Need history-tour services for the Deaf in Boston

May 13, 2008 10:07 AM

Are there any history-based tours in Boston that accomodate the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing?

My wife is Deaf and we are visiting Boston on May 18-21. While I'm attending my conference during the day, she would like to soak up as much natural American historyas she can. We've been unable to find any outfits that accomodate D/HoH with interpreters. She would be willing to settle (*heavy sigh*) for a tour that supplies well-written reading materials that follow the tour. But she'd MUCH prefer a 'terp. Anyone local, or had experience similar, that could help out?

posted by UnclePlayground to Travel & Transportation around Boston, MA (6 answers total)

Pulling this out of my ass, but what about contacting the disability resource center at a local university and seeing what they recommend? I imagine they deal with all sorts of accessibility questions about the city as a whole when dealing with prospective students, so they should have access to good resources off-campus as well.
posted by Madamina at 10:48 AM on May 13, 2008

I haven't come across any tours, but it seems that the Museum of Fine Arts and the Aquarium both have ASL interpreters. Also, this page has D/HoH accessibility info on a number of cultural attractions (not all may be in Boston).
posted by desjardins at 11:11 AM on May 13, 2008

The Museum of African-American History in Boston has a self-guided tour called The Black Heritage Trail. I really enjoyed walking it a few years ago. The National Park Service offers a guided version of this tour, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to offer any kind of tour for the D/HoH (at least they don't list any such service on their website).
posted by jammy at 11:24 AM on May 13, 2008

My wife and I did the Freedom Trail on our own with a podcast, but I would assume you could do the same with printed materials. There's a good bit of walking between stops, so you could probably read up on the next/last stop before/after you get there.

This page might be helpful from the Mass. Comm for the D/HoH

Also, here's a list of possible resources from Fodor's.

Boston Center for Independent Living
(95 Berkeley St., Suite 206, 02116. 617/338-6665; 617/338-6662 TDD. www.bostoncil.org).

Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
(150 Mt. Vernon St., Suite 550, 02125. 617/740-1600; 617/740-1700 TTY; 800/882-1155; 800/249-9949 after-hours voice/TTY emergency number for medical interpreters. 617/740-1699. www.state.ma.us/mcdhh).

Massachusetts Network of Information Providers for People with Disabilities
(800/642-0249; 800/764-0200 TTY. www.mnip-net.org).

Massachusetts Office on Disability
(1 Ashburton Pl., Room 1305, 02108. 617/727-7440; 800/322-2020 TTY. www.state.ma.us/mod).

New England Information on Disabilities Exchange
(www.disabilityinfo.org).
posted by cdmwebs at 11:24 AM on May 13, 2008

I'd recommend you contact someone at Deaf, Inc - someone there will probably know, and they're probably faster to respond than MCDHH can be. (I've taken classes there, and know a lot of the staff; they're generally a good place to go if you're looking for Deaf-friendly resources in Boston.)
posted by spaceman_spiff at 12:07 PM on May 13, 2008

Boston by Foot offers very good history and architecture tours. I took my parents on their walking tour of the North End last fall, and I was very impressed by the guides knowledge of the history of the area--it really was fascinating, and brought the context of the area alive. You can see the schedule of tours they are offering next week here.

I also have a friend who works for them, and I asked her if they offered any services for the hearing impaired, and she said that it's been a while since they have worked with an interpreter, but that they could likely work something out if you contact them. Their phone number is (617)-367-2345.
posted by dyslexictraveler at 9:54 AM on May 14, 2008