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ArtsAbly's Bulletin
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Dear followers, dear friends,
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After three months of break in our activities, we are back with more news, articles and podcast episodes, featuring artists with disabilities and advocating for more access to the arts for all.
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This newsletter gives you a preview of what happened in the last few weeks and what is to come. Enjoy some articles about recent participation to Canadian events.
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We just released a new episode of our podcast "ArtsAbly in Conversation." We are currently preparing a special series on archival conversations. More information will be given in the next newsletter. Since we are entering summertime, the episodes will be posted less frequently than in the past, but I promise that they will be as interesting!
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Podcast
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"ArtsAbly in Conversation" is the name of our podcast. It is available:
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- on YouTube in video format with transcripts and closed captions
- on our website in audio format with transcript and captions
- on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and other streaming platforms such as Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and Deezer.
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Episode 56: ArtsAbly in Conversation with Winnie Luk
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In Episode 56 of “ArtsAbly in Conversation,” Diane Kolin interviewed Winnie Luk, the Executive Director of the Disability Screen Office. The episode has been published last week. The companion page contains an incredibly rich amount of information, which will be very useful for people who want to know more about disability in the film industry.
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Article: "Roy Thomson Hall: the choir loft becomes accessible 44 years after the opening"
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Roy Thomson Hall (own by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall) is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and a major venue for large semi-professional or professional ensembles, orchestras and choirs. It opened in 1982. Renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman served as a special advisor to the architects during the design phase to ensure that the venue was fully accessible to disabled performers and patrons at all levels.
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However, the choir loft, located on a balcony above the orchestra, was left aside. Choristers access the choir loft either by climbing stairs from the backstage or from the audience lobby by going down three steps. So, since 1982, no performers using mobility devices were able to perform with their choir. Until now!
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Report: "Empower Arts Summit 2026 – Beyond Access: Reimagining the Stage Through Disability Leadership"
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The Empower Arts Summit: Beyond Access: Reimagining the Stage Through Disability Leadership, was held on June 1st, 2026, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, to mark National AccessAbility Week in Canada. 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.
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The day opened 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.
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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, the second one an artists' perspectives panel with artists with disabilities from different parts of Canada.
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Workshop: Bach Children’s Chorus – Accessibility in the performing arts
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On June 19, the board members of Bach Children's Chorus worked together to discuss accessibility improvements in their organization, during the accessibility in the performing arts in a workshop delivered on June 19 in Toronto.
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Interested in a Professional Development or a Workshop? Look at our dedicated page or contact us. All our workshops and PDs are available in English and in French.
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New website page: Online resources
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This page gives links to free resources about accessibility laws and regulations, physical accessibility, and digital accessibility. Some resources offer guidance for measurements and considerations for accessibility planning. Some documents give accessibility legislation across the globe, some are issued in Canada but can still be used outside the country. We will enrich this page with new sections in the future.
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Support us
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Thanks to our generous supporters, our activities work well. Even small donations count. Clicking on the "Support us" menu will lead you to options to support us: buy us a coffee on Ko-fi or make a donation via PayPal. Don't hesitate to share it with others. Thanks you!
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