I am still reflecting on the Empower Arts Summit: Beyond Access: Reimagining the Stage Through Disability Leadership, which was held on June 1st, 2026, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, to mark National AccessAbility Week in Canada. The event was masterfully organized by Joël Dazé.
The aim of the summit was to challenge participants to move beyond minimum standards of accessibility and toward bold, disability led ways of creating, producing, and experiencing the performing arts.
Centering on voices, creativity, and leadership of disabled artists, cultural workers, and advocates, the summit recognized disability not as a limitation, but as a powerful source of innovation, artistic excellence, and leadership across the arts sector.
Our emcee for the day was Gift Tshuma, from Blurring The Boundaries.
I had the privilege to open the day with an ArtsAbly workshop on adapted and adaptive musical instruments, featuring a few instruments using vibrotactile technologies and digital instruments which audience members could try.
It was followed by a series of panels moderated by the fantastic Anna-Karina Tabuñar.
The first one was an artistic leadership panel with artistic directors of organizations in Ottawa on disability leadership and accessibility shaping the future of live performance and cultural events, today and in their visions of the future. I particularly enjoyed the visions and artistry of Rachel Weldon, Creative Director of Debaser, and Amelia Rose Griffin, Artistic Director of Propeller Dance. Petr Cancura, the Artistic Director of Ottawa Jazz Festival and Julian Armour, the Artistic Director of Music and Beyond, also shared their viewpoint.
I was part of the second panel representing the artists’ perspectives, with an incredible group of musicians: the pianist and composer Bruce Petherick, the pianist Xi Li, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Lucas Haneman, and the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter A.N. (Ado Nkemka). We discussed what it meant to be a disabled artist in our industry, and how to make venues and festivals more accessible.
We ended the panel with a surprise for the audience: an impromptu collaborative version of “Summertime.” It was the first time we were performing together; it was a success.
Before the closing conversation during which the audience members could share their options and ask questions to the panelists and artists, we were delighted by mini concerts by Lucas Haneman and Megan Laurence (The Blind And The Beautiful), A.N., and Bruce Petherick.
Also, thank you to the teams of ASL interpreters and visual describer.
What an incredible day!
Diane Kolin
June 3rd, 2026