Episode 6: Arts, accessibility, and audio description (Part 1)
In the final episode of Season 1, Down to the Struts takes a journey into the arts world, offering an introduction to audio description and how to make the arts accessible to people with disabilities. Qudsiya and her guests also talk about what the pandemic has meant for accessibility and the arts. This episode is so full of important reflections and quotes, we wanted to bring it to you in two parts.
In Part 1, you’ll hear from Charlie Miller, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Art-Reach, a Philadelphia-based organization whose aim is to make arts and culture more accessible to people in the disability and low-income communities.
Guests bio:
Charlie Miller is consumed with a single question: “Who is being left out?” He knows the feeling, having grown up in a single-parent home that relied on government assistance. But this insistent query has sent him all over the globe to work for social justice and equality. It led him to work for an international peacemaking organization, leading outreach and engagement efforts in Colombia, Iraq, Lesvos, and Israel/Palestine. And that question made him the perfect fit for Art-Reach, a Philadelphia non-profit that partners with over 400 organizations to make arts and culture more accessible to people in the disability and low-income communities. From 2014-2018, Charlie held various positions there, including deputy director.
In 2019, he returned to Art-Reach to lead the ACCESS Philly program. ACCESS Cards endow people with disabilities—and their companions-- the opportunities to purchase $2 tickets to thousands of performances and exhibitions. Charlie has conceived two large accessible dance projects with the Pennsylvania Ballet, both culminating in feature-length documentaries. Originally from Central Pennsylvania, Charlie loves his adopted city of Philadelphia, which he enjoys exploring for hidden cultural gems.
