Autism Light: Lisa Carling

Lisa Carling is the Director of Accessibility Programs for the Theatre Development Fund in New York City. She has been instrumental in creating the Autism Theatre Initiative.

Lisa CarlingThe Autism Theatre Initiative will hold the first ever autism friendly performance in a matinee of "The Lion King" to be held at the Minskoff Theatre in New York City on October 2, 2011. All the tickets to the showing SOLD OUT by early September, so this may be the start of more performances like this. To facilitate making this production autism friendly some adjustments have been made to select sounds in the production and there will be three quiet areas established should children with autism need them. The Autism Theatre Initiative has also created a Social Story book and Resource Guide for this event which is found at the ticket services website for the Autism Theatre Initiative.  Lisa Carling said about evaluating this production,
"We'll be looking at the dynamics of the audience, seeing if everyone is having a good time. We will want it to be a very welcoming, nonjudgmental environment." (Read Full AP Article)Below is a YouTube video preview of The Lion King from the Broadway YouTube Channel.


The following are some media discussions of Lisa Carling's work on this project.

• Autism America weekly radio program on September 3, 2011 interviewed Lisa Carling.
• Washington Times Article
• New York Times ArtBeat
• Associated Press via The China Post

Lisa Carling is an Autism Light because of the groundbreaking value that this accessibility to theatre will have for individuals with autism. This opportunity may unleash new heights in someone with autism who might otherwise not attend a theatre production. For more information visit the Theatre Development Fund Website. Thank you Lisa Carling for being an Autism Light.

Autism Light is a daily look at diverse heroes to the world of autism. 

Photo: Photo in this post used with permission of Lisa Carling.
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