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Belonging at Chautauqua

From the IDEA Desk – Inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility

I heard something profound from a property owner recently that I’ve continued to think about. She said, “Remember that most of us had our own first Chautauqua experience at some time, and we came back because we felt welcomed.” For some of us, we might have arrived pre-birth or as babies. Others came much later in life. All of us, though, had that first interaction with Chautauqua, and if you chose to come back (especially as adults), something about this place captivated you and compelled you to return. 

Central to our decision to return to Chautauqua is a sense of welcome and belonging. We keep coming back not just for the program or the place — both being important to our experience — but also because of the people. Sometimes it is the people who were our neighbors or hosts in denominational houses. Other times it is our friends who invited us to visit in the first place. For others, it might be the friends we made along the way. 

Most of us will be able to articulate specific experiences that added up to that sense of welcome and belonging. I fell in love with Chautauqua — both the place and the community — during my very first visit, just for a day, more than a decade ago. If I were to ask you what made you feel welcomed or like you belonged, most Chautauquans would have stories to share. If you see me walking around the grounds (I usually have a bowtie on), please stop me and tell me your belonging story. When and how did you know that you belonged at Chautauqua? 

I chose to write about this topic because the person I was speaking with was making the point that it is our “duty” as Chautauquans to create that sense of welcome and belonging for new Chautauquans. Someone else did it for us, and now it is our time to do so for others. I couldn’t agree more. However, there is a question worth pondering here: What would make new and potentially diverse (broadly defined) Chautauquans feel welcomed and like they belonged? Would it be the same kinds of things that made you feel welcomed, or might it be something different? 

Every person might have their own answer to that question, but ultimately it will come down to a few things. First and foremost, exploring our shared interest in the four pillars — arts, education, religion and recreation. Second might be everyday acts of kindness and inclusion. Third is creating new engagements programmatically. We often do the first two items well. The third offering requires some changes from the administration and the community’s participation in making those changes come to life. 

 One such example of a programmatic change is that after a pilot experience last year, we are now offering a new accessibility feature via Live Audio Description (LAD) for some performances of all three mainstage shows of Chautauqua Theater Company. LAD is provided through a private headset, where a trained Audio Describer will provide visual cues (for example, “Lisa enters the stage in a red dress,” “The set changes with a sofa in the middle of the stage,” etc.). LAD is offered as a new accessibility offering for patrons who are blind, low vision, and for neuro-diverse audience members who might benefit from their attention being drawn to particular visual cues. The first LAD performance this season will take place this Saturday, and you can learn more about LAD, sensory-friendly performances, and other accessibility offerings at CTC by visiting chq.org/ctc-access. I hope you will applaud and support the small but important steps we are taking as a community to ensure that everyone feels like they belong at Chautauqua.

Amit Taneja 
Senior Vice President
Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility Officer 

Tags : A column by Amit Tanejaamit tanejaFrom the IDEA DeskInclusion Diversity Equity Accessibility
Amit Taneja

The author Amit Taneja