Think Outside the Vox

03/04/2026

Audio Described performance of The Huntington’s We Had a World this Saturday, March 7th at 2:00pm! AD team: Blind Quality Control Expert Matthew Shifrin, preshow audio describer Eddie Maisonet, and in-show audio describer Ruth Kahn. Think Outside the Vox is proud to partner with The Huntington to provide ASL interpreted and Audio Described performances this season. Use promo code ACCESSAD at HuntingtonTheater.org . Joining us for the ASL performance on Friday, March 13th at 7:30pm? There’s still tickets left! Use promo code ACCESSASL to get seats in the ASL section. Listen to the entire preshow: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wrSpUV3RcjIucaQCly1pxpyK5T-tWaJ1?usp=drive_link .

Video description: A static orange infographic with the We Had a World show logo on top, showing a little boy wearing a yellow backpack and an older woman with a hand on the back of the boy’s arm. They face an art gallery of paintings. Maroon text reads “We Had a World. Audio Described Performance Saturday March 7th at 2:00pm. Calderwood Pavilion. 527 Tremont Street.” On the bottom, VOX logo, The Huntington logo, symbol, and the AD team names in maroon: Matthew Shifrin. Eddie Maisonet. Ruth Kahn. English captions in white text with maroon background appear as a one minute recording of the AD preshow by Eddie Maisonet plays.

Transcript: Joshua is a character who spans in age from 5 to his 30s. He is a tall white man with thick brown hair receding at the temples. He is clean shaven with an earnest face. His basic outfit is a plaid shirt, short sleeves as a child, long sleeve as an adult, or colored block t-shirt with brown chinos and a simple low profile sneaker. We will refer to child Joshua and adult Joshua during the show. Child Joshua, despite towering over both his mother and grandmother, embodies youth by fidgeting or kicking his feet while sitting. There is a memory where child Joshua was in a show. During that scene, he wears a bright red satin costume vest and clip-on bow tie over his regular clothes. Child Joshua has a sporty blue and green windbreaker. Adult Joshua wears a khaki shirt jacket with a collar and many pockets on the front.

03/04/2026

Greylag (played by Deaf actor Léon Jerfita) and Director of Artistic Sign Language Kristin Johnson are calling on YOU to help hatch a plan of action to help find a missing duck. We are recruiting all community members to bring their detective skills and support and meet in Acton at the Dragonfly Theater at R.J. Grey Jr. High School on March 20th, 21st, 22nd, 27th, 28th and 29th. Get your tickets and experience accessible productions of HONK!



Léon Jerfita, a white male with short silver hair, a short white beard and one blue and brown eye stands on the left in a green general suit. Kristin Johnson, a Deaf white woman with short light brown hair stands on the right wearing a white turtleneck and blue button down shirt. They are both Deaf and both sign in American Sign Language for the duration of this two minute and 19 second video with no audio and English captions with gray background and white text on the bottom.

[Kristin and Léon greet each other with sharp hellos]

Kristin: Welcome to Open Door Theater in Acton, MA where we are producing HONK! (Show sign name is a hand in the shape of a duck beak that opens and closes at the mouth).

LÉON: My name is Léon, and my role in the show is Greylag, sign name (right middle finger touching shoulder then scooping upwards into a thumbs up). I’m the Goose General and I command a stellar squadron of geese with impeccable tracking skills.

KRISTIN: What are they searching for? Let me explain...there was a duckling that was born ugly and different. His name was Ugly, and his family, friends, and community bullied him. His mother was the only one to stand up for him and protect him. One day, Ugly wandered off and couldn’t find his way back! He called out for his mother, and his mother called out for him, but to no avail. She enlisted the help of Greylag and his squad to search for him, but did they succeed?

Descriptive Transcript continued in the comments.

02/27/2026

As we conclude , we celebrate all of the Black and Brown and historical and present accomplices to the work of making history and amplifying the lessons we can learn from the past. Our partnerships with The Theater Offensive, Embrace Boston, Castle of our Skins and the UFOT Family cycle (Mfoniso Udofia) of programming across the city is not our accomplishment or achievement; rather it is a milestone in the road to make certain that current work is not forgotten.

