News and initiatives
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Call for Papers (CfP) – Music and Collective Access Symposium 2026
We are delighted to announce the Call for Papers for the Music and Collective Access Symposium. Organizers: Anabel Maler (UBC), Stefan Sunandan Honisch (UBC), Diane Kolin (ArtsAbly) When: February 27 & 28, 2026 Where: Call for Papers: Dear all, We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming Music and Collective Access Symposium, which will take place from Friday, February 27 to Saturday, February 28, 2026, in Vancouver BC, Canada, hosted by St. John’s College at the University of British Columbia. This hybrid (in-person and online, synchronous) conference is a collaborative undertaking between ArtsAbly, a not-for-profit organization working with performers and schools to make the arts more accessible to all, faculty members at UBC, and Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture, a…
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The 2025 DIScover Conference organized by The Disability Collective
On October 9 and 10, 2025, The Disability Collective held the DIScover Conference, a two-day leadership event bringing together arts professionals, accessibility advocates, and community members to focus on advancing accessibility and disability inclusion in the arts. It was a fantastic event, coordinated and moderated by Emily Maxwell, Nathan Satore, Ali Hand and members of The Disability Collective team. All the arts trade were represented including funding, administration, communication, castings, community gatherings, and more. Discussions about buildings and stages accessibility, relaxed performances, ASL performances, identity, interpretations, inclusion, collaborations, and artistic practices filled the Daniel Spectrum building in Toronto. Each presentation…
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Julie Sawchuk’s Toilet Tuesday Webinar
When we assess cultural spaces we always talk about the importance of accessible toilets. When someone using a mobility device can enter the building but not access the toilets, the venues is not accessible. This issue can be solved by working with good professionals who can advice you on improvements. […]
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RAINBOW ON MARS in Toronto, August 9-20, 2025
Thank you to RAINBOW ON MARS for this exclusive opportunity for ArtsAbly’s audience! Creator Devon Healey and Outside the March invite you on an odyssey into the mystery and splendour of Blindness in this world premiere presented in co-production with The National Ballet of Canada and Peripheral Theatre, August 9 – 20, 2025. RAINBOW ON MARS collides dance and theatre in a “Pan’s Labyrinth”-meets-”The Matrix” love story. Inspired by Healey’s own journey into Blindness, it follows a young woman hurled into an upside-down world of fabulists, fabricators and fatalists as she discovers it’s not just her vision that isn’t what…
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Interview – Resources provided by Riccardo Baldini
As part of the podcast series, “ArtsAbly in Conversation,” Diane Kolin interviewed Riccardo Baldini, a pianist, innovator, and entrepreneur living in Edmonton in Canada. Listen to Riccardo Baldini’s interview This post presents the resources that Riccardo Baldini mentioned during the conversation. Riccardo Baldini Riccardo Baldini is a pianist, innovator, and entrepreneur pioneering accessibility in music with Resonate Adaptive, a mouth-operated damper pedal system that enables pianists without lower limb function to fully control the instrument. Prior to his injury, Riccardo trained as a classical pianist and holds a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the G. Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro…
