This article appears in the 2025 Spring issue of Protocol Magazine.
As a User Experience (or UX) Designer, people have always been at the core of my work. How we interact with media, the psychology behind how we understand and digest information, and how we work, create, and improve our lives through technology and innovation. The process and research are incredibly fascinating to me, yes, but I’m also personally fulfilled by the work I do. Engaging and interacting with a wide variety of people and perspectives has given me a deep understanding of others and an empathy for their needs and experiences.
As an artist, my focus is an extension of this—on the people that create the art. I see what they create, what moves them, and what inspires them through the lens of their art. It expresses both ideas and perseverance, success and tragedy. When we experience art, in any medium, we’re viewing the culmination of an artist’s human experience conveyed through their work. It’s a lens influenced by their unique perspective, a snippet of an encapsulated human experience that then influences my own. It not only enriches my view of the world but also deeply inspires me, another artist.
Working at ETC has given me the opportunity to use my design passion and artistic skills to help others extend this cycle. Historically, artists have been at the forefront of movements that promote diversity and, in my experience, have been among the most welcoming communities to people of all backgrounds and identities. Time and time again, artists and audiences have recognized and celebrated the diverse stories our industry brings to the world. We thrive on creating experiences that help us understand each other on such a profound and compassionate level. Diversity is a core value of our industry and a vital part of what makes us successful.
These values have recently helped bring attention to the idea of accessibility within and throughout our industry. When I first arrived at ETC, accessibility was a budding topic across technology-based disciplines, and it struggled to gain momentum within the industry. UX and industrial designers were being trained on it, and it was an important focus throughout my education, but many of us were met with resistance on attempts to realize what we’d learned. Questions of resources, necessity, and feasibility allowed only the most marketable features to become mainstream. Home assistants and text-to speech (or speech-to-text) were deemed useful tools for most users and quickly became standard, while needs that are critical for those with disabilities, like resizable text and assistive technology compatibility, were left on the back burner (and ask any of these users if those work painlessly—even today).
Despite this resistance, accessibility has found its footing and has gained significant traction throughout the world. In software, standards are constantly being written and refined. Many tech giants, such as Google and Apple, have put considerable emphasis on designing for accessibility, making it easier for developers to follow suit. Accessibility tools are being integrated into the foundational libraries that build our software, meaning the developers that use them don’t have to spin up a custom solution any time they build a new app or component. Some basic accommodations are now supported by default.
Outside of software, some people with disabilities are noticing an increase in attempts to understand and support their needs. Sensory-friendly hours at department stores, increased attention to work place accommodations, low-stimulation theatre performances, and access to subtitles and sign language interpreters have become more commonplace throughout the world.
While I’d be one of the first to say that growth isn’t happening as fast as we’d like, progress has been gaining momentum in the past decade. The cause of this is a hotly debated topic, but many designers and advocates have found that their recent requests for accessibility features have been met with more approvals than ever. Feedback is working, and people are listening.
And because the theatre industry is full of artists, because it’s been built by and for a diverse tapestry of people who welcome and champion inclusivity and a spirit of uplifting others, I fully believe that we can accelerate this growth beyond what has become the norm. I attribute ETC’s strides surrounding accessibility to how much we embody the culture of theatre as a company. I didn’t end up having many philosophical debates about responsibility and access because belonging at ETC has always been a core value.
As a designer already aware of these topics, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the theme of last year’s NATEAC conference was accessibility, and I was immediately excited to go. I’ll highlight ETC’s reaction to this by saying that I never even had to ask to go— my attendance was supported and expected before the news about the conference even landed on my desk. ETC immediately saw this as a valuable opportunity to engage with the industry and inform ourselves on topics that we believe are important to all of us.
I sincerely thank the NATEAC conference, ESTA, and all of the conference organizers and panelists for the event they held in July. Most, if not all, of a designer’s role involves understanding and empathizing with the users that interface with our products and designs. We need to hear feedback from a diverse group of users to create a product that works for all. Thorough user testing is typically used to fulfill this need, though in all of my time as a designer, throughout my career at ETC and my education, I have never been introduced to a more diverse group of individuals. I have never gotten the variety and depth of perspective that I received during that week. This depth of lived experience is not only critical for my work as a UX designer but also invaluable for my development as a person.
I also would have never expected the amount of support provided by other manufacturers, business owners, and industry leaders. There is a breathtaking amount of true passion there, and the discussions have no longer revolved around the “why,” but around the “how.” Many understand that true accessibility isn’t just solved with a series of boxes you check on requirements or a finish line you arrive at. It’s always going to be a dynamic goal, one with needs that change depending on the individuals we have a responsibility to support.
While advancements have been made and education is growing, passion requires direction to make worthwhile progress, and I believe anyone can admit that we have a long way to go before we can truly consider theatre accessible and inclusive for those with disabilities. On top of it all, we all know that our industry is traditionally slow to progress. (I’m sure your venue has fixtures that are 10, 15, or 20 years old and still in use.) This means there will have to be an intentional and focused effort put forth to overcome the obstacles caused by shortsighted decisions made in the past.
For instance, due to ADA requirements for public spaces, many venues have made their front-of-house much more accommodating for those who require service animals or wheelchairs, or who may be neurodivergent or have sensory limitations. Ramps, elevators, accessible seating, sensory rooms, assistive listening headsets, captioned shows, and thorough training for ushers are all fantastic accommodations that are now commonplace for many venues around the country. People from all backgrounds and abilities can now attend and enjoy a theatre show with accommodations that improve the experience for all, and more are being provided every day.
