disease from birth. They decide
to take a sight-seeing cross
country trip to experience all
they could,while they still could.
This endeavor of making this
film accessible became a turning
point in Spitz’s life. She clearly
found her calling!
She has since made it a one-
woman campaign to raise
awareness and open the door
of accessibility to an entire
audience who are too often left
unconsidered. Although too
modest to share all of her many
credits, a perusal of her IMDb bio
reveals the numerous projects
Spitz is credited with numbering
50 film projects, consisting of
commercial cinematic releases,
as well as short and full-length
independent documentaries.
Of the more recently released
films they include: “The Beatles:
Eight Days A Week,” “Itzhak”
and “Dealt,” which we will
return to later. She has also video
described “The Great Muppet
Caper” for Disney Cable.
She has since made
it a one-woman
campaign to raise
awareness and
open the door of
accessibility to an
entire audience who
are too often left
unconsidered.
From the years 2014 to 2017,
Michele is also credited with
voicing the audio description
for Superfest: SF International
Disability Film Festival and
for ReelAbilities; New York
International Disability Film
Festival from 2015 to 2018.
Her online bio additionally
includes the causes she supports
which include underwriting
various programs. She is a
supporter of Actors for Autism,
Deaf West Theater, SFJAZZ,
Axis Dance, JCCSF Arts & Ideas,
and Osher Marin JCC Senior
Excursions. Michele also supports
Lighthouse for the Blind, Helen
Keller Services for the Blind, That
Man May See and Guide Dogs
for the Blind.
This doesn’t begin to cover
the children’s programming,
museums, industrial and
fundraising videos, audio
manuals and public service
announcements that she has
also voiced. Michele has also
been a film awards presenter
and fundraising emcee for select
events.
Spitz credits her most rewarding
achievement as elevating
consciousness, particularly
among independent filmmakers
where the accessibility
deliverable assets are not always
affordable, and therefore not
often implemented. Michele
conducts film audience
accessibility panels to educate
filmmakers, distributors, post
production staff and cinema
owners. Her most recent panel
took place at the 55th New York
Film Festival sponsored by HBO
Free Talks.
Awareness remains a challenge
even for those with visual
impairment who are often not
readily informed by the public
of the multiple options to utilize
audio description within the
cultural and performing arts
experiences. To further raise the
awareness among future media
makers, Spitz partnered with
the British Academy of Film and
Television Arts to provide college
scholarships for two graduate
film student’s with disabilities.
Spitz’s most recent success
debuted at the Mill Valley Film
Festival. “Dealt” is a movie
that centers on the life of the
internationally known, world
renowned card mechanic,
Richard Turner who is completely
blind. Michele produced and
narrated the audio description
for this film and participated on
the Q&A film festival screening
panel, along with the producer
and Richard Turner. The theater
was equipped with 60 infrared
audio description headsets, in
which all were put to use in
this sold out 500 seat member
screening.
Michele continues to donate her
voice to narrate the quarterly
audio newsletters for Guide
Dogs for the Blind for the
past four years. She pays keen
attention to the ongoing trends
in progress in the accessibility
industry, and takes pride in the
numbers of performing arts
venues, attractions, museums,
destinations, cinemas that
implement accessibility tools.
Technology development is
now expanding in providing
smart phone apps that sync
with various venues to allow
for audience integration and
inclusion for both the deaf and
blind communities. The FCC
July 2018 ruling mandates that
all cinemas be equipped with
accessible viewing capabilities.
Michele looks forward to a day
when we can all share the same
viewing experience in the same
physical space, as one audience.
To have found her calling in
middle age is a true blessing.
One can’t come away from
meeting Michele Spitz and but
be enthused and inspired by
what she does and the joy it
gives her, but more importantly
the service it provides to others.
That’s why you can truly say she
is a “Woman of Her Word.”
To learn more about Michele’s
endeavors and to experience
her voiceover work, please
visit: www.womanofherword.
com
31
Marin Arts & Culture