Disabled Concertgoers Say Live-Music Venues Still Fall Short of Equal Access

Views 9 Published by November 1, 2026

Disabled fans and advocates say concert access remains inconsistent despite the Americans With Disabilities Act, signed into law in 1990, Rolling Stone reported on November 1, 2026.

The Americans With Disabilities Act, signed into law in 1990, has spurred progress in accessibility at concerts, but disabled fans and advocates say equal access remains inconsistent. Title III of the law requires public-facing businesses, including concert venues and music festivals, to provide disabled patrons with equal access to ‘goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and accommodations.’

According to the most recent CDC data, from 2024, nearly 70 million American adults, or about one in four, live with a disability. The ADA regulations for temporary events, including outdoor concerts and festivals, were last updated in 2010 and set only minimum technical requirements. Advocates say these baseline requirements have become inadequate.

Jim LeBrecht, a Bay Area filmmaker and wheelchair user who co-directed the 2020 documentary Crip Camp, said: ‘Whenever I hear that a venue is ADA compliant, my antennae go up.’

In 2019, Amy Fink, who uses a wheelchair, noticed that indicating she needed accessible seating for a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado raised the price of a general admission ticket by $40. She later filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ determined that Red Rocks overcharged 1,817 accessible tickets across 178 events between 2018 and 2020. The settlement resulted in refunds totaling $47,950.90 to disabled fans who were overcharged.

Red Rocks has roughly 9,500 seats, of which 121 are wheelchair-accessible at each show. The venue now requires all accessible seats to be sold at the lowest ticket price. Venue director Tad Bowman said the change had an unintended consequence: some non-disabled fans have bought accessible tickets to get front-row seats at a lower price. Venues are legally prohibited from requiring proof of disability, he said.

Disabled musicians also face barriers. Erik Howk, a guitarist for Portugal. The Man who uses a wheelchair, said he could not visit the green room at the Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg during the band’s 2018 show because it was accessible only by a spiral staircase. When the band returned in 2023, the green room had been updated to be wheelchair accessible.