Photo by Andy Abeyta
Today, the non-profit organization Accessible Festivals launched their Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant program, which provides a limited number of free access tickets to entertainment experiences including festivals, concerts and conventions for disabled music fans and their loved ones.
Accessible Festivals has partnered with some of the largest festivals in the country, taking a major step forward towards accessibility for all major events across the U.S., including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival, BottleRock Napa Valley, Rolling Loud NY, Stagecoach and Electric Daisy Carnival.
The Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program was conceived by Accessible Festivals’ founder, Austin Whitney, who was paralyzed from the waist down after he suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2007. After the crash, he was consumed and dejected with depression and anxiety about his new life living with a disability. Despite that, Whitney attended his first music festival, Coachella, just eight months later. For the first time since his injury, he was able to smile and enjoy life completely. After the experience, he realized the potential healing nature festivals hold in assisting individuals through some of the most difficult times. He devoted his life to ensuring people of all abilities can have equal opportunities to enjoy live music and recreational activities to the fullest extent possible. He now runs the ADA compliance consulting company Ten Fifty Entertainment along with operating Accessible Festivals.
The program was named after Dan Grover, one of the first Accessibility Consultants in the live music industry, who turned his passion for music into a profession by leading ADA compliance operations. Some of the lasting and major events he took part in include Electric Forest, LOCKN’, Life is Beautiful, Outside Lands, and many, many more. Gover helped thousands of disabled guests enjoy music and was a ferocious advocate for substantial growth in inclusion and accessibility. Sadly he passed away on July 27, 2022. He was a man who cared about nothing more than the people around him, and the program was designed to honor and keep the legacy of his passion for music, sharing joy and furthering progress alive.
Individuals impacted by temporary, newly acquired or lifelong disabilities are encouraged to apply for free access to their favorite events. So far in 2022, Accessible Festivals has distributed free admission to Bottlerock Napa Valley, Electric Daisy Carnival, Lollapalooza, Rolling Loud NY, Tortuga Music Festival and Stagecoach. The ticket grant program currently has two dozen events on the horizon for the fall that are accepting applications, including Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando, Made in America Festival, Firefly Festival and more.
All of the events participating in the Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant program have made a commitment to their disabled fans and have well-established ADA Compliance programs. Accessible Festivals plans to add more recreational events and festivals to their list for years to come.
Donate and learn more about Accessible Festivals’ Dan Grover Memorial Ticket Grant Program here. Keep up to date with their programs at their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and official website.