: Large group photo of Vox team/community and Imari Paris Jeffries smiling with arms around each other at the MLK Embrace Honors event at SOWA Power Station. From left to right: Olivia Reinebach, a Hard of Hearing mixed Latinx with olive skin and dark curly brown hair tied up wears a black long sleeve shirt with white stars, white pants and white high top air jordans with a hand on her hip. Jessenia Reyes, an Afro-Latina with black curly hair worn down wears a black shirt, orange kente print pants and white heeled boots with one foot crossing the other. Aimee Robinson, a woman with peach complexion and auburn below-shoulder length hair wears purple glasses, a silver sneaker pendant necklace, a purple blouse over a short black dress, black designed fishnets and black converse. Kwaku Darko, a dark skinned African man, 5’8” of average build has short, black hair and a short beard that frames his face and chin. He wears a black and purple dress shirt, black sunglasses, a silver African continent pendant and a black watch with silver around the ring, black pants, and white low nikes, holding his cane in front of him. Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, is a Black man with short curly dark hair to his ears and eyes and wears black glasses, a black tuxedo and brown and black sneakers. Christopher S. Robinson, an African-American man with black hair, medium locs, and a seasonal beard wears purple glasses, a purple and black striped shirt, a black orange and purple plaid tie, black velvet jacket, black pants and white nikes with a purple swoosh, leaning in towards Imari. Samatha Gould, an Ashkenazi Jewish woman with salt and pepper hair, wears a purple leather jacket, black leather pants and purple converse.

02/27/2026

VOX is reigniting its coffee hours on Zoom Monday, March 2nd at 7pm! This is YOUR opportunity to connect with the Vox team over Disability Justice and Joy in the arts and culture sectors. Let’s chat about accessibility, ableism, arts and anything new happening in your circles and cities. Catch up with colleagues and spark the conversation, or sip and absorb what our community of Deaf, Blind, disabled and non-disabled allies, creatives, consultants and advocates have to share. Register for the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/4TiGJwwTTISUbnW5jlzCrQ #/registration . Photo credit Tim Gurczak.



Image Description: purple infographic with VOX logo with white text on top and bottom, “virtual coffee hour. Monday, March 2nd at 7:00pm.” In the center is a photo of two Vox staff and one consultant standing, facing each other in a conversation in a dark theater space, picture framing them all from the waist up. In the center is Vox staff Ingrid O'Dell, a tall white woman with blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles wears all black and signs “meeting” with two pointer fingers pointed up with hands facing and touching each other, smiling. Facing away from the camera on the left is Olivia Reinebach, a Hard of Hearing mixed Latinx with olive skin and dark curly brown hair in high space buns wears a brown short sleeve blouse and clear framed glasses. Facing away from the camera on the right is Kwaku Darko, a dark skinned African man, 5’8” of average build, has short, black hair and a short beard that frames his face and chin. He wears a blue shirt and sunglasses smiling.

02/25/2026

Think Outside the Vox is pleased to receive general operating funding from Community Foundation for MetroWest’s ARTbuilds MetroWest initiative! This Arts & Culture grant prioritizes equity, accessibility, space, infrastructure, and support for working and teaching artists. VOX is proud to keep up the work and continue setting high standards for our partners, fellow artists and consultants, our Deaf, Blind and disabled community members, and our team.



Image Description: white infographic with purple VOX logo spelled out in purple American Sign Language letters, braille, and black boxy letters V, O, X with ThinkOutsideTheVox.org underneath. White text with purple background reads, “2025 Arts & Culture Grant Recipient!” Community Foundation for MetroWest has their logo which is its title in orange on the left and an orange M and W, horizontally mirroring each other and touching 2 out of 3 ends with dark orange dots on the ends of the W.

02/17/2026

We need more than a Valentine’s Day–Vox is experiencing a whole SEASON of self-love and team fellowship! We spent last week at the grantee partner gathering and over the weekend with our fantastic coaches, both connected with The Lenny Zakim Fund.

ID 1: Voxers at The Lenny Zakim Fund grantee gathering in front of a blue backdrop. Smiling from left to right from : Sam Gould, an Ashkenazi Jewish woman with salt and pepper hair, who wears a purple blouse, purple leather jacket, purple f***y pack across her shoulder and Vox lanyard. Christopher Robinson, an African-American man with black hair, medium locs, and a seasonal beard wears purple glasses, a lilac shirt, beige sportcoat, grantee lanyard and VOX pin. Teddy Hendricks, an Indigenous man with short white hair wears a purple dress shirt, shiny purple tie, grantee partner lanyard and some of his black pants show. Maria Hendricks, a brown-skinned Afroindigenous woman with curly black hair in braids wears purple earrings, purple shiny print blouse, dark zip up jacket, grantee partner lanyard and some of her dark pants show, with an orange and yellow manicured hand on hip.

