Binghamton teen helped improve accessibility at the Forum: Here's how

Alexis Drozdowski of Binghamton wants to make sure that every audience member who attends a performance of the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra can hear, see and enjoy the show.

“It’s important that everyone has equal opportunity,” she said. “Accessibility is a big part of that.”

A senior at Binghamton High School, Drozdowski serves as the junior board member for the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra. She’s also a Girl Scout working on her Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts. Her community service project for the award was making videos to teach people basic sign language.

The teenager developed her passion for inclusivity and accessibility after taking a course in American Sign Language back when she was a freshman. That's when she realized that people with disabilities sometimes face barriers in everyday life, she said.

“People don’t always have that voice to stand up for themselves. The rest of the world might not listen to them as they are speaking,” she said. “It’s important to have more people trying to help.”

She brought her passion for inclusivity to the orchestra board where she serves on the board’s community outreach and equity inclusion committee. Her work on the board impressed Julia Grella O’Connell, the orchestra’s director of education and community education.

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“Alexis' volunteer work as a junior board member has energized the Philharmonic's commitment to delivering high-quality music programming to all members of the Binghamton community,” Grella O’Connell said. “Her knowledge of and passion for deaf culture and education helped jumpstart a Philharmonic initiative to equip the Broome County Forum Theatre with hearing loop technology, which will enable audience members with hearing loss to fully participate in our musical offerings. Alexis' vision has helped strengthen our commitment to making live orchestral music accessible and uplifting for all audiences, regardless of ability.”

Serving on the board has been a learning experience for Drozdowski, she said.

“I’ve learned more about how other people see the world,” she said. “It’s opened my eyes a little bit more to how other people can relate to music and how they might want other people to have that same experience.”

Drozdowski is no stranger to the concert stage. A violin and trumpet player, she plays in school orchestras, sings in several school choirs and serves as a stage manager in the school’s theater group.

When she’s not singing or playing music, she’s busy helping other students. She tutors other students and helps clean up the neighborhoods of Binghamton as a member of the National Honor Society, she said.

Drozdowski is also a member of the Music Honor Society. Her volunteer duties there include helping younger students put on concerts. She’s also working on an instrument petting zoo where students in second, third and fourth grade can try out various instruments and see which one they want to learn to play, she said.

Outside of school, she’s active in gymnastics and Girl Scouts, where she’s done community service projects including making care packages for residents of local nursing homes.

“It’s super important to get yourself out there,” she said. “It helps you make connections as you get older.”

All of her volunteer experiences have helped prepare her for college and a career advocating for an inclusive world for everyone, she said.

“It’s made me open-minded,” she said. “If I see someone who needs help, I am always willing to give it.”

More about Alexis Drozdowski

Home and Hometown: Binghamton’s West Side

Family: Parents, Julie and Al Drozdowski

Age: 17

Education: Senior at Binghamton High School. Will attend Keuka College next fall to study American Sign Language interpretation

How to help: To volunteer or donate to the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, visit binghamtonphilharmonic.org

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Binghamton teen's vision helped improve accessibility at Forum Theatre