Introducing Half Access: Making Live Music Accessible
Live music is magical — It should be experienced by everyone. No matter one’s favorite genre or band, a concert allows one to be swept into the emotions of melodies and lyrics. As a beautiful form of escape, a concert can transport an entire crowd of people into a whole new world for a few hours.
For music fans living with disabilities, it can be a daunting task to go to a live concert. According to Attitude is Everything (AIE), only 44% of music venues include handicapped accessible paths, entrances, and restrooms. There are 1 billion people living with disabilities all over the world, and yet they are still fighting for the chance to experience life equally. These numbers have made going to concerts look stressful, dangerous, and discriminatory.
Cassie Wilson, founder of Half Access, is on a mission to change this. Born with a form of dwarfism that impeded her bone growth, Wilson has the dream of making live music safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
“I started Half Access as a productive outlet to address inaccessibility in music,” Wilson said. “After regularly attending shows for a few years, I got tired of being unsafe just to have a view. A lot of venues just aren’t doing their part when it comes to accessibility.”
Half Access was founded in 2017 and officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2018. The alternative/rock community has supported Wilson’s mission with open arms. Sub City, the non-profit organization tied to Hopeless Records, awarded Wilson with the very first Sub City grant live at the Alternative Press Music Awards. This $10,000 grant allowed the organization to achieve their non-profit status and raise more awareness for their cause. Notable bands such as La Dispute and Gouge Away work closely with their booking agents and Wilson to make sure that they are performing in accessible venues.
“The world can be hostile, and more so to some than others, but I truly believe that art and the community it creates can be a refuge for everyone,” the members of La Dispute said in an interview. “We don’t often enough talk about physical barriers but we need to for this to be what it can and should be.”
Most impressively, Wilson and her friends have worked together to build a worldwide database of venues and their accessibility information.
“Our website has a database of detailed venue accessibility information on venues across the US and beyond,” Wilson said. “Our database alleviates the stress of trying to figure out if you can access a venue before you even buy a ticket to a show.”
The site includes information on everything from parking, to the different types of accessible entrances available at venues all throughout the world. This resource is not only helping music fans, but educating venues on how to best help attendees living with disabilities.
Blaine Peters, general manager of the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, tries to make the concert-going experience safe and enjoyable for everyone.
“What we do is about 10 minutes before doors, we send our security out to the front. Obviously, there are certain folks you can tell, but we also make a call for anyone with ADA needs,” Peters told OPBMusic. “This is the only place I’ve ever seen this.”
“Most people are surprised that the world is still this inaccessible,” Wilson said. “They assume that because the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 exists, that all is fine. Unfortunately, most venues were built before then, haven’t changed, and claim they cannot afford to become more accessible, so they get around it.”
While the pace has been slow, progress is being made by Half Access and other larger companies. Ticketmaster is teaming up with venues to allow disabled music fans to submit and store their information online for better ticket-buying experiences. Fellow members of the music industry are also raising their voices with the desire to create change. Sean Gray, creator of the website Is This Venue Accessible? hopes to spark more conversations like this within the able-bodied community.
“I’d rather an able-bodied person fail at talking about disability than not talk about it at all,” Gray said to Hopes&Fears. What I think the next step, and what I hope, is when we have another conversation like this, we can bring in somebody who’s able-bodied, because having allies in the able-bodied community is important.”
As this conversation continues to grow, Cassie and her team are continuing to build Half Access and give more opportunities to volunteer and raise awareness.
“The greatest reward is getting more disabled folks out to shows — a place where everyone should feel like they belong.”
To learn more about Half Access and how to get involved, visit their website or make a donation.
