In the inaugural episode of The Accessible Travel Talk Show, John Morris discusses accessibility at music concerts and festivals with Emma Muldoon, Founder of the UK’s leading disability & travel blog, SimplyEmma.co.uk. Emma has attended nearly 100 different gigs as a wheelchair user and offers a wealth of insight from her experiences, as well as recommendations that concert organizers can use to make their events accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.
Live music should be accessible to all
Emma Muldoon has Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, but she is still living life to the fullest — and she rocks out regularly at music gigs and festivals in the United Kingdom. Of live music, she says:
Live music is for everybody. It should be for everyone. And so, yeah, it should be accessible for everyone.
In this episode, Emma shares several stories about gigs she has attended, drawing from her many positive experiences, as well as from a few that were not so great.
She says that the most accessible gigs provide for the following:
- An easy way to book tickets online, without having to call.
- Information about the venue’s accessible features, including parking, bathrooms, wheelchair seating or platforms, pathways through the venue grounds, and concessions.
- Accessible toilet facilities with an adult changing table and hoist.
- Knowledgeable staff to assist concert goers with questions about accessible facilities and services.
- Level entry and accessible pathways, so that wheelchair don’t have to drive on grass or other terrain.
- Adequate accessible seating and viewing platforms that enable disabled people to enjoy the same experience as non-disabled fans.
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The Accessible Travel Talk Show is distributed via this website, and can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.
Podcast Transcript and other resources
Complete transcripts are available on Google Docs and via a downloadable PDF document.
Links to resources mentioned in this podcast can be found in the show notes at the bottom of this article.
Please direct any feedback to mailbag@wheelchairtravel.org.
The Accessible Travel Talk Show is a project of Wheelchair Travel.
Show Notes
- 12:25 Read Emma's full report from the Fusion Festival.
- 13:35 Read about adult changing tables in U.S. airports.
- 15:02 See photos of a Mobiloo on Emma's blog, which she used at Stirling Castle in Scotland.
- 22:13 Read Emma's full report from Glasgow Summer Sessions.
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I like what you guys are up to. Keep up the terrific work!