The initiatives shaking up accessibility and inclusion in Australia’s music scene

Melbourne musician Philip Heuzenroeder founded Wild At Heart Community Arts almost two decades ago to break down barriers to art-making for people with disability.

Today, the organisation offers a broad program of activities to support artists to achieve their creative goals – from songwriting workshops, to artist mentoring, to programs where musicians can learn to DJ, or record and release music.

Wild at Heart is a thriving community of songwriters, singers, rappers and other musicians with disability – a safe haven in an industry that too often disregards access and inclusion issues.

Image: Young Wild at Heart artist, Edward. Supplied by Wild at Heart.

“Incredible underrepresentation” is a key issue

Philip says one of the key barriers to breaking into the music industry is “dominant ableism”. 

Just seven percent of practising musicians in Australia live with disability – a modest figure, given that 20 percent of the Australian population experience disability.

“Who's in the places that present publicly, that make decisions, that control resources, that set policy, all those things? I think there're very few people who have disabilities in any of those spaces,” says Philip.

“It’s incredible underrepresentation.”

Physical access remains a problem

Physical access issues remain a common barrier for musicians with disability. From stages and multilevel entrances that can only be accessed via stairs, to high bar counters without provision for wheelchairs, accessibility issues are commonplace.

Just this month one of Wild at Heart’s staff members attended an event about rethinking local music culture – only to discover upon arrival that the Melbourne-based event was “on the first floor, so they couldn’t get in”.

Philip says that oversight was indicative of a wider issue.

“Physical access is clearly only one dimension of access – but if you can't get that happening, you're not even getting people in the door, figuratively speaking as well,” he says.

Dina Bassile is the founder of Tibi Access, would like to see more organisations recognise a broad range of accessibility needs. 

Image source: NME.

“Many organisations still think of accessibility as just wheelchair access,” she says.

"Sensory needs, Deaf access, Blind and low vision access, neurodivergence, chronic illness, mental health, and intersectional needs – culture, class, gender, et cetera – are often overlooked."

Access information another common barrier

Harley Young is co-founder of Off the List records, a disability-led record label and event organising collective focused on empowering artists and music-lovers with disability.

Harley says his work in the local scene has highlighted a persistent lack of access information from venues.

“When we put on a show, we always work with the venue to develop clear access information and to make it available online,” Harley says.

Dina agrees that basic access information is often missing or inaccurate: “Things like step-free routes, toilets, quiet spaces, companion ticketing, or how to actually get support on the night.”

Finding confidence and community

Initiatives like Wild at Heart, Tibi Access, and Off the List are essential because they provide space for artists with disability “to be equals and to be at the centre of the creative process,” Philip says.

“When you find the starting point is a friendly, safe community where you can connect with people, that in itself is incredibly transformative.”

Inclusion-focused music organisations also help raise awareness of the need for all organisations to do better when it comes to accessibility and inclusion. 

Image source: Supplied by Wild at Heart.

For the love of music

Research from Creative Australia shows that nearly 70 percent of people with disability report that the arts have a “big” or “very big” impact on their happiness and wellbeing. Yet without accessible places to record and perform, many feel a career in music is out of reach.

Wild at Heart hopes to change that by supporting young artists like Edward – a neurodivergent music graduate aiming for a full-time career. With the support of Wild at Heart, Edward is releasing an album in 2026. 

Off the List is creating more opportunities for people with disability to engage in the arts, with an accessible show kicking off early next year. (Details and artists haven’t yet been announced, but Harley says he’s “pretty excited for the line up!”).

To change the industry’s tune, more is needed

While Off the List and Wild at Heart are making powerful progress in spotlighting inclusion and access in music, the broader industry is yet to put these topics centre stage.

“Accessibility is still treated as a ‘nice extra’ instead of core business,” Dina says. “Decisions are often made about people with lived experience without including us in planning, paid roles or leadership.”

Philip argues that policy and regulation need an overhaul, including clear rules that “it’s not good enough to have any inaccessible venue.”

He says increased support and funding are essential to help artists with disability achieve genuine equity – “to, in some way, get closer to equal.”

Not only that, Dina believes accessibility “benefits everyone” – and is part of doing good business.

“Accessibility isn’t a box to tick at the end; it’s a mindset and a process,” she says.

“If you budget for it, plan for it from day one, and listen to people with lived experience in paid decision-making roles, you not only remove barriers – you build safer, more welcoming spaces, sell more tickets, and create a culture people actually want to be part of.”