Creative Connector Updated on Jun 24, 2026 4 min read

Access Playbook in Action

Accessibility is not a one-time checklist. It is an ongoing practice of listening, planning, resourcing, and relationship-building.

Through The Access Playbook, participating organizations are applying what they have learned in ways that reflect their own communities. Some are developing new workshops and partnerships with artists with disabilities. Others are improving communication, budgeting, venue access, audience engagement, or internal planning.

Together, these actions help create more opportunities for Deaf artists and artists with disabilities to be presented, supported, and valued within Canada’s performing arts sector.

This page documents some of the projects, workshops, performances, and organizational changes emerging from this work!

Action Plans in Practice

Registry Theatre: Sound Within Workshop
April 24-25, 2026

As part of their Access Action Plan, Sam Varteniuk and the team at Registry Theatre developed Hearing Hacks and The Sound Within, a workshop and performance series exploring the experiences of musicians and audiences with hearing loss.

Hearing Hacks featured musician and educator Michele Wilmot, who shared her personal journey with hearing loss and the work that led to the creation of Listen Up!. The event also included presentations by audiologist Stefan Wasowitz and sound engineer Cameron Slipp, who demonstrated assistive listening technologies and invited audience members to experience them firsthand.

The Sound Within combined live music, storytelling, dance, and visual elements to explore Michele's relationship with hearing loss. Audience members were able to experiment with wireless headset technology that enhanced their listening experience and highlighted emerging possibilities for accessible music presentation.

Through this project, Regent Theatre translated learning from The Access Playbook into a practical community initiative that increased awareness of hearing accessibility, fostered dialogue, and explored innovative approaches to making music experiences more inclusive for artists and audiences alike.

Impact areas:

Artist and community engagement
Accessible program development
Audience development
Learning through practice
Building organizational confidence around access

Hearing Hacks and The Sound Within Workshps

Skeleton Park Arts Festival: InterComplementary Journeys
June 20-21, 2026

Following their participation in The Access Playbook, Greg Tilson and the Skeleton Park Arts Festival implemented several initiatives aimed at increasing disability representation and accessibility within the festival.

A key outcome was the presentation of InterComplementary Journeys, a disability-led performance by Erin Ball and Maxime Beauregard. The work brought disability arts into a community festival setting, creating an opportunity for local audiences to experience professional artistic work by Deaf and Disabled artists.

The festival's commitment extended beyond programming. Greg commissioned Erin and Maxime to write an article for The Skeleton Press, providing a platform for the artists to share insights into their creative practice and experiences as disabled artists. The festival also partnered with H'art Centre to provide accessibility and disability awareness training for volunteers, helping strengthen the festival's capacity to welcome and support a broader range of participants. In collaboration with the City of Kingston, Skeleton Park Arts Festival also introduced Mental Health Wellness Tents, creating dedicated spaces for rest, regulation, and support during the event.

Together, these initiatives reflect one of the central goals of The Access Playbook: helping presenters build meaningful relationships with Deaf and Disabled artists while embedding accessibility into programming, operations, and audience experience. Through artistic presentation, community partnerships, volunteer training, and accessibility initiatives, Skeleton Park Arts Festival demonstrated how disability arts and inclusive practices can be integrated into community cultural events in meaningful and sustainable ways.

Impact Areas