Rep. Summer Lee Celebrates $60,000 NEA Grant to Carnegie Mellon University for Accessible Shakespeare Project

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 20, 2026 - Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) celebrated a $60,000 grant awarded to Carnegie Mellon University by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support an innovative theater project expanding access to the arts for Deaf communities.

The grant, awarded through the NEA's Grants for Arts Projects program, will support the translation of selected works of William Shakespeare into American Sign Language (ASL) and the creation of a comprehensive video series for use in theater productions nationwide.

"The arts should be something everyone can experience and be a part of," said Congresswoman Lee. "Projects like this help make sure Deaf artists, scholars, and audiences aren't left out of spaces that have too often been inaccessible. This is about opening doors, creating space, and making sure more people can see themselves in the stories being told. I'm really proud to see this kind of investment in Pittsburgh and in making the arts more inclusive for everyone. Everyone deserves to be able to engage with art in ways that are meaningful to them."

"The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support opportunities across the country for Americans to experience and participate in the arts," said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. "As we celebrate the country's 250th anniversary this year, it is a moment to recognize the important role the arts continue to play in our lives, communities, and heritage."

The project will bring together Deaf and hearing theater artists and scholars to translate up to 15 Shakespearean texts into ASL. Collaborators will produce both a foundational "neutral" translation and an artistic, interpretive version, offering valuable tools for future productions.

The resulting video series will serve as a national resource for theater artists with and without disabilities, advancing accessibility and innovation in the performing arts.

Congresswoman Lee looks forward to visiting Carnegie Mellon University's theater department to learn more about this groundbreaking work and to celebrate its impact on accessibility in the arts.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, shehas delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billionbrought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania's infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.