Half of Disabled Consumers Face Access Issues at Live Events: Can Artists Step in to Help?

Music has always played an important role in my life and my brother Jack’s life since we grew up together as neurodivergent siblings. Jack is 28 and I am 29, and we continue to grow in our unique ways. Music is a passion we both share, providing a bond that transcends words when speech is limited. I’m fortunate to have learned to play instruments, and one of my favourite hobbies is playing for Jack on Friday afternoons. Sometimes he doesn’t enjoy my guitar playing, which is understandable, but when he sings along, it feels like my greatest achievement.

Jack often changes my lyrics to what he believes they are. In my song “Do You Know,” where I sing, “My body slips and I don’t know what I’m doing,” Jack sings, “The pirate ships and I don’t know why.” I love this because he makes the song his own. I’m so proud of him.

Another favourite activity of mine is writing and performing my music. Recently, I’ve been performing lots of gigs and a festival in Southampton. These experiences led me to think about accessibility in live events. I came across an article discussing how half of disabled consumers face access issues at live events, and it made me wonder: can artists play a part in helping their disabled fans attend their shows?

Access Issues at Live Events

Seeing this article prompted me to reflect on my privileges in performing and accessing spaces. If I am inviting people to my shows, should I be ensuring these spaces are accessible? Ideally, yes. As a disability-inclusive researcher, I see my personal and professional worlds merging. I hope that one day my brother can attend one of my shows, but this won’t happen unless I make an effort.

Everyone in my opinion should be able to enjoy music without access barriers. The responsibility of ensuring accessibility would presumably be responsible for the venue inviting audiences. However, artists can also contribute by promoting disability inclusivity through representation or charity gigs. While not all artists may take this stance, I believe most decent artists would help if asked by a listener with access needs.

Many festivals and events have accessibility procedures in place, and I’m not reinventing the wheel here. Instead, I want to highlight what can be done, no matter the size of the venue. Organisations like Attitude is Everything are doing great work in this space, from which I’ve learned a lot.

What can venues do to make their spaces more accessible?

1. Ensure websites, apps, and ticket purchasing methods are accessible (e.g., for screen readers, logical, and intuitive).
2. Advertise that the venue is inclusive for disabled people through social media and visible posters.
3. Train staff to treat disabled people with respect.
4. Provide accessible entrances and exits (e.g., ramps, lifts, handrails).
5. Ensure accessible performance areas (e.g., stages and reserved spaces).
6. Make food, drink, and merchandise areas accessible (e.g., lowered counters).
7. Provide accessible toilets.
8. Make reasonable adjustments to ensure all listeners can enjoy the performance.

What can artists do to help their fans attend their shows with accessibility requirements?

Artists can seek to understand the spaces accessibility procedures they perform in by asking what accessibility features a venue has in place. While this may start as an informal conversation via email about accessibility, it could be important to understand whether the show you are going to play is going to be accessible to you and your fans. It’s often seen as a management responsibility, but artists can also get involved if they wish.

I created a challenge to see whether what I’m saying makes sense?

Talking the talk is easy, but I wanted to test this for a charity gig I played to raise funds for Palestinian medical aid on May 18, 2024. Here’s my approach:

1. Connect with the promoter on Instagram.
2. Discuss the venue’s accessibility procedures and explain my reasons.
3. Share an Instagram story inviting those with access needs to message me privately.
4. Liaise with the promoter and venue to ensure accessibility for attendees.
5. Once accessibility is arranged, the venue takes over while I focus on performing.
6. Play the gig, raise funds, and hopefully make a positive impact.

Outcome

1. The promoter was friendly and open to discussion. Initially, they focused on wheelchair accessibility, but we expanded the conversation to include accessible toilets, entrances, and layouts.
2. The venue was not accessible for people with wheelchairs or sensory needs due to narrow doors and lack of accessible toilets.
3. I didn’t invite my disabled listeners to the gig.

Learnings

Was I wrong to play at a non-accessible venue? I don’t think so. This conversation might have been better before I signed up, but ideas develop over time, and we all start somewhere. As a smaller artist, I can’t always choose where I play, but I can ask about accessibility procedures, what they have in place, and communicate this to my listeners if I like. Integrity and small changes can make an impact, aligning with my values as a disability-inclusive researcher, artist, and carer.

For next time…

I have a headline show coming up in Southampton on the 16th of August 2024 and have already started to make some accessibility adjustments so my brother can watch my show digitally. More to come soon!

Tom

PS: I have used AI to help with the grammar and language of this post.