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

The Registry Theatre
April 24-25, 2026

As part of their Access Action Plan, The Registry Theatre, together with partners Unwrap Theatre and Listen Up!, developed Hearing Hacks and The Sound Within, a two-day 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 experience as a musician and music teacher with hearing loss, along with the research that led her to establish Listen Up!. Audiologist Stefan Wasowitz presented information about current hearing-aid technology, while sound engineer Cameron Slipp demonstrated assistive listening tools, including in-ear monitor technology that audience members could experience firsthand. For some participants with hearing loss, the workshop introduced new information and possibilities for engaging with live music.

The Sound Within brought these ideas into a live performance setting. Michele presented a piano recital incorporating storytelling, projected images, song and dance to illustrate her journey with hearing loss. The evening also included performances by a quartet of local musicians and four members of Grand River Opera. Audience members and musicians experimented with adjustable wireless headset monitors that blended amplified sound with the live music in the room.

Both events were bookended by live music and included receptions where artists, presenters and audience members could continue the conversation. The weekend supported the advocacy work of Listen Up!, created opportunities for musicians and audiences to learn through direct experience, and led to a potential connection with a University of Waterloo elder-care project that includes a focus on hearing.

Through this project, The Registry Theatre, Unwrap Theatre and Listen Up! translated learning from The Access Playbook into a practical community initiative. The series increased awareness of hearing accessibility, fostered dialogue among artists and audiences, and explored how emerging technologies could contribute to more inclusive music presentation.

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
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