I went to concerts occasionally in elementary school and middle school, but did not start really going to them consistently until 2015. There definitely was a lot of hesitation and still is. I never knew what I was getting into. With limited info on venue websites, I never knew if I was gonna be able to get inside when I showed up.

I was born with a birth defect called spina bifida. There are a few different forms of it and I have the most severe form, spina bifida myelomeningocele, which has caused me to be completely paralyzed from the waist down. I also have mild scoliosis. It can make going to concerts incredibly difficult at times. The biggest issues for me are being able to even get inside the venue and then being able to see the stage. I am also quite short, due to my disability and the fact that I’m sitting, so if I am not right at barricade, or if the venue doesn’t have a good ADA section that is raised, I can’t see a thing.

Honestly, not really. I see a lot more people discussing the topic but no changes being made. The same venues that have always been great about it are still great, and the ones that have always been bad about it are still just as bad. Some of the most accessible venues are still so filled with ableism and just general rudeness and disrespect from staff towards the disabled community.

I have never necessarily felt discouraged from going to shows altogether because I have a disability, but there are multiple venues I avoid altogether due to the lack of accessibility. If I cannot find accessibility information online or cannot get in contact with the venue, I just won’t go, because I don’t want to chance showing up and not being able to get in.

Both submitting venues and looking up venues has been real easy and simple. I absolutely love the amount of specific information on venues. There are a lot of simple things people don’t think about when it comes to accessibility, like bathrooms or seating at venues that are normally standing room only. It’s really good to know ahead of time exactly what I am going to be dealing with.

My best experience with accessibility has been at Bottom Lounge in Chicago. I can’t really pinpoint one experience that was the best, because every single time I go to this venue the experience is perfect. The staff always go out of their way to make sure everyone is safe and okay, and though they don’t have a designated ADA section, in my experience, they will help accommodate in any way they can.

My worst experiences are always rude staff members who don’t even want to deal with people with disabilities or just see us as burdens or extra work. I have had staff members act upset because they had to take a few extra seconds so I could use the elevator at a venue or treat me as nothing more than “the wheelchair,” which is super bothersome. I have come to just avoid those venues altogether now, even if the building itself is completely accessible.

Listen to us. We are the experts on our own conditions and what we need. Also, be willing to make changes and not just have the attitude that this is how it’s always been. Remember that we are just as much people and paying customers as any other fan and deserve the same amount of respect. We aren’t asking for special treatment, just equal treatment.

Just don’t be afraid to speak up and fight for the accommodations you need. Disabled fans have just as much of a right to access a show and have a good time as abled fans, and it’s okay to ask for those things.

I have been obsessed with Sharptooth recently, as well as Point North and Holding Absence.

Real Friends, Assuming We Survive, Movements, Belmont, and Point North.