It was AWESOME! I really, really enjoyed it. Usually, I am not a big fan of musicals, especially if I can't follow the story, dialogue, and singing. But this performance was captioned, included infrared hearing loop systems, (provided by Ampetronic), and sign language interpretation. I was told that there were seven caption boards installed in the theater for this performance!
This was the first time I used a hearing loop system at a live performance. It was so easy, all I had to do was select the t-coil switch on my hearing aid. I heard the singing and talking clearly. If I missed something, I looked at the captions. For the first time ever, at a live performance, I was able to follow everything that was happening. I did not miss a thing. It made me want to cry as I thought about how I often miss out on so much at other uncaptioned movies and performances. I honestly believe that if this performance was not captioned and looped, I would have missed out on a lot and probably would not have enjoyed it as much. Why can't it be like this everywhere else?
The sign language interpreters did an excellent job, might I add. They conveyed the emotions of the actors extremely well. Their signing was clear and understandable. They did an outstanding job! But, I preferred the captions, as they were on stage. If I were to rely on sign language interpretation, I would have had to look back and forth at the musical and the interpreters, which would have made it difficult for me to watch the performance. Perhaps if I was sitting in front of them within sight of the performance, it would have worked out better. But, I enjoyed watching them sign, as I glance at them every now and then.
Overall, it was truly a magical experience. I am so happy I got to go!
Below, I included some pictures from the Kennedy Center, where a live band played lively swing music. I attempted to try out some swing dance moves with an HLAA Convention attendee (an experienced dancer). I think I did okay; I only stepped on his toes a couple of times. Nevertheless, we had fun dancing to the music! I was really impressed with the Kennedy Center, which I took a few pictures of. If anyone has any pictures to share, please email them to ehwhathuh@yahoo.com.
Many, many, many thanks to Audiotoniq and CTIA-The Wireless Association for sponsoring this event!!!
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| John F. Kennedy Center |
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| Live swing music performance |
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| John F. Kennedy Center |
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| Costumes from Wicked musical |
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| John F. Kennedy Center |
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