A cycle of seminars to expand the access of performing arts has begun
On May 26, the New Theatre Institute of Latvia (NTIL) started the cycle of seminars “Extended Access to Contemporary Performing Arts” with the first meeting, virtually bringing together 38 performing arts and culture professionals in two sessions. The aim of the seminars is to address access issues and develop practical tools on how to make artistic events open and accessible to a wider range of people, primarily thinking and involving people with mobility, visual and hearing access requirements.
In the first lesson, participants had the chance to reflect on the language and semantics, looking for the most appropriate designations for people with visual, hearing or mobility access requirements. Namely, how people with disabilities are represented in society, the press and the media through vocabulary, and, most importantly, how people with disabilities themselves see, perceive and want to communicate with the society. Participants also had the opportunity to learn more about the needs and specificities of the three different people with disabilities and access requirements choose to attend cultural or social events or decide not to attend them due to infrastructure or attitudinal culture.
The next classes are scheduled to take place on June 2, 9 and 16 on the online platform “Zoom”. During the cycle “Extended Access to Contemporary Performing Arts”, four seminars are planned under the leadership of NTIL accessibility project manager Normunds Pīlips, in cooperation with Inese Immure, Vice President of the Latvian Deaf Union, art therapist and consultant Lība Bērziņa, environment access expert Jurģis Briedis from union “Apeirons” and other consultants.
In future meetings, the experts will touch on a wide range of topics, focusing on a universal design approach that provides thoughtful solutions for the planning, design and implementation of any event, from access to information to infrastructure issues. At the end of the seminar cycle, guidelines will be created for the openness of performing arts projects to persons with disabilities, which will then be available free of charge to a wider audience.
In case of additional information, please contact Normunds Pīlips (normunds@theatre.lv) or artistic director of the NTIL Bek Berger (bek@theatre.lv).
The project “Extended Approach to Contemporary Performing Arts” is co-financed within the framework of the Society Integration Program of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the Riga City Council.
Image: a screenshot from the first meeting of “Extended Access to Contemporary Performing Arts”
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