Accessibility 101:

Join us in talking to disabled industry professionals and explore the ins and outs of accessibility within the industry. We’ll also touch on the legalities of accessibility, what venues do well and how venues can improve to provide a more inclusive space for all.

There is currently a huge lack of awareness surrounding accessibility at concerts. Many venues, particularly general admission venues, have flights of stairs and no other way inside, or they have access to get inside, but there’s no safe, accessible seating area with a clear view of the show. Other issues come in the form of inaccessible restrooms, intense lighting and strobes without warning, little-to-no accommodations for Deaf and Hard of Hearing fans, minimal staff training surrounding ableism, and more. Half Access strives to change this by opening the conversation between the disabled community and venues while also educating allies (fans, artists, and other industry folks) in the music community.

After launching the H/A website, the nonprofit focused on raising awareness and growing a database of venue accessibility information to prepare disabled people on what to expect when going to a venue for the first time. The database now includes more than 400 venues.

This conversation is especially important for us to have as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift and we see concerts coming back in the late summer and early fall. It’s crucial to keep accessibility to live music venues at the front of our minds to make sure everyone can safely enjoy their first show back. 

Panels are one hour long and will be held via Zoom and recorded for YouTube. Additional engagement opportunities will be hosted in the Half Access Discord server. Closed captions and ASL interpreters will be provided and all other accessibility requests can be sent to contact@halfaccess.org. 

Our heartfelt thanks to our sponsors: Sub-City and Hopeless Records