Lending an Ear

Photograph by Harvey Finkle

Carol Finkle’s family did not have many opportunities to attend cultural events together while her children were growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Ms. Finkle’s two children are deaf, and few arts institutions in Philadelphia, their hometown, offered performances with sign-language interpreters, and movie theaters did not show many captioned films.

Nine years ago, Ms. Finkle decided to take action to help other families like hers. She formed Creative Access, an organization that works to make it easier for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to enjoy live performances, exhibits, and other arts events. The charity arranges for interpreters at performances and museum tours, uses its Web site to promote shows that offer sign-language translation, and schedules artist visits to local schools with deaf students. The group also successfully persuaded movie theaters to screen current films with captions at certain times.

In addition, Creative Access showcases the talents of people who can’t hear by contracting with deaf artists from other cities to come to Philadelphia to perform for mainstream audiences.

Ms. Finkle estimates that as many as 10,000 people in the southeastern Pennsylvania region have benefited from her organization, which operates on a $90,000 budget.

“There really should never be a time when it’s not an equal-opportunity situation in the arts,” she says.

Here, a deaf artist and a young audience member exchange thank-yous in sign language after a performance.