ABOUT THE EDITOR

My Good Parts

Hey, I am Simma! Since 2011, I have been able to find a home at concert venues and a safety in the pit. Although I consider myself a retired concert photographer at this point, I am always open to the ability to shoot any shows that come through my area. 

With a BA in Public Relations from Hofstra University, I hope to someday make music, concerts and venues more accessible for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Today, I want to tell you my story of how I decided on this. I promise I won’t leave the good parts out.

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I took an American Sign Language class in my second year of college. During my second semester, we were assigned a project – to research and present on any topic within Deaf culture. When I say any topic, I mean any topic. I chose music. Did you know there are Deaf artists? And there are Deaf people who regularly go to concerts! Nico DiMarco, twin brother of America’s Next Top Model, Nyle DiMarco, is a Deaf DJ! Who knew there was such a thing?

I love and appreciate music so much that I was sad and disappointed when I did my research and realized that there could be more accessibility within the music industry. Whether it be through interpreters going on tour with artists, or merely implementing larger speakers within venues. I have since made it my goal to broaden the accessibility of music. Everyone should be able to appreciate music regardless of how they “hear” it.