On May 29th, the non-profit Half-Access, an organization geared towards making live music accessible for those with disabilities, announced their first ever Access Live fundraiser, which will take place on July 14th, and feature musicians performing live via Facebook and Instagram in order to raise awareness for H/A.

Half-Access is based out of Portland, OR and fights ableism in live music by pushing access for all, particularly during music-related events. The Half-Access website features a crowd-sourced database of the accessibility details of music venues across the country- that means the information comes from actual attendees of the venues, some of them disabled themselves, making for reliable, up-to-date, and accurate reports. With more than 200 venues already on file, the website has proven itself to be an invaluable resource to those who face certain challenges when going to shows, such as navigating stairs, standing in line, and being able to see through a crowd.

So far, confirmed performers for the event include saltlick, Narrative, and dobak (who you can follow here, here, and here on Facebook and Twitter) with many more artists to come. If you want to be a part of Access Live, reach out to Half-Access at contact@halfaccess.org to see how you can get involved and perform for a cause. If you’re not someone who plays music, visit the website at www.halfaccess.org to see if you can catalog any venues near you, and find other ways that you can help make live music accessible to all.

Follow Cassie and her efforts to bring equality to music on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!