Chicago is truly the jewel of the Midwest, with vibrant culture and a laid-back environment. If you’re considering visiting the Windy City, there’s no better time than summer to experience all that this city by the lake has to offer. If you’re living with hearing loss, you should know that a majority of the best tourist sites are outfitted with assistive listening devices and safety features to make your trip a great one.
Theater and performing arts
The nationally recognized Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is nestled into a corner in the popular tourist destination Navy Pier. It offers traditional Shakespeare performances, modernized takes on Shakespeare’s works and even other genres (Shrek the Musical is a production this season). The Chicago Shakespeare Theater is also outfitted with a Sennheiser infrared assistive listening system and captioning for those with hearing loss.
If you like live music or want to catch the Chicago Symphony Orchestra outside its natural habitat, the Pritzker Pavilion is the place to be. This outdoor bandshell, designed by world-famous architect Frank Gehry, is a real treat. Concerts are typically free and host various artists. The bandshell boasts an abundance of seating, but locals like to bring blankets and a picnic dinner and sip wine on the expansive field of lush green grass. The pavilion has an amazing sound system that stretches in an arcing trellis over the entire area, and an assistive listening system is available through headsets. Come to the Second City to see outdoor concerts or one of The Bard’s famous plays.
Art and architecture
The Art Institute of Chicago is a must-see if you’re visiting the city. It displays the very famous “American Gothic” by Grant Wood and “Night Hawks” by Edward Hopper, as well as extensive collections of Picassos and Monets, and works by Diego Rivera, Giorgio de Chirico, Edvard Munch, Miró and Renoir. The museum has captioning of all videos and films, sign language interpretation for gallery talks and free audio tours for those with hearing loss, including a neck loop for people who wear hearing aids with a telecoil.
If the City of Big Shoulders is known for producing anything besides deep dish pizza and famous comedians, it’s known for its amazing architecture. Take a walking tour to see buildings by Daniel Burnham and Louis Sullivan. Or, visit the John Hancock Center observatory to view the city from 95 stories in the air. A multimedia Sky Tour is available with closed captioning for those with hearing loss, but if you’d like, just glance down at the hustle and bustle and other skyscrapers – they seem like small buildings from this height – below to see the magnificence of the city, both natural and manmade. As Chicago poet Carl Sandburg wrote, “…the skyscraper looms in the smoke and sun and has a soul.”
There are many other great museum, theater and nature options for those with hearing loss who visit Chicago, and many hotels with hearing accessible accommodations. Check out what else Chicago has to offer for those with hearing loss so you can start planning your trip.
