Arts and Accessibility, with LEGacy Circus Co-Creator, Vanessa Furlong

Accessibility Ally

Corrie sits down with Vanessa Furlong, who is an artist and mental health practitioner based in Halifax. She worked with Erin Ball to create LEGacy Circus, a contemporary arts duo combining the use of leg attachments, mobility aids, and traditional and non-traditional circus apparatuses. Vanessa and Erin created a great resource called Increasing Accessibility in movement-based practices. In this episode, Vanessa discusses experiences advocating for accessibility in live performance. She emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and collaboration to create a more inclusive environment. Corrie and Vanessa also discussed the pervasive nature of ableism in various contexts, including art and culture, and stressed the need for proactive accessibility, intersectionality, and inclusive policies to disrupt ableism.

This podcast is made possible by Sea Change CoLab. Sea Change CoLab supports leaders and teams across private, public, and impact-driven sectors to learn sustainable ways that spark meaningful change and create learning experiences that reflect the diversity of our world and have equitable systems and inclusive cultures where everyone belongs. Go to https://seachangecolab.com/ to learn more.

This podcast is hosted by Corrie Melanson, Learning Experience Designer, at Sea Change CoLab.

Produced by Podstarter.

Full transcript available here (https://accessibilityally.transistor.fm/s1/9/transcript)