4/3 #CripTheStage Twitter Chat

Please join disabled artists Gaelynn Lea and Kalyn Heffernan and Alice Wong of the Disability Visibility Project for a conversation on accessibility and disabled performers on April 3, 2019, 3 pm Pacific. All people are welcome to participate especially disabled performers such as poets, comedians, musicians, artists, and writers. We will talk about how venues and events can serve both disabled performers and audiences better.

About

On March 3, 2016, Gaelynn Lea was named the winner of NPR Music’s second-ever Tiny Desk Contest. The video entry of her original song “Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun” rose to the top of over 6,100 submissions from around the nation, chosen as the unanimous favorite among the contest’s six judges. The very next week, Gaelynn performed a moving Tiny Desk Concert, at which the show’s host Bob Boilen said “there was hardly a dry eye.”

Gaelynn Lea’s musical reach has expanded significantly because of the Tiny Desk Contest. She began touring nationally in September 2016 with her husband Paul in their 2002 Ford Econline – and they’ve been on the road ever since! View her tour schedule here.

Gaelynn also does speaking engagements about disability, finding inner freedom, and the power of music. Gaelynn has a congenital disability called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or Brittle Bones Disease. In recent years, she has used her music as a platform to advocate for people with disabilities and to promote positive social change.

Website: https://violinscratches.com/

Twitter: @GaelynnLea

 

Kalyn Rose Heffernan is leading Denver’s first disabled artist & activist campaign for the Denver’s mayor seat 2019. ​

Kalyn was born and raised in the Denver metro area where she has been advocating for herself and other marginalized, vulnerable communities most of her life.  Kalyn fronts the internationally acclaimed band Wheelchair Sports Camp and represents the DIY (Do It Yourself) arts scene in the city and across the country.  Kalyn is an activist educator working with underserved youth who is well known for fighting for access, health care, and calling out politicians who protect capital interests over humans.

Website: https://www.kalyn4mayor.com/

Twitter: @wcsportscamp

 

How to Participate

Follow @GaelynnLea @wcsportscamp @DisVisibility. When it’s time for the chat, search #CripTheStage hashtag on Twitter for the series of live tweets under the ‘Latest’ tab for the full conversation.

If you might be overwhelmed by the amount of tweets and only want to see the chat’s questions so you can respond to them, check @DisVisibility’s account. The questions will be Tweeted 5-6 minutes apart.

Another way to participate in the chat is to use this app that allows you to pause the chat if the Tweets are coming at you too fast: http://www.tchat.io/

Here’s an article about how to participate in a Twitter chat: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/how-to-participate-in-a-twitter-chat/546805/

Check out this captioned ASL explanation of how to participate in a chat by @behearddc https://www.facebook.com/HEARDDC/videos/1181213075257528/

Introductory Tweets and Chat Questions

Welcome to the #CripTheStage chat hosted by @GaelynnLea @wcsportscamp and @DisVisibility! Everyone is invited to participate, especially disabled performers such as  poets, comedians, musicians, artists, and writers.

Remember to use the #CripTheStage hashtag when you tweet. If you respond to a question such as Q1, your tweet should follow this format: “A1 [your message] #CripTheStage”

Please note: The questions 2-4 are directed to disabled performers and the remaining are open to everyone. #CripTheStage

Q1: Please introduce yourself and what brought you to today’s #CripTheStage chat. If you are willing, share anything about your life or work. Feel free to include links about yourself.

Q2: As disabled performers, please share your experiences touring or performing at various venues and events such as festivals and conferences. What kinds of access do you require and what is your process communicating and negotiating for them?

Q3 For disabled performers: What are some of the most accessible and inaccessible places you’ve performed at? What systemic and cultural changes are needed?

Q4 As a disabled performer, how often do you feel like you must be creating art specifically about the disabled experience? How do you navigate your multiple identities as an artist?

Q5 What are some of your experiences attending a live performance at a venue such as a theatre, night club, or cafe? #CripTheStage

Q6  How can venues and events be more hospitable & inclusive? What improvements would you like to see in various venues that can serve disabled customers better (examples: programming, information about access, buying tickets, seating)? #CripTheStage

Q7 What sort of representation have you seen in the Performing / Creative Arts as a disabled person so far? What would you like to see in the future? #CripTheStage

Q8 Access isn’t just about an accommodation, it’s an attitude and culture. What kinds of changes would you like to see in the entertainment industry (that is, staff, management, organizations) that will build a culture of access? #CripTheStage?  

This concludes our #CripTheStage chat! Thank you to everyone for joining us today especially co-hosts @GaelynnLea @wcsportscamp. Keep the conversation going. A recap of this chat will be up shortly.