want to have this conversation on the
first day of class in front of everyone. "
Wilkens points to an example of student
with a birth defect of a shortened arm
assigned to the scene shop. " I explained
what was going to happen and she
asked, 'Can I not go first? Can I do this?
Can I do that?' For the panel saw, we
needed more time to prepare for that
one. 'Am I allowed to step on a box, because
I can't reach the panel saw at the
top?' She found her answers. Nobody
else even seemed to notice; it flowed
seamlessly. She's fearless. "
The " everyday march of technology "
is aiding in the improvement of
accessibility in technical theatre, points
out Betty Siegel, director of VSA and
accessibility at the Kennedy Center.
" Technology is getting smaller, more
compact, more portable. The sound
board is coming out into the house, so
you don't have to climb a ladder to get
there anymore. I see lighting personnel
running the lights from an iPad.
The technology will be adapted to serve
their needs more, but a change of attitude
is necessary. "
She underlines the importance of
seeing more people with disabilities in
media, such as 2019 Tony-winner Ali
Stroker. " I just want people not to default
to a snap judgment. A lot of times
we still
live with stereotypes of what
we think a person with disabilities can
and can't do. " Siegel stresses the need
to shift from the medical impairment
model of thought to the social/civil
rights model. " If people could make that
one shift, then I think overall our field
would be healthier. Students with disabilities
have a right to be there and you
have an obligation to teach. The truth of
the matter is you can be an LD and not
have to do that [physical] stuff. You can
be a TD and not have to hang a light, but
you need to know how. I see some of the
WINTER 2022 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 17
Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2022
