The Disability Collective

It was all smiles and good-cheer at the Collective's annual Holiday Festival again this year. With gentle snow falling, and the scent of hot apple cider hanging thick in the air, friends in Toronto's vast and diverse disability community gathered at Wychwood Barns to share best wishes and do their holiday shopping.In today's episode, we're highlighting the sounds of the festival, with musical performances by the McGregor Carollers, Gabriel Kerekes and the All Angels Jazz Band, the Epic Choir, Elisabeth Dorian, and Elsa and Anna from Frozen who performed in English and ASL.Then host JJ Hunt shares a description-rich holiday story, written for the festival walking tour. For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

With The Disability Holiday Festival at Wychwood Barns fast approaching on December 7th, it's time for another virtual shopping spree with describer JJ Hunt and cultural curator Christine Malec. In this episode, the two old pals describe the wares of 30 different market vendors, then break down all the events and accessibility offerings you'll find at this years' festival.For venue and access guides, please visit: www.thedisabilitycollective.com/holidayfestivalFor more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas -- Rocky Horror time!To help prepare for this year's Disability Collective presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, describer JJ Hunt has created a brand new primer for you. Building on the visuals he described last year in episode #2, JJ breaks down the visuals in Rocky's most famous musical numbers including the Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite. As a bonus, he includes descriptions of the quirky film visuals that have inspired some of the famous (and raunchy!) audience participation lines that get shouted out in the theatre. So fluff your boa and buff your heels, the Annual Transylvanian Convention is about to begin!Listen to episode #2, last year's Rocky Horror Primer, here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2418018/episodes/15992030For complete information about the show, including venue and access guides, please head to The Disability Collective event page: www.thedisabilitycollective.com/rockyhorror2025For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

Christine Malec has been obsessed with the idea of sign singing since she first discovered it at last year's Disability Collective presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. With Rocky 2025 right around the corner, it's the perfect time to make her dreams come true and have an in-depth conversation about the art form. So Christine and audio describer JJ Hunt hopped on a zoom call with a master of the craft, Gaitrie Persaud-Killings, theatre-maker, Deaf interpreter, Deaf music performer, and director of the RHPS's all-Deaf shadow cast.For more information about the upcoming performances on October 28th and 29th, please visit the event page: www.thedisabilitycollective.com/rockyhorror2025And to see demonstrations of Rocky-related ASL signs mentioned in this episode, check out the vlogs posted on the Collective's Instagram feed: www.instagram.com/disabilitycollective/For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

This month, The Disability Collective is mounting 20 Years Later: The (In)Accessibility of Ontario, a photography exhibition showcasing the shortcomings of the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act). When Describer/Consultant duo JJ Hunt and Christine Malec were brought on board to write the visual descriptions, they proposed an experiment: instead of JJ writing the descriptions and Christine consulting, as usual, what if Christine (who is Blind) wrote the descriptions using AI to gather visual information, and JJ (who is sighted) consulted to ensure accuracy. In this episode, JJ and Christine discuss the challenges, advantages, and results of this unique, disability-led approach.  To learn more about the exhibition, please visit www.TheDisabilityCollective.com/20YearsLater.To see the exhibition photographs, and read or hear the visual descriptions, check out the exhibition Access Guide.  20 Years Later: The (In)Accessibility of Ontario runs from October 9th to 26th, 2025 at Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas Street East in Toronto.For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

Remember those long hot days of summer? When you hung out with your friends, listened to music, played games, and maybe did some shopping, surrounded by cool and interesting artists? Wouldn't it be nice to revisit those amazing days again, even just for an hour? Well have we got a treat for you!Today, let's push September aside and zip back in time so we can all hang out at The Disability Arts Festival once again.  For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

In this companion episode to The Disability Arts Festival Primer, Christine and JJ describe the prints, jewelry, stuffies, and stickers that artists will be selling at this year's market on August 10th at Toronto's Wychwood Barns.For complete Access and Venue guides, check out the festival webpage: TheDisabilityCollective.com/ArtsFestivalTo book a sighted guide, or reserve a spot on the described walking tour, please contact Programming & Accessibility Coordinator, Laurie-Anne Rohaly: [email protected] more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

Well it was bound to happen. The Disability Collective's annual Artisan Market went and grew so big it blossomed into The Disability Arts Festival! To help folks get their crocheted ducks in row, Christine Malec and JJ Hunt pulled together this audio primer packed with festival info. Join them as they describe the visuals of the festival venue, Wychwood Barns, break down the accessibility offerings available in advance and on the day, and chat with the Collective's Artistic Director & Founder Emily Maxwell.And stay tuned! Our descriptive vendor guide will be dropping in the coming days!For complete Access and Venue guides, check out the festival webpage: www.thedisabilitycollective.com/artsfestivalTo book a sighted guide, or reserve a spot on the described walking tour, please contact Programming & Accessibility Coordinator Laurie-Anne Rohaly: [email protected] For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

