Deaf and Disabled People in the Live Music Industry

How are we hosting our public?

Tiago Fortuna by Pedro Ruela Berga and Miguel David
Ana Carvalho
Gideon Feldman

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Chaired by Tiago Fortuna (Portugal), Access Lab;

with Ana Carvalho (Portugal), Access Lab;
Gideon Feldman (UK), Attitude is Everything


Portugal has over a million deaf and disabled people. However, the live music sector does not support people with disabilities: there is a significant lack of communication, ticketing systems, staff training and programming with sign language or audio description. This has created a landscape where deaf and disabled people feel discriminated against and don’t come back to events. In contrast, the UK live music sector has consistently built up support for deaf and disabled people over the last 20 years; in 2018, Attitude is Everything reported 3.3 million deaf and disabled attendees at live music events.

This conference session will explore the work being done in the UK and Portugal to promote inclusion in the music industry. Ask questions and create solutions for a better, more democratic and inclusive music sector.
The panel will have specialists in accessibility over Portugal and UK.