Concerts & Accessibility

My name is Rebecca, and I’m going to tell you a little bit of what it is like living with a progressive illness as well as how I cope with it.

When I was two, my mother had realized I was different; So they had me tested for different disorders. At first they thought I had turrets, only because I was shaking A LOT. After various tests, I was diagnosed at eight with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a form of Muscular Dystrophy. According to the online dictionary when you search for it,

“Friedreich's Ataxia is an autosomal recessive inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system. It manifests in initial symptoms of poor coordination such as gait disturbance; it can also lead to scoliosis, heart disease and diabetes, but does not affect cognitive function.”

I really love music. ALL kinds!

I also really love going to shows, but that can be hard when you’re confined to a wheelchair. Handicap accessible venues for said shows are tricky to come by, but when I find them, I feel like I got the golden ticket.

Concerts are cool, but what’s even cooler, is being somewhere where almost everyone cares about your existence. See, for me, it was all about building a reputation around the city in which I reside; Richmond, Virginia.

I am still hard at work perfecting that, but I’ve done a pretty decent job so far.

Richmond is a fairly old city, so loads of places are not ADA, seeing as they were built before the bill was passed. And that’s something I NEED to change.

I don’t think it’s fair for me to not be able to go see my friend’s band play because the venue is not accessible. I am a human, and people that don’t agree with the fact that inaccessibility is an issue, are discriminating against the disabled; Ableist.

You’re being ableist.

Live music is a universal and therapeutic experience for almost everyone.

I deserve to have the opportunity to also enjoy it.

Thank you.