Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA)

Led by a Deaf African American woman, VOCA is the only organization supporting DC's community of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) artists of color. It was founded to make the performing arts directly accessible to — and more representative of — the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community, which is often excluded from mainstream cultural productions. Deaf/HoH artists of color write, produce, cast, and direct two original works a year. In trainings, workshops, and panel discussions, they improve their skills across a variety of artistic disciplines while sharing their expertise with each other. During the year, VOCA offers DC residents dance workshops taught by Deaf instructors of color. In summer camps, Deaf/HoH youth learn from VOCA artists in classes on acting, ASL storytelling, visual arts, dance, and film. VOCA creates a space where all Deaf artists can express themselves … and connect.