Accessible Festivals, a non-profit organization focused on creating safe, inclusive, and equitable experiences in the live music and events space for individuals with disabilities, has introduced a new grant program that will provide free tickets to over two dozen activities this fall and beyond.
The Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program offers disabled music fans and their loved ones complimentary access to events like concerts, festivals, and conventions while supplies last. Grant recipients include any individual impacted by newly acquired, temporary, or lifelong disabilities, with applications available here.
Accessible Festivals already began the process of distributing free tickets earlier this year at festivals like Bottlerock Napa Valley, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lollapalooza, and Stagecoach. Now, with the program’s official title announced, a fresh set of two dozen events have been opened for applications including Firefly, Made in America, Rolling Loud New York, and more. All available offerings are confirmed to have ADA Compliance programs.
The grant’s namesake, Dan Grover, served as one of the first Accessibility Consultants in the live music industry. During his tenure, Grover ensured ADA Compliance operations for events like Electric Forest, Lockn’, Life is Beautiful, and Outside Lands. He also founded SeeTheShow Consulting, which he ran for over two decades, and advised festivals from first-hand experience as a disabled music fan on everything from seating to hospitality to camping. Grover passed away on July 27th, 2022.
Accessible Festivals aims to carry the torch for Grover with its grant program. Austin Whitney, the organization’s founder, was first inspired by a trip to Coachella in 2007, eight months after a car accident severed his spinal cord and left him paralyzed him from the waist down. While the group has worked within the industry to improve the live experience for disabled music fans, it also launched Inclusion Festival in July, which stands as the first sensory-friendly music festival.