News You Can Use

• Gettysburg Park's Winter Hours To Begin

  Beginning November 1, Gettysburg National Military Park will change to its winter visiting hours, staying open to the public from 6:00am until 7:00pm daily, the National Park Service has announced. The winter visiting hours will continue through March 31, 2008. From April 1 through October 31, the park will remain open from 6:00am until 10:00pm daily.

  During the winter visiting hours, park-approved special events such as the annual Remembrance Illumination and park sponsored public meetings would continue to be permitted. Certain park avenues will continue to be accessible 24 hours/day for vehicular through-travel only: Buford Avenue, Doubleday Avenue, Granite Schoolhouse Road, Howard Avenue, Millerstown Road, Reynolds Avenue, Wadsworth Avenue, West Confederate Avenue, and Wheatfield Road.

  Fines for Closed Area Violations are $75. For more information contact Gettysburg National Military Park at (717) 334-1124.

• Independence Seaport Museum's Concert Hall/Movie Theater Increases Access For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Public

  Philadelphia is closer to being one of the world's most "Deaf-friendly" cities as it launches a month of films, performances, concerts, exhibitions and multi-media lectures presented by Deaf artists of all genres through November 19. Independence Seaport Museum's new "Seaport Cinema" opened its doors and its technology to Deaf audiences on October 19.

  For the first time in Philadelphia, the captioned film-ready museum will provide equal access to Deaf patrons who have been unable to participate in the revolutionary social phenomenon of movies ever since "talkies" were invented in 1935.

  There are more than 350,000 Deaf and hard of hearing individuals living, working and studying in the Greater Philadelphia region yet unlike many minorities they remain nearly invisible to mainstream culture. Creative Access strives to provide "Access Beyond the Ramp" by fostering equal opportunities for the Deaf to achieve visibility and thrive within American society. PaH! Celebration of Deaf Arts & Culture is part of the Independence Starts Here - A Celebration of Disability Arts & Culture festival.

  All PaH! events presented in American Sign Language and spoken English. CART (real time captioning) -ALDs (Assistive Listening Devices) vary with venue. Ticketing through Creative Access unless otherwise noted. Advance reservations accepted and "PaH! Passes" available. A selection of PaH! events is listed. For a full schedule, details and tickets, visit www.creativeaccess.org