Are you familiar with the visuals of a Burlesque Bump? How about a Fan Dance? Do you know what a Tassel Twirl looks like? Well, do you want to?!In anticipation of CRIPtonite 2025, Toronto’s radical Deaf and disability-led drag and burlesque show, The Disability Collective has put together this helpful (and sassy!) Audio Description Primer. Have a listen, then pick up your ticket and join us at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre on June 25th, 2025.Catch you there!For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

On Wednesday June 25th at 8pm, The Disability Collective will blow the top off of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre with CRIPtonite, a fierce, radical, Deaf and disability-led drag and burlesque show!Collective regulars Christine Malec and JJ Hunt have gotten the tap to provide Audio Description for the event. They are raring to go, but first... they have questions! To help set them on the right path (marked by a trail of discarded clothing, one might imagine), singer, actor, firebreather, and Burlesque dancer Ivory joins the Description Duo for a wild, outrageous, and unabashedly informative conversation. For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

On Thursday, February 20th at 8pm, a gaggle of the hottest disabled comedians in Toronto will storm The Theatre Centre stage for The Disability Collective's 2025 iteration of Sit Down Comedy Show!In this episode, host JJ Hunt describes the visuals of stand up comedy, the old fashioned good looks of the historic Theatre Centre, and the performance styles of the comedians on the bill. Later, JJ is joined by friend and colleague Christine Malec, who has some questions about stand up from a Blindness perspective. For information about the show, including comedian bios, access and venue guides, and links to tickets, please visit www.thedisabilitycollective.com/sitdowncomedyshow2025.To be in touch about  Sit Down Comedy Show, or any other Disability Collective event or initiative, please email Ali Hand: [email protected] more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

Market day is finally here! In this festive episode, Christine Malec and JJ Hunt capture the sounds and describe the sights inside The Disability Holiday Market at Toronto's Wychwood Barns. After a quick chat with The Disability Collective's power squad, Emily, Nathan, and Ali, JJ heads off to lead a described walking tour of the Barns, and explore the market with a group of Blind and Low Vision shoppers. Then Christine checks in with Alexa Hickox of Undivided Productions, a Deaf vendor selling artist-designed shirts and sweaters.Happy Holidays from everyone at The Disability Collective! See you in 2025!For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

Are you ready to go shopping? Our annual Disability Holiday Market featuring work by disabled artists is on December 8th at Toronto's Wychwood Barns, and we want to make sure you have everything you need for a fun and festive market day!In this episode, accessibility consultant Christine Malec teams up with describer JJ Hunt to provide a primer on all the market details. Pour yourself a cup of cocoa and settle in by the fire as the pair describes the market layout and the artists' wares, and breaks down the support and accessibility offerings provided to guests and vendors. For more information, including access and venue guides, please visit www.thedisabilitycollective.com/holidaymarket2024.To book a sighted guide, or to reserve a spot on JJ's described tour of the market, please email [email protected]. Hope to see you at Wychwood Barns, December 8th, 2024 from 11 AM to 5 PM!For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

In this episode, Audio Describer JJ Hunt provides pre-show notes to AD users attending the Disability Collective's 2024 presentation of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Listen in as JJ describes the overall look of the film, the characters, and the sets, as well as the Collective's all-Deaf shadow cast, and the visuals of Performance ASL. All capped off with a step-by-step guide to the Time Warp!The Disability Collective's production of the RHPS was staged at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre as part of the Toronto Fringe's Next Stage Theatre Festival, on October 27th, 2024. Directed by Gaitrie Persaud-Killings.For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.

Join Describer JJ Hunt for this Rocky Horror Picture Show Audio Description primer! In this episode, JJ breaks down the visuals of the RHPS, describing the costumes, the characters, the sets, and the overall look of the world's most famous cult film. Then, he wraps things up with a no-fail, step-by-step guide to the Time Warp!The material in this episode was originally created for the Disability Collective's 2024 production of the RHPS, as part of the Toronto Fringe's Next Stage Theatre Festival, presented at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. To hear the complete, prerecorded preshow notes as delivered to audio description users, including descriptions of the Disability Collective's all-Deaf shadow cast, and the visuals of Performance ASL, check out episode 2!For more information about The Disability Collective, or to learn about other upcoming events, please visit TheDisabilityCollective.com.