Enhance Your Visit to Victory Gardens

Access Project Logo

Now in its 17th year, the Access Project is a nationally recognized model outreach effort designed to involve people with disabilities in all aspects of theater, both on and off the stage. In 2008 Victory Gardens received the MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence and Innovation in Arts Access, and in 2009 we were named Most Accessible Theater by the members of Deaf Illinois.

In addition to the services listed below Victory Gardens Access Project includes:

Artist Development Workshops, which teach the art of playwriting and performance to individuals with and without disabilities.
Play Development Opportunities for original works dealing with disability issues or written by playwrights who have disabilities.
Crip Slam, a series of performances, readings, movies and other events that promote, explore and celebrate disability culture.

If you are looking for specific dates for Access services, check the individual production page for the show you'd like to see, and click on the "Access" tab.

We are pleased to offer the following services for our patrons

	Accessible Seating: If you require wheelchair accessible and/or companion seating, or have any hearing, visual or other needs, please let us know how we may assist you with your ticket order when you contact us. If you have a service dog please let us know in advance so that we can make sure you and your canine companion have the best experience possible.
	Assisted Listening Devices: In both of our performance spaces we provide assisted listening devices. In the Zacek McVay Theater we utilize the Sennheiser infra-red Personal Listening System. In the Richard Christiansen Theater we use the Listen FM Personal Listening System. The systems provide amplification on lightweight wireless headsets and features the ability to adjust for specific hearing needs. Please contact the House Manager to receive a headset. A form of identification is required as a deposit. This system is available free of charge.
	Audio Description: This service allows blind and visually impaired patrons to hear a description of the visual elements taking place on stage. Listeners will hear a description of actions, body language, lights, costumes, scenery and other aspects of the production not conveyed by voices and sounds from the stage. This service is available for specific performance. See below for a list of upcoming dates. Touch Tours: Available one hour and a half before each Audio Described performance. Touch Tours are one hour artistic conversations and tactile explorations of costumes, props and set pieces for patrons who are blind or low vision. Please make reservations for the Touch Tour when you order your tickets.
	Braille Programs: Are available at the Box Office. Subscribers may reserve these on their performance date by calling the Box Office at 773.871.3000 \| TTY 773.871.0682
	Large Print Programs: Are available at the Box Office. Subscribers may reserve these on their performance date by calling the Box Office at 773.871.3000 \| TTY 773.871.0682 .
	Sign Language Interpretation: Sign Language interpreters enable patrons who are deaf to perceive spoken theatrical content. Interpreting provided by Deaf Communication by Innovation Raymond Rodgers, Sign Master.
	TTY Phone Line: We are pleased to be able to provide this service for our patrons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired. Please call 773.871. 0682
	Word for Word Captioning: Victory Gardens offers word for word captioning for select performances. At captioned performances, electronic text is displayed on the side of the stage showing what the actors are saying and describes sound effects on stage.

Videos and Press
Please learn more about the Access Project from the videos below.

The Access Project - Captioned

The Access Project -
Audio Described

Check out our recent press coverage.

"Act I: Access"
Inspired by his first playwriting experience, Mike Ervin began the Victory Gardens Access Project 18 years ago with the goal of making theater accessible to the disabled community in Chicago. Read more...

"The Unabridged Experience"
Services help disabled theater-goers get the full experience. Read More...

"Artful disabilities act"
Professor expands the perception of people with disabilities in arts and culture. Read More...

Sponsors
Victory Gardens Access Project is supported by The REAM Foundation and 3 Arts with additional support from Harry S. Black & Allon Fuller Fund, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and The Accessories.



*The Accessories*

Web site Accessibility

Victory Gardens is dedicated to supporting all patrons and has made every effort to make www.victorygardens.org accessible. In the event you do experience difficulty trying to access www.victorygardens.org with assistive devices, or because a feature we have developed or included in our site keeps you from accessing any content, contact us directly and we will make every effort to help you obtain the information you need.

In addition to HTML, www.victorygardens.org features content in Quicktime, SWF and PDF formats. The use of these three formats requires a plugin. If you are having difficulty accessing this content we suggest you download a copy of the plugins neccessary, or upgrade your current plugins to the latest version of the Apple® Quicktime® for movie content, Adobe® Flash® Player runtime for SWF content and Adobe® Acrobat Reader® software for PDF files.
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