TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Hearing

NFL Backs Wheelchair Football League Super Bowl

by

Before fans flocked to Phoenix for the Super Bowl, the city hosted another major football championship event featuring a different group of hard-hitting players.

The Wheelchair Football League held its second Super Bowl on Tuesday with a match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. The league, which was created by the NFL, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and Move United, is made up of athletes with disabilities who compete in wheelchairs, complete with uniforms and helmets of NFL teams. Read More.

Our Takeaway: The NFL has endured years of negative coverage about the perfunctory way they addressed the issue of player concussion injuries. Accessibility initiatives such as this and the half-time ASL halftime show interpretation of Rihanna’s dance (see “A Star is Born” story in this issue) demonstrates the way accessibility can be a boost to an organization’s reputation.  

A Star is Born: Did the ASL Signer Upstage Rihanna at Super Bowl LVII 2023 Halftime Show?

by

Sign language interpreter Justina Miles started going viral on social media because of video showing her energetic interpretation of the performance’s lyrics. It’s not her first brush with internet fame. Miles has a popular TikTok account where she interprets popular songs into ASL with the same enthusiasm she put on display at the big game.

According to the National Association of the Deaf, Miles is from Philadelphia and was part of Team USA at the 2021/22 Deaflympics where athletes who are deaf or hard of hearing compete. She won silver as part of the 4×100 women’s track relay team. She has also interpreted for other artists around the country at various concerts, according to the NAD. Other well-known ASL interpreters were also part of the Super Bowl performance, including Troy Kostur. Read More.

Our Takeaway: Many commenters felt that Miles’ performance was physically more imposing than Rihanna’s and a huge breakthrough in awareness for what is possible for deaf interpretive dancers. Kudos to the NFL, which reportedly worked for nearly a year with the National Association of the Deaf to develop three ASL performances.

See Miles’ half-time performance here.

See Miles’ TikTok videos here.

Is there an ASL Sign for Hamachi?

by

The type of service a customer receives can either make or break the experience of dining out. One couple who went out to eat at an upscale restaurant in Dallas, Texas found out what it really means to receive top-shelf service with a heaping helping of kindness. Read more.

Katy Perry Headlines Music Festival That Is Accessible For All

by

On 19 and 20 November 2022, the True Colors Festival concert in Tokyo will bring together an international line-up of diverse singers, dancers, and musicians from around the world–including the fabulous Katy Perry.

They’ve gone above and beyond to ensure inclusivity for the concert event, in line with their mission to show what’s possible when it comes to disability and diversity. The concert will have sign language interpreters (for both Japanese Sign and International Sign), real-time subtitles and audio descriptions, and dedicated personnel on site for guests who need assistance.

Plus, for those who want to take part from home, it will be live-streamed for free as part of the True Colors Festival’s commitment to accessibility. Their website has been optimized to make it as inclusive as possible ahead of the event (compatibility with screen readers and switch control software, different pathways to necessary information using assistive technologies, and close vetting of all digital content to ensure accessibility).

Although Katy Perry is the headline act, the two-hour True Colors concert will feature over 90 performers. Read More.

Protactile is a New Language to Enable DeafBlind Communication

by

Two men talking to each other through sign language while touching each other's hands.

It’s not often a new language emerges. But in the last 15 years, a new language was created in the Pacific Northwest: Protactile. Developed by DeafBlind people, the Protactile language places an emphasis on touch, which is a method of communication that many DeafBlind people prioritize.

Jelica Nuccio, one of the creators on this new language, recently moved to Monmouth, Oregon. There, the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration recently awarded Western Oregon University with a $2.1 million grant that will be used to train Protactile language interpreters.

DeafBlind people like Nuccio have traditionally used variations on sign language to communicate, but it can be easy to miss important details in a language that is designed to be seen. That’s a shortcoming in traditional languages that Protactile aims to overcome, restoring the depth of interpersonal communication to the language used by DeafBlind people.

To learn more about Protactile language, see the article from Oregon Public Broadcasting.