Nooze Hounds: Rosebud Turner and Dana Draa Talk Accessibility in Charlotte

On Episode 59 of the Nooze Hounds podcast, I spoke with Dana Draa, chief program officer with Metrolina Association of the Blind; and Rosebud Turner, an author and former teacher who lost her sight while still teaching in CMS schools and has since authored multiple books.

 

In May, Nikolai Mather wrote a story about last year’s launch of visual descriptive walking art tours, which allow people with low or no vision to get a taste of Charlotte’s public art scene through audio description, artist analysis and fellowship. The tours are organized and hosted by Metrolina Association for the Blind, ArtWalks Charlotte, Disability Rights & Resources, and the Arts & Science Council. 

In the podcast, we talk a bit about the tours, but also about accessibility in Charlotte on a broader scale — what has changed and what still needs work. We also discuss Turner’s own experience losing sight as a working teacher, the work she’s produced since then, and the impact it has when she is looked over or condescended by sighted folks. 

You can check out all of Turner’s work on her website. 

“What I think sighted people get wrong is not thinking about how people with vision loss experience art,” Draa told Mather in May. “It’s not that there’s misconceptions, it’s just that there is a complete lack of thought about it.”

The trio also discuss how Charlotte seems to be ahead of the curve in terms of accessibility as compared to other cities that Turner hasn’t found as accomodating. 

“It’s that kind of thing that really stops someone who is unsighted to venture out,” Turner said in last month’s story. “That’s just something people need to understand. It’s not always a lack of interest. It’s just really choosing where to put my energy.”

Remember you can catch Nooze Hounds on Spotify and other places where you find podcasts, and be sure to check out Queen City Podcast Network for a slew of other great Charlotte podcasts that aren’t quite as good as ours but pretty damn close. Find past Nooze Hounds episodes here.