Cultural Events as a Catalyst
Building Canada’s Largest Community-Led Study on Festival Accessibility
Can festivals help reduce ableism?
Public cultural events have the power to shape how people connect. But they can also unintentionally reinforce exclusion. Through this national research initiative, we’re studying how festivals either perpetuate or dismantle barriers to disability inclusion. By collecting real-world experiences from festival-goers across Canada, we’re building evidence to better understand what creates genuinely welcoming, accessible, and inclusive events.
Our Research
We’re collecting experiences from festivals across Canada to understand how public cultural events influence disability inclusion.
These experiences help us identify the practices that reduce barriers, challenge ableism, and create more inclusive public spaces.
Our Approach
This is a multi-year, community-informed research initiative. Our research explores topics including:
- Accessibility information and planning
- Ticketing and support person policies
- Physical accessibility and on-site services
- Staff interactions and performance accessibility
- Attitudes, belonging, and overall visitor experience
Contribute Your Experience
Have you attended a festival recently?
Complete our short survey to share your experience. Every response helps build a growing body of evidence that will inform future accessibility standards, event planning, and disability inclusion across Canada’s cultural sector.
Research Team
Maayan Ziv
Founder & CEO, AccessNow
Alexa Fernando
Social Strategy, AccessNow
Talia Ziv
Field Research, AccessNow
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