Today, August 30th, Accessible Festivals launched the Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program, which will provide a limited number of free access tickets to recreational experiences like concerts, festivals, and conventions for disabled music fans and their loved ones. Participating events include some of the largest festivals in the country including Austin City Limits Music Festival, BottleRock Napa Valley, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lollapalooza, Rolling Loud NY, Stagecoach, and more.
Accessible Festivals is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making music festivals and other events accessible for people with disabilities. The organization was founded by Austin Whitney, who was injured in a car accident that severed his spinal cord and paralyzed him from the waist down in 2007. Whitney experienced depression and anxiety as he adjusted to living with a disability, but his spirits were lifted when he attended his first music festival eight months later. From then on, music festivals became a source of joy that helped him get through the most difficult challenge of his life, which inspired him to devote his life to ensuring people of all abilities can have an equal opportunity to experience live music and recreational activities to the fullest extent possible.
Whitney’s work with Accessible Festivals has been highlighted by several major publications. Billboard included him on its 2021 “Billboard Change Agents” list, and Forbes featured the organization for their work with the first-ever sensory-friendly music festival, Inclusion Festival.
The Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program gets its name and inspiration from accessibility advocate Dan Grover, who was one of the first Accessibility Consultants in the live music industry. He led ADA Compliance operations on many of the nation’s largest shows including Electric Forest, LOCKN’, Life Is Beautiful, Outside Lands, and many more.
Individuals impacted by newly acquired, temporary, or lifelong disabilities are encouraged to apply for free access to their favorite events. So far this year, Accessible Festivals has distributed complimentary admission to events including Bottlerock Napa Valley, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lollapalooza, Rolling Loud NY, Stagecoach, and Tortuga Music Festival. Accessible Festival’s Ticket Grant Program is currently accepting applications for complimentary admission to two dozen events this fall, including Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando, Firefly Festival, Made in America Festival, Rolling Loud NY, and many more.
All participating festivals have made a commitment to their disabled fans and have well established ADA Compliance programs. Accessible Festivals plans to add many more festivals and other recreational events to their list. With support from Live For Live Music, Accessible Festivals aims to expand live event access for all across the U.S. for years to come.
Click here to learn more and apply for Accessible Festivals’ Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program.