Opera Uses AI to Give People With Non-Verbal Disabilities a Voice
A groundbreaking opera project uses AI to help people with non-verbal disabilities perform and express themselves on stage.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this bell ringer activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
At an Omaha, Nebraska, festival this summer, new work explores the intersection of art, disability and technology, asking questions like "who has a voice?" and "who gets to be heard?" Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown reports on this unusual undertaking for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.
View the transcript of the story.
Discussion Questions
- Where was the opera mentioned in this segment performed?
- Who is Brenda Shaughnessy, and how is this opera a reflection of her lived experience?
- How does the opera incorporate the voices of those with non-verbal disabilities?
- What are the two ways Jakob communicates in this video?
- Why is it important to include those with non-verbal disabilities in the creative process, according to Shaughnessy?
Focus Questions
- How does creating an inclusive environment for everyone help make a classroom, team or community stronger?
- This story highlights how technology and AI can give a voice to people with non-verbal disabilities. What are some other ways technology can be used to help people with various disabilities?
- Media literacy: What else would you like to learn about how the AI in this video works? What steps could you take to make sure the information you find is trustworthy and reliable?
Extension Activities
Assignment: Look around your school or town to find a specific place that could be improved to better support people with disabilities (for example, building entrances, restrooms, sidewalks, classrooms or bus stops).
Write a short proposal to your school or town administration explaining why this area poses a difficulty for people with disabilities and suggest a solution.
In your proposal, be sure to include:
- A description of the difficulty or barrier you observed (for example, limited access for wheelchair users)
- How this difficulty affects those with disabilities
- Your practical solution to the problem (for example, adding a ramp for wheelchair users)
- 3–4 sentences explaining why accessibility is important
Inclusive Education: Lesson Plans and Resources
In this collection, you will find resources to help students better understand different disabilities, promote inclusion, challenge ableism, and make accommodations for others.
Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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