However, at NATEAC many theatre technicians, artists, and actors with disabilities voiced that the back of house has been slow, or even resistant, to adopt these types of accommodations for those who would like to participate in the arts. While there may be an elevator to every level of seating, there is rarely an elevator to the catwalk. Ramps to get into the building are standard, but there’s rarely a ramp to the stage. While backstage, wheelchair users might have to use long, inconvenient alternative paths to move from room to room. Ladders and railings aren’t sufficient for wheelchair or service animal safety. Walkways do not remain clear for those with mobility devices. Doors cannot properly accommodate a wheelchair. Important warnings don’t follow visibility standards. The same accommodations that venues extend to the audience are often not duplicated for the people who work at or perform in the venue. This presents frequent obstacles that need accommodation, and many industry professionals with disabilities cite difficulty in getting those met.
Other NATEAC attendees followed up on these concerns with their own, usually posing questions about how these accommodations could reasonably be executed. Not every venue can add an elevator up to the catwalk or down to storage areas, or knock out concrete walls to widen passageways built in the 1950s. Structurally, it simply may not be feasible. Financially, some find it difficult to justify to venue leadership the high costs associated with such drastic changes.
It’s important to remember, however, that most accessible features don’t just benefit people with disabilities. I’ve mentioned speech-to-text, subtitles, and smart home devices as marketable features because they benefit all users, but consider how ramps and curb cuts are more helpful and safer to navigate for those with strollers, bikes, or carts. Accessibility buttons on doors allow deliveries to come and go without people struggling to open a door with their hands full.
Similarly, elevators to catwalks and other work areas allow carts of tools, equipment, and fixtures to be moved safely and efficiently throughout the building. Turnover between shows or even regular maintenance become less time-consuming and put far less strain on any employee. It makes a theatre safer and keeps equipment from getting needlessly damaged when being dragged up a ladder or a tight, metal spiral staircase. When considering it from all angles, what began as an accommodation for a disability becomes a universal design feature and suddenly appeals to the folks doing rigorous cost-benefit analysis in your finance department.
Unfortunately, many people with disabilities and their advocates aren’t strangers to this kind of problem. Even when workplace accommodations are required by law, many can be rejected or deferred with a vague “undue burden” claim. This makes it difficult for people with disabilities to perform their jobs and quickly leads to serious burnout and both mental and physical exhaustion. It’s draining, and members of disabled communities struggle with it every single day.
But as I mentioned before, I fully believe that the theatre industry’s passion and drive for inclusivity and diversity remains one of our greatest strengths—and results in a culture that supports the foundational idea of accessibility. Disabled NATEAC attendees fondly cited many instances where other coworkers, managers, and allies stepped up to provide them with their own accommodations when more formal ones weren’t given. Shop techs and scenic designers used the tools and skills they made a career on to elegantly modify stages to prevent actors who have limited vision or wheelchairs from slipping off ,and some built ramps that fit over the original architecture. Stage crews have used high-visibility tape or handmade braille labels backstage to make important labels accessible to all or have painted lines on the floor to ensure paths stay clear for those with mobility devices. Lighting techs have used large pieces of plywood across catwalks to prevent canes from getting stuck in grated metal flooring or to allow service animals to stay with their owners without injuring their paws. Coworkers worked together to create a dedicated low-stimulation space for neurodivergent folks who needed a spot to decompress from the typical chaos of stage work.
Accommodations don’t always require vast, sweeping changes to be effective, and, when implemented, rarely disrupt the dynamic, fast-moving environments they’re in. Some just require creative solutions and some passion, which we have always excelled at. When we use our passion to uplift others and make theatre more inclusive and diverse, we all benefit from it—the artists, the stories, the art, the manufacturers, the venues, the technicians, the products, every one of us.
This understanding is why ETC is dedicated to extending the vibrant diversity of the theatre industry to our people and products, and why we’d like to call on the rest of the industry to do the same. At NATEAC, be it during panels, networking events, after-parties, and especially during the Charrettes, we had the pleasure of engaging with other manufacturing leaders on the importance of accessibility and the responsibility we have to the communities we serve. There were many questions, some left unanswered, but all teams shared a commitment to progress. Removing the obstacles that we’ve created for those with disabilities and enacting universal design will take work, but the responsibility lies on us to make this industry more inclusive for everyone.
As a part of this commitment, ETC has been focusing on a variety of different areas to improve the accessibility of our products. First and foremost, we’ve been actively seeking feedback from users with disabilities, bringing them to the table and allowing them to advocate for themselves. Their criticisms and needs are assessed by product managers and accessibility experts who then help identify areas of improvement in future products. This will allow us to proactively implement universal design in new products and facilitate continuous improvement for years to come.
We’re also performing internal accessibility audits on our products and software, using research-backed standards like the Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2), Section 508, and the EN 301 549 to help guide decisions and define clear goals. These involve improving features such as functional text zoom, high contrast visibility modes, assistive technology compatibility, alternative interaction methods, and developing physical components like buttons, joysticks, and switches that are easy to operate for a wider range of mobility.
To prevent our accessibility initiative from becoming a set of checkboxes rather than a representation of the unique human needs they need to fulfill, we’ll also continue to actively seek feedback from users with disabilities and will strive to update and iterate on universal design methodology as time goes on.
ETC will be the first to admit that we have a long way to go, but just like when we were founded 50 years ago, it all begins with one step in the right direction. It’s our hope that through these efforts, ETC can continue to take part in what makes our industry welcome to everyone inspired by the emotion and artistry of theatre, just like we are.
In this video produced by ETC in collaboration with the School of Theatre and Dance at Northern Illinois University, Kev Kollmann shares his experience pursuing an MFA in Lighting Design and navigating accessibility in the theatre industry. Check it out!