History
The idea of Deaf Spectrum popped up in 2013 when the founder, Sage Lovell, moved to the metropolitan city of Toronto and realized that accessible services, information, and resources available in American Sign Language (ASL) were lacking.
In 2015, Deaf Spectrum was formally launched with a series of promotional vlogs in ASL. In our beginning stages, we offered services to the broad community including but not limited to arts & culture, post-secondary, community, education, health, and more.
Since the beginning of 2022, we have completely shifted our focus on elevating and creating opportunities for Deaf Arts and Culture in Canada.
Mission Statement
Deaf Spectrum focuses on elevating and creating opportunities for Deaf Artists residing in Canada to participate in the Arts and Culture Sector. Deaf Spectrum also offers the Deaf Audiences’ perspectives and provides consulting on accessibility options to make the art accessible for the Deaf Community to enjoy.
Why Work With Us?
Deaf Spectrum is one of the most professional businesses in Canada that is designed to meet the needs of Deaf Artists, Deaf Audiences, and Deaf Patrons. We believe in the top-notch quality of American Sign Language (ASL) accessibility. Deaf Spectrum strives to provide the best services possible and that means that we will continue to apply our learnings to our work. We have been in this industry for more than eight years now. The founder of Deaf Spectrum, Sage Lovell, has more than twenty-five years of experience in the Theatre Industry working in various capacities. In the past, Deaf Spectrum has successfully put a number of Deaf Artists on the map and influenced many art organizations to consider incorporating American Sign Language (ASL) accessibility into their work, creating more opportunities for Deaf Artists to thrive. As we continue to grow and evolve, we will continue to support the Deaf Community to be part of the arts and culture scene in Canada.
Deaf Spectrum has a clientele that includes but is not limited to: Tangled Art + Disability, The Theatre Centre, Canadian Hearing Services, Unit 2, Young People’s Theatre, Canadian Broadcasting Company, Reelabilities Film Festival Toronto, Creative User Projects, Calgary Arts Development, Ontario Arts Council, Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Festival, Roseneath Theatre, The Factory Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto Fringe, ReDefine Arts, STEPS Public Arts, ArtWorksTO, SummerWorks Performance Festival, Crip Rave Collective, and so much more.
What Do We Offer?
Deaf Spectrum offers a range of services. A full list can be found here.
Our main services include vlog productions, event/opportunity circulation, consultation, mentorship, and workshops. Vlog productions include but are not limited to American Sign Language (ASL) translation of promotional material, exhibition statements, call for submissions, etc. Event and Opportunity circulation is a service that gets information out to a targeted community: The Deaf Community and its supporters.
We circulate information through the means of text, photo, and video materials on social media platforms, YouTube, and disseminate it through our Newsletter. Consultation services are available to assist non-Deaf organizers to create accessible opportunities for Deaf Artists and Deaf Audiences to participate.