Hard work vs. Heart Work?

Recently one of our KIT supporters mentioned that she noticed that I hadn’t updated the blog since early August. Oh my, has it been that long? Lest you think I’ve been on an extended vacation, I will let you know that there has been a lot happening at KIT that will be revealed at our National Conference on Inclusion September 29-October 1. I hope you will be there to hear about and see all of our recent developments! Yes, there is still time to register.

Speaking of conferences, last week we had the pleasure of co-hosting the LEAD conference with our dear friends at the San Diego Zoo. It was great to be able to attend sessions on accessibility in arts and culture organizations. LEAD has always made a commitment to model accessibility at the conference by using multiple methods to translate the information to different learners. One method is CART (Computer Aided Realtime Reporting, although other versions of the acronym exist), in which a transcriber types everything a presenter, panelist or audience member says in a session and it is visible to the whole audience on an electronic display board. It is an accommodation for people who can’t hear the presentations, but it is also beneficial for supporting people who learn visually. I found myself both listening and watching the display board. It was by watching the board, and noticing a typo, that I had a moment of illumination. In the opening session someone who was introducing one of the speakers thanked them for being a “hard worker.” The incredible Chuck, who was the primary transcriber throughout the conference, typed “heart worker” instead of “hard worker.”

Interesting. Is a hard worker equivalent to someone who has a strong heart for the work? Can you work hard without putting your heart into it? If so, then how much is the effectiveness of your efforts related to the amount of heart you put into it? In my experience, those people whose hard work is driven by their heart are not only the most effective, but perhaps also the happiest in their work.

Inclusion is….heart work.

Discuss.

KIT a Hit at the LEAD Conference in DC

On August 14 I traveled to Washington, DC to attend the LEAD (Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability) conference. I was asked to co- present at this conference with my friend Sheri Sherman from the San Diego Zoo. We had a great time and our session was a hit. We presented on the building of bridges between the participants and their frontline staff and between them and their upper management. There were many sessions throughout LEAD on interesting topics I don’t usually get to hear about. One of the sessions I attended was on assistive technology. There are incredible items people have created to make museums, theater, and the arts more accessible. We were able to hear about these items, where they are being used and of course the cost so we can save up to have our very own. We were even able to test them out! Apparently they will be coming soon to Disneyland. What is it? Oh yes, sorry it is a hand held device, about the size of an iphone, (a little bigger) and it captions a predetermined script on an exhibit or attraction for those with hearing loss or who are deaf, in addition it can audio describe for individuals who are blind or have low vision. The changes in accessibility are quite amazing due to these types of technology.

Did you know that KIT will be co-hosting the LEAD conference next year with the San Diego Zoo? If you are a museum or cultural institution this would be a good conference for you to attend. The dates are August 26-29, 2010 in San Diego!

(pictured are Nili Mathews, KIT and Sheri Sherman and Bob Dillon, San Diego Zoo)