SWSX need Deaf Participants – Austin
I am working on an incredible project that is in dire need of deaf participants.
I would appreciate your help in finding people that would be interested in participating in this project- and thought some of your attendees would be interested. I was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction.
Below is more information about Not Impossible and the what we are looking for.
The mission of Not Impossible is to use technology for the sake of humanity, and they are indeed defying what has been deemed “impossible” in health care and changing lives. Their work is truly incredible, from giving a graffiti artist who suffers from ALS and thus paralyzed, the ability to draw from the pupils of his eyes, to creating prosthetic limbs from a 3D printer for kids in warn-torn Sudan. Their most recent endeavor is called Music: Not Impossible, and it is essentially a sound vest that allows deaf people to experience music for the first time through vibration. Our team has been working with Katie Couric on this project, and this video will give you great insight to the company and their endeavor:
http://www.notimpossiblenow.com/labs/sound-not-impossible-katie-couric-video
Not Impossible will be taking these sound vests to SXSW on the 18 & 19, 2016 to allow deaf people to experience them at several designated concerts. The activation will be filmed (an interview and then the experience in the concert itself) and the final video will be used for promotional purposes of the project. These devices are not for sale, so it is non-profit, but they do want to get the word out to the press in order to raise more funding and awareness.
I am writing to see if you would be able to assist with the outreach efforts to attract the deaf participants. I am looking for approx 6-12 participants, ages 18 – 30. Ideally hip, diverse, and generally charismatic and excited about the project. This is not paid, but they will (hopefully) have an experience of a lifetime, and be part of something that could shift the relationship between the hearing impaired community and music forever. They also will have free pass the concerts that day, which are coveted tickets.
I realize this is a unique request, so I greatly appreciate your consideration.
My best,
Erika Suhr
Email: [email protected]
**************************
Project Coordinator
310.855.2415