School
of Creative
Industries
Ong Jing Xin, Jean
Intrigued by all the creative, technical and management aspects required to produce theatre, Jean Ong decided to pursue a BA(Hons) Arts Management at LASALLE College of the Arts. She does not let her identity as a hard-of-hearing individual get in the way and now advocates access for the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences in Singapore theatre. With her strong administrative skills, production experiences and interest in writing and video editing, Jean hopes to expand the artistic horizons for audiences while also ensuring access for all.
Work
Research interests: accessibility, content creation, video editing
Past projects: Multidisciplinary project on placemaking efforts (scriptwriting and video editing), M1 Singapore Fringe Festival (2018 – 2020), MeshMinds 2.0: ArtXTech for Good (2019)
Thesis abstract
Accessibility in Singapore theatre for the deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences
Research showed the impact the physical and social environments have on accessibility which advertently affects participation, engagement and inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. There is lack of awareness and interaction between the latter, the policymakers and the managers of arts organisations. This includes access to information and theatre performances. Literature review was executed to have a better understanding of accessibility on an international scale if not the national scale. This research will investigate why accessibility for the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing is not met, and understand the varying needs of these audiences when attending Singapore theatre. It will also examine the challenges, concerns faced by these audiences and persons belonging to arts organisations that are playing an active role in creating accessible theatre. In-depth interviews were conducted with two deaf and two hard-of-hearing audiences, and three representatives from three arts organisations in Singapore. Five key factors – identity, impact of models of disability, lack of awareness, technology and source and impact of support – and the ideal level of accessibility for these audiences were found.