A non-profit organization called Accessible Festivals has announced a new program to give free concert tickets to fans with disabilities. The Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program will provide tickets to major music festivals: including Austin City Limits, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lollapalooza, Rolling Loud New York, Stagecoach, and more.
The ticket program is led by Austin Whitney, founder of Accessible Festivals. The organization was inspired by his own experience attending concerts as a disabled person after a 2007 car accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.
“Ultimately my business life is all about working to improve festivals for people with disabilities and working promoters to reduce their liabilities and improve their businesses for all things ADA [Americans With Disabilities Act],” Whitney shared with Billboard. “At the end of the day, the mission of the company is very tied to a social purpose which is making helping people with disabilities find and attend music festivals which can be transformative events.”
The program takes its name from Dan Grover, an early accessibility consultant for the live music industry who led ADA compliance operations with live music events including Electric Forest, Outside Lands, Life Is Beautiful, and more. “Dan dealt with a lot of adversity in his life,” Whitney told Billboard. “One of his colleagues sent me an Excel sheet that he had, where he basically took notes on every concert he went to in his life. He would write down where it was, who the band was and what the venue was. And then his accessibility notes on it, going back to 1979. He absolutely fell in love with it and became an advocate for accessibility within the industry.”
Each participating festival has made accessibility a priority, with well-established ADA Compliance programs that are consistent with Accessible Festival recommendations. Individuals impacted by newly acquired, temporary, or lifelong disabilities are encouraged to apply for free access to their favorite festivals. For more information about the Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program, visit Accessible Festivals' website.
See social media posts related to the new ticket program below.
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Article Image: A disabled man in a wheelchair is carried by a crowd at a rock concert. (wideonet via DepositPhotos.)
