Accessibility at LIVE Music Venues

ACCESSIBILITY AT LIVE MUSIC EVENTS

I started thinking more about "accessibility for everyone" at my shows, after hearing in recent years from my friend Steve, who has been a supporter of my music for many years.  For the second time he said he was unable to attend my show in Toronto due to the fact that the venue was not wheelchair accessible. 

This made me think two things:
1) I need to learn more on this issue.
2) I need to think about what I can do to help make music more accessible for everyone when I perform, and encourage others to think about how to make positive change.

I'll do my best to share bits of my journey here, in the hopes that it might inspire others to do the same. 

STEP ONE - GOOGLING RESOURCES + REACHING OUT + LISTENING
The first resource that came up when I googled 'accessibility at Live Music Venues' was a charity in the United Kingdom called Attitude is Everything. I dug into their great online resource, the DIY Access Guide, which is now available in eleven languages to download here: attitudeiseverything.org.uk

STEP TWO - HOSTING AN ONLINE DISCUSSION
On January 13th, 2019 I hosted a Facebook Live discussion to share some things I've learned so far, and chatted with Paul Vienneau, a photographer, musician and advocate for persons with disabilities. Friends and strangers emailed me the week prior to the event to share valuable resources and personal experiences. You can watch the two videos on my Facebook VIDEOS page. 

STEP THREE - POSTED A CHALLENGE TO MYSELF AND OTHERS