Lachi / RAMPD

Concert organizers and artists use accessibility riders such as those promoted by RAMPD to ensure venues provide accommodations like ramps, captions, and ASL interpretation as part of event planning.

ENABLE Model location

• Pre-launch Interventions → Set Requirements that Include Accessibility

What it is

RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) is a known advocacy platform founded by Lachi in 2021, promoting accessibility in the music and live entertainment industries.¹ People involved in organizing concerts and events utilize RAMPD's accessibility rider as a proactive tool to establish and integrate accessibility features from the earliest planning stages². This means that concert bookers download and implement this rider to ensure that venues adequately prepare and provide necessary accommodations. These include, for instance, adding physical ramps for mobility access, offering captions for visual content, and securing American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing, all before an event commences. This process allows organizers to define and embed accessibility as a fundamental requirement for performances, rather than an optional add-on.

Why it matters

This method is crucial because setting requirements early on is considered the first and most fundamental act of care within the ENABLE model. Without clearly defined expectations for accessibility, subsequent planning, design, and execution of events can proceed with ambiguity or neglect, leading to inaccessibility. By mandating inclusion through the RAMPD rider from the outset, this approach helps prevent exclusion from being inherent to the event's structure. This proactive intervention significantly reduces the burden on disabled attendees, who would otherwise be forced to seek out solutions or confront barriers if accessibility were only considered as an afterthought.

Real-world example

When concert bookers engage with RAMPD's accessibility rider, they receive specific instructions on how to ensure venues integrate essential features like ramps, captions, and ASL interpretation prior to a show. This action ensures that the event is prepared to welcome a diverse audience from the very beginning, demonstrating a commitment to pre-launch care.

What care sounds like

• "We must ensure our event space is usable by people who use mobility devices."
• "Let's make sure our event's definition of readiness includes accessibility standards for all attendees."
• "Our team is prioritizing clear guidelines for captioning and interpretation services for every performance."

What neglect sounds like

• "Accessibility for the concert isn't a required deliverable for this venue."
• "We'll think about adding accommodations later if we have time, but it's not in the initial plan."
• "It's not legally required for our type of event, so we haven't budgeted for it."

What compensation sounds like

• "I tried to use my screen reader to find accessible seating, but the website didn't provide that information, so I had to call someone at the venue for help."
• "I really wanted to see the performance, but since there were no captions or ASL interpreters, I just had to try to understand what was happening from the visuals, or rely on friends to explain."
• "I usually use a third-party app to get event details, but it couldn't provide accessibility info for this concert, so I had to guess if it would be accessible or not."
• "After multiple attempts to get the venue to add ramps, I had to consider not attending the show, or looking for an alternative event that advertised accessibility, even if it wasn't my first choice."

Footnotes

1. RAMPD ↩

2. 5 Ways The Music Industry Can Support Recording Artists And Music Professionals With Disabilities | Grammy Awards ↩