Nonprofit organization Accessible Festivals has been working for years to make festivals and events more accessible for disabled music fans, and even hosts its own Inclusion Festival every year. The organization today announced the launch of its new Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program, which will provide a limited number of free access tickets for disabled fans and their friends and family to recreational events including concerts, festivals, and conventions.
Among the events partnering with Accessible Festivals on this initiative are major US festivals such as Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, Electric Daisy Carnival, Rolling Loud NY, Stagecoach, and Bottlerock Napa Valley. The organization also notes that participating festivals have well-established ADA Compliance programs to ensure that fans with disabilities are able to enjoy the event to the fullest once actually onsite.
The grant program is named for Dan Grover, who was one of the first Accessibility Consultants in the live music industry. He advocated for greater inclusion in the industry and worked to improve ADA Compliance for large US festivals including Electric Forest and Outside Lands.
“Dan Grover was truly one of the great ones in the live music industry,” says Austin Whitney, founder of Accessible Festivals. “He dedicated his life to improving accessibility in the industry and did it all with a kind attitude. This grant allows his legacy to continue and for that I’m grateful. We can’t wait for more people with disabilities to apply for our ticket grants to America’s greatest festivals.
“This all wouldn’t be possible without our industry partners who have graciously donated tickets to their events and made a commitment to inclusion. We have no doubt that this program has the ability to change lives and we’re grateful that we get to help facilitate this.”
Individuals with disabilities can apply for the grant program at https://accessiblefestivals.org/ticketing. There are currently two dozen events coming up in the fall that are currently accepting applications, and Accessible Festivals plans to partner with more events and festivals in the future as it continues to expand access to live events and entertainment across the country.