For ULTRASOUND, personnel training was provided on two separate occasions for Cahoots Theatre staff and Theatre Passe Muraille staff. Training topics included:
- Introduction to ASL and cross-cultural interactions and
- FM sound systems.
All training took place a few months prior to the production commencing in order to equip staff with the necessary tools and foundation for this initiative.
Introduction to ASL and Cross-Cultural Interactions:
This training session featured learnings on Deaf culture and cross-cultural interactions. Staff were also introduced to basic ASL which would allow them to greet patrons, provide directions and respond to ticket inquiries.
Cross-Cultural Interactions – Video (38 minutes)
ASL Introduction – Video (18 minutes)
FM Sound System:
Representatives from the Canadian Hearing Society provided training on the FM sound system. This training took place in-house so that staff could see personally how the system functioned, both in terms of assembly, operation, maintenance, and usage.
Hearing Assist Devices – Video (6 minutes)
During the lead-up to production, we discovered that front of house staff wanted additional ASL training particular to the vocabulary they needed at the box office for patron interaction. To accommodate this request, an additional homemade ASL training video was created to augment the initial ASL training with vocabulary they specifically wanted for audience interaction (see sample video under “ASL” in the module, ”Cultural Context”). Even with additional resources, the most important factor we discovered in personnel training was their personal commitment to engaging Deaf audiences.
ASL Training Informal Video – Catherine MacKinnon