ID 2: Maria and Sam in a blue lit area at the gathering standing in front of lit up marquee letters that stand 4-feet tall on the ground, spelling out “LZF30” for 30 years of The Lenny Zakim Fund. The letters are lit up with photos of past and present grantee partner organizations in action shots and group photos. Maria’s black heeled boots, and Sam’s black combat boots and black skirt and leggings in view.

ID 3: Vox staff and board members with its strategy coaches in a conference room with stained glass windows behind/above them. Smiling from left to right: Kristin Johnson, a Deaf white woman with short brown hair wears a lilac turtleneck, silver shell pendant necklace, Vox jacket, and black pants with hands behind her back. Ej seibert, a a light-skinned mixed race nonbinary person with dark brown eyes wears a brown beanie, two-toned round blue glasses, a mustard hoodie scarf, brown shirt, blue pants and timberland boots with hands behind their back. Sam wears a purple Vox zip up with purple pants and purple sneakers, one hand resting on her stomach. Marianne Yoshioka, a mid-aged Japanese woman with salt-and-pepper hair worn shoulder length with an undercut wears a white shirt, gray cardigan, brown belt, jeans and dark boots, hands held in front of her. Maria wears purple glasses and purple Vox jacket throwing up a peace sign. Ingrid O’Dell, a tall white woman with auburn hair, blue eyes and freckles wears a purple turtleneck and black pants. Olivia Reinebach, a Hard of Hearing mixed Latina with olive skin and dark curly brown hair in a bun wears lilac glasses, red beaded heart earrings, a purple Vox shirt, black sweatpants and a magenta scarf around their waist with hands at their sides. Christopher wears a gray beanie, purple glasses, purple Vox shirt, black belt and leans into the group.

02/11/2026

A Deaf-led, Deaf-designed tool for and by the community! Check out DeafArtsDirectory.com . Waving hands Deaf Spotlight!

02/03/2026

Open Door Theater getting its ducks in a row for -interpreted and performances of HONK next month! Mark your calendars for March 20-22 and 27-29.

TICKETS now on sale for HONK! Performances March 20, 21, 22 and 27, 28, 29, at the Dragonfly Theater, 16 Charter Road, Acton.

All performances are relaxed/sensory friendly and feature ASL interpretation and open captioning. There will be audio-described performances on the second weekend.

Information and tickets at www.OpenDoorTheater.org.

IMAGE ID: Graphic of flyer with yellow background. The word HONK is made of nailed wooden planks. The letter “O” is a hatching egg with a duckling’s beak sticking out of the shell shouting “HONK”. Original logo artwork by Nala J. Wu.

01/31/2026

New Year, New Website! We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of VOX’s website. Explore our new homepage, the newsletter archive, and updated services and pricing. Thank you to designer Cameron Seymour-Hawkins, our screen reader testers, and the Vox team for supporting and driving the launch. More coming soon!

an exploding purple infographic with black and white text that reads “New Website. ThinkOutsideTheVox.org” with the VOX logo as the screen of the desktop computer icon.

01/31/2026

VOX at 2026! One of the best ways to warm up in the winter is by embracing one another. Being and breathing in community is a reminder that we are stronger and warmer together. Congratulations to Embrace Boston and its successful 4th inaugural Celebration of community leaders and efforts that honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

ID 1: group photo of 4 at the Sneaker Gala of the Embrace Boston MLK Celebration at SOWA Power Station, a large and tall warehouse-like space with bright and bold lighting. From left to right: Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a Black woman with no hair wears makeup, a black dress, white blazer and brown heels, smiling with one arm hinged in front of herself. Aimee Robinson, a woman with peach complexion and auburn below-shoulder length hair wears purple glasses, a silver sneaker pendant necklace, a purple blouse over a short black dress, black designed fishnets and black converse, smiling. Christopher Robinson, an African-American man with black hair, medium locs, and a seasonal beard wears purple glasses, a purple and black striped shirt, a black orange and purple plaid tie, black velvet jacket, black pants and white nikes with a purple swoosh. Conan Harris, husband of Ayanna, is a Black man with short buzzed hair and a short salt and pepper beard wearing a black turtleneck, a black velvet suit jacket with a black and white handkerchief, gray pants and gray and white Nikes.

