On behalf of everyone at Hands On, I want to take this opportunity to express our sadness at the sudden passing of Claude Shirts. Our sincerest condolences to Roberto Alaniz, his longtime partner and Paula Foley, his loving sister, and to all of Claude’s family and friends.
I had the pleasure of working with Claude for many years in a variety of settings. With Hands On he worked as volunteer, interpreter, and friend. Maybe his greatest achievement, which continues to this day, was to establish The TOLA program – THEATER OFFERS A LIFETIME OF ADVENTURE in honor of his friend and companion Jim Tola. The program offers theater experiences to Deaf and hearing families allowing them to attend some of the best family theater in NYC. Thousands of families continue to attend amazing theater and we all have Claude to thank. A fitting legacy for a wonderful friend to the community.
We will all miss him.
Offering Sign Interpreted Performances in the not-for-profit theatrical arena along with information on Deafness and the arts across New York City and the country.
Hands On offers the Deaf community a diverse range of quality interpreted performances at some of the city’s most popular venues.
Hands On offers services including marketing strategies, staff training and disability community outreach and engagement campaigns.
The Calendar provides the Deaf community with information on a variety of cultural offerings available in New York City metropolitan area.
We’ve accomplished so much in the last 35+ years and we want to keep interpreted theater around for another 35+ years. To keep going, we need your help.
Hands On programs and services are generously supported in part by grants from:
