ILLUSTRATION BY BECI ORPIN / THE JACKY WINTER GROUP

giving back Sarah Beauchamp

Visual Aid ‘I believe if we do this well, we make an impact every time.’

‘Not Your Grandma’s A

s a kindergarten choir belted out a shaky version of the National Anthem at a San Antonio com-

munity event, novice sign-language interpreter Barbie Parker struggled to keep up with their every word. “It was terrible,” she recalled, “inaudible, and I couldn’t remember all the words.” She signed as well as she could, but it was “pretty rough,” she said. More than 15 years later, Parker has perfected the art of sign-language interpretation, and signs at national music festivals like South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin and Lollapalooza in Chicago — and she’s traded toddlers for big names like the White Stripes and Lady Gaga. Parker began interpreting at confer-

ences, workshops, and community events after taking American Sign Language (ASL) classes at San Antonio College, but she had never seen signing done well at large live-music events. “Deaf clients sometimes find musical interpreters overly excited by being close to the stage,” she said, “or awkward, trying to convey the sense of music through rhythm and dance.” When she began signing at music festivals, organiz- ers received such good feedback from deaf attendees that they requested that Parker start a business. In 2007, she formed LotuSIGN, a company of talented sign-language interpreters spe- cializing in live musical performances. “LotuSIGN designed a complete

strategy to provide musical interpreta- tion and improve access,” Parker said. By “access,” she means that all deaf and hard- of-hearing attendees have the same pow- erful, emotional experience that hearing

36 PCMA CONVENE OCTOBER 2013

ADA Provider’ LotuSIGN sign-language interpreters cater to a small group of fans at major music festivals — and they rock just as hard as the top performers on stage.

attendees have. “Unqualified interpreters can look as if they are interpreting the rou- tine business of a city council meeting, rather than a fully inspired, affecting music experience,” she said. LotuSIGN interpreters don’t just sign the words, they reflect every emotion, every intonation — air guitars and all. “We are not your grandma’s ADA [Americans With Disabilities Act] provider,” Parker said. “We can meet the intensity and energy of any show on earth.” And that requires preparation. For

the 25 performances they signed at this year’s Lollapalooza, LotuSIGN interpret- ers began holding production meetings six months out, studying the music of the artists on the lineup. At major shows, the interpreters receive the final set lists one to two weeks ahead of show time. Interpreters are positioned at the

event on a platform or on stage where deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees in designated areas can easily see them. Fans in those areas are swelling in num- ber. “When we began, there were one or two [deaf or hard-of-hearing] audi- ence members,” Parker said. “Now the numbers range from 40 to 100-plus per event.” No doubt that’s due to a much- improved experience. “I enjoy greatly the times when the deaf audience is fist-pumping, dancing, crying, scream- ing, feeling sexy, singing (signing) along with the whole crowd,” she said. “When the lovers serenade each other in our section, those are good times.”

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Sarah Beauchamp is an assistant editor of Convene.

PCMA.ORG

BREAKOUT

Music and More Before 2011, the way SXSW provided sign-language inter- pretation at its music festival was piecemeal, but after seeing

“enough of a rise in requests [for interpretation] and a need for a broader awareness,” said SXSW Ofice Manager Frank Schaefer, SXSW approached LotuSIGN as

“a turnkey operation” to field and fulfill those requests. The 1,800- plus musical acts during the five-day conference would keep LotuSIGN’s Barbie Parker and her team busy enough, but LotuSIGN also manages all interpreters and ASL-proficient volunteers who sign during panel discussions and education sessions. “You really have to set up a network to accommodate [the deaf and hard of hearing],” Schaefer said, “and we’ve worked hard to do that.”

ON THE WEB

› To find out more about Lotu- SIGN, visit lotusign.com.

› Watch a video of the interpret- ers at Lollapalooza 2012 at convn .org/lolla-lotus.