Working with Deaf Gallery Audiences
The Lecturer's Best Practice Guide To BSL Interpretation
Apr 16, 2009
The truth is to the contrary. Even with a SLI present, steps still need to be taken so to ensure a more inclusive tour. By following the guide below, you can at least be assured that you are making ‘reasonable adjustments’ in line with the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.
Pace And Pause
Deaf audiences rely far more on their eyes than mainstream audiences do. Imagine using just the sense of sight to absorb information once at a time, and then build in pauses just long enough to reflect this.
The pauses have another use. Effective BSL (British Sign Language) interpretation requires a few seconds' delay, so that the SLI can process aural information properly. The SLI will stand either next to you or on the other side of the work being discussed, facing the audience, so that they can watch him or her translate.
Speak at a steady pace, and make sure that the audience has a clear view of you, the work itself and the SLI. Galleries who attract large deaf audiences sometimes provide a platform for the SLI to stand on so to optimise viewing for BSL users. Don’t leave the room before translation is complete—the audience is unlikely to follow until then!
Body Language
BSL is a visual-gestural language and one of its most vital components is facial expression. SLIs do not ‘edit’ information. Instead, they act as a neutral channel through which spoken English is translated into BSL and vice versa, so will also relay any tone of voice—however incidental—as a matter of course. Even with deaf audiences, you are still speaking in a public capacity as a lecturer.
Gesturing is a helpful tool in engaging with the deaf audience. Address them directly, not the SLI, and keep the body open and receptive. At no point should the back be turned when speaking. Instead, maintain eye contact, and make a point of looking at the work during a pause. The audience will naturally follow direction.
Handouts, Foreign Names and Long Words
Briefing the SLI in advance is paramount to effective tour delivery. Find out his or her contact details (ideally an email address) and send clearly typed summaries with key words in bold and bullet points at least three days beforehand.
Not all deaf audiences are BSL users. Some lip-read, while others rely on hearing loops (check if one is available and working in the gallery). However, it can be tiring watching lips move for 45 – 60 minutes, especially when lip-reading is roughly 25% effective.
One way of addressing this issue is by adapting typed notes for distribution as handouts at the start of the talk. Ask the gallery to make photocopies. Large print copies may also need to be made.
Some exhibitions include art terminology or foreign names that may be difficult to translate into BSL. A 20-minute run-through in the gallery with the SLI prior to the talk can be helpful. Even if this isn’t necessary, come prepared with the hard-to-spell terms or names writ large on firm A4 or ideally A3 sheets that can be held up for everyone to see.
For an example of good practice, try attending one of Tate Modern's BSL talks, which are very popular, free and take place on the first Friday of the month, commonly led by a deaf art lecturer with voice-over available.
A Countdown to a Deaf-led Gallery Tour is also available for deaf art lecturers.