ID 2: Three artists in conversation standing at one of the display tables which has a small golden lamp facing each other with blue and purple lighting around them. Kwaku Darko, a dark skinned African man, 5’8” of average build has short, black hair and a short beard that frames his face and chin. He wears a black and purple dress shirt, black pants, a silver African continent pendant and a black watch with silver around the ring holding a drink in his hand and his cane tucked in his arm, laughing and directly facing George. George Freeman, a Black man with a high fade and a mustache wears silver stud earrings, a black turtleneck, a few gold and silver chains, black suit set and multicolored handkerchief in his pocket. He talks with his arms bent, smiling and talking with hands on his chest and tapping Chris, who is in the middle between Kwaku and George with pursed lips, making all the jokes. George Freeman creates black and white “Art and streetwear inspired by the Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan experience...From street to canvas.” https://fromstreet2canvas.com/ .

ID 3: two women hugging with blue and white lights behind them. Facing the camera is Samatha Gould, an Ashkenazi Jewish woman with salt and pepper hair, who wears a purple leather jacket, black leather pants and purple converse, smiling with an arm around Alison. Alison Simmons, an African American woman with light skin and curly brown hair wears a black velvet coat and crossbody purse. Her back is to the camera and she hugs Sam.

ID 4: Chris and Aimee with Zakiyyah Sutton, one of Embrace Boston’s Artists in Residences and a singer, activist and actress. She is a light-skinned Black woman with past shoulder length brown hair in medium twists and wears a yellow, green, black and white blouse with a yellow woven and rolled tie with circular parts, black pants and black sneakers with a silver zipper on the top. They all pose with one toe inward and red lighting behind them.

01/30/2026

when we mobilize in solidarity to protect human rights of everyone. The Public Theater hosting The People's Filibuster with an ASL-interpreted livestream tomorrow with Hands On Sign Interpreted Performances, Inc from 11am to 7pm. Tune in to stories, spoken word, texts and song on January 31st: PublicTheater.org/Filibuster

01/15/2026

We had a VOX office day! Thank you to Barr Foundation for letting your house become our house so we could continue our strategy work from where we left off with coaches EJ and Marianne at MASS MoCA in November. This picture makes it more special: our roots in the MASS MoCA partnership come from our Audio Description cultivation of the Jeffrey Gibson exhibit there with Board member Maria Hendricks leading. A full circle moment centered around space, sharing and community - just the nod we needed to start the year off, right where we want to be: together.

ID 1: Vox team wearing various branded purple and purple accessories smiling and standing in front of Jeffrey Gibson’s multicolor, geometric acrylic painting described in the next ID. Left to right, back row: Kristin Johnson, a Deaf white woman with short brown hair wears a black turtleneck underneath, Vox quarterzip, black pants and shoes with hands behind her back. Ingrid O’Dell, a tall white woman with auburn hair, blue eyes and freckles wears a purple sweater, cranberry pants and dark boots. Christopher Robinson, an African-American man with black hair, medium locs, and a seasonal beard wears a purple Vox shirt, purple Vox glasses, gray beanie, jeans and black sneakers with a hand on Via’s shoulder. Olivia Reinebach, a Hard of Hearing mixed Latina with olive skin and dark curly brown hair in a bun wears a navy sweater and Vox shirt on top, camo print pants and white sneakers. To their right is Sam Gould, an Ashkenazi Jewish woman with salt and pepper hair wears a Vox jacket, lanyard, purple corduroys and pink and orange sneakers.

ID 2: “Because Once You Enter My House It Becomes Our House,” in full view. The painting has that phrase with each letter painted in square cut-out styles and only vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines to create triangles, rectangles and squares - a pop art style and bright, bold colors and use of negative and positive space. Behind the boxy letters are ombre pink, white and blue thin stripes on the diagonal. The frame is thick with white and black beads. In the corner is the plaque with a QR code and text that reads, “Jeffrey Gibson. born 1972. Because Once You Enter My House It Becomes Our House. 2018. Acrylic on canvas, glass beads, and artificial sinew insert onto wood frame. 82 by 74 by 2.5 inches.”