Frank,
I am a blind person who has used audio description from time to time. to
answer your overall question:
If it's ok with the family or I can pay a describer or get one to do it
for free why should a funeral not be described?
It should. What concerned me about the recent article in the Cincinnati
Inquirer is that audio description provided by a professional audio
describer, whether paid or unpaid, was held up as the model and the only
method of how blind people could attend a funeral and be fully included.
I have attended funerals and received the information about the ceremony
mentioned in the article. The difference was that I expressed my
interest
in inclusion and people from the community gathered together and assisted
me in being included. Flower arrangements were described, hymns were
read out and rehearsed in advance, and someone willing to tell me the
visuals sat next to me. No attempt was made to locate a professionally
trained audio describer, either paid or volunteer. By advocating for
professionally trained audio describers at funerals, is there not a
substitution of community support with that of professional support
outside the community? Are these community supports inadequate?
Frank, you said below that you *should* be able to have a professional
audio describer served up on demand on a funeral you plan to attend.
The method to enforce Your "should" is through the Americans with
Disabilities Act, specifically Section 36.303 of title III. If you were
to file a lawsuit and prevail in a trial against a family or funeral
home, it would be necessary to show that community supports and
assistance are not "effective communication" and that a professional
audio describer is the only person qualified to allow you to participate
at the funeral. You did not state below how people from the community
are inadequate and cannot whatsoever be of help in including you in a
funeral. Suing someone is serious business. If you were to obtain a
judgment for damages you suffered and to compensate you for the audio
describer that you paid to describe the funeral to you, the judgment
could be enforced by the court. This could include the seizure of
assets, including someone's bank accounts, household possessions, car,
and home. Wages could also be garnished.
If people want to bring an audio describer with them to a funeral, great.
I do believe that there are other methods which celebrate community and
bring blind people closer to non-blind persons that do not rely on
trained professionals to participate in this aspect of community life. I
do not support this as a public policy issue meaning that I do not
support disability discrimination lawsuits against grieving families or
others who fail to provide professional audio description upon request.
Kelly
----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank Hernandez" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Kelly Pierce" <[log in to unmask]>;
<[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>;
<[log in to unmask]>; "MusiciansBlind"
<[log in to unmask]>; "Adi-board"
<[log in to unmask]>; "Acb Acb" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, September 08, 2002 6:57 PM
Subject: re: audio described funerals why not
Dear Kelly and interested readers,
Here's my take on audio describing a funeral or any other event.
As a consumer and advocate of audio description, I believe it's up to me
when I want to use audio description.
Should I want to have a funeral or any other event described I should be
able to request it. If the people who are organizing the event are not
able to provide a describer but are interested in having there event
described I would be willing to help them find a describer so that I can
have the same access as others.
If it's ok with the family or I can pay a describer or get one to do it
for free why should a funeral not be described?
Audio description for me is not just for the arts.
Audio description is a tulle like a guide dog or a cane.
It should be up to me when to use it or not use it.
Sometimes I walk with a cane and at other times I'll walk with my wife or
a friend.
I think it's important to always keep in mind that audio description is a
service. I also believe that consumers need to drive the service, not
that this always happens.
My wedding was beautifully audio described to me and my guests who were
blind.
I wanted all our guests to feel apart of my wedding.
My guests who used the description later told me that they really injoyed
the wedding thanks to the description.
They said they would have loved the wedding with out the description but
thanks to the description, they truly felt apart of the wedding.
Not all my guests who were blind took part in the description.
Why? because it was their choice.
As a consumer I really don't want anyone to tell me when and where I can
or cannot use audio description.
It should be up to me.
As a member of the ADI board, my goal is to promote audio description to
the public.
Ones people know audio description is a service and available they can
either ask for it or not.
If a person who is blind wants to have audio description:
at school, at the zoo, at a ball game, at a car show, at a powwow, in a
meeting, at a baby shower, at a barmitzfa, a state funeral or at a
meeting of the KKK, that's there choice.
I may not agree with these events and they might not easily find an audio
describer who's willing to describe a KKK event but it's up to them.
I don't know if I'll have audio description at a funeral but for now I'll
keep my options open.
Kelly I don't know if you are a consumer or a describer but as either you
have choices.
As a consumer you can choose when and where to use audio description and
as a describer you can also choose what kind of events you will or will
not describe.
It's all about choice, let me make mine and I'll let you make yours.
Maybe some describers would not feel like they would be good at
describing a funeral or a dance concert then maybe they shouldn't.
Maybe some consumers think audio description at a wedding is not cool,
then they can make that choice for them selves.
Again, to me it's all about choices.
Respectfully your's,
Frank M Hernandez.
Arts For All Inc.
2520 North Oracle Rd.
Tucson Arizona 85705
Tel: (520) 622-4100 ext 205
Fax (520) 624-0303
E-mail:
[log in to unmask]
Please visit us on the web at
www.artsforallinc.org
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