Disabled raver to launch “all-accessible” club event in Manchester

Manchester music venue The Yard will host an “all-accessible” rave this Saturday (September 20), offering a dedicated, inclusive space to party for those with both physical and mental disabilities.

The venue will feature braille signage, an audio loop, a lowered bar, accessible toilets with alarm pull chords and brackets, and a chill-out sensory room away from the music, accommodating those across the disability spectrum.

25-year-old Joe Skinner is the mind behind United By The Groove, aiming to carve out inclusive, accessible spaces within the rave and clubbing scene.

As a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, Skinner says that he has experienced the challenges of navigating a clubbing culture that often overlooks accessibility first-hand.

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United By The Groove is an effort to break down those barriers and ensure that everyone, regardless of disability, can fully enjoy the energy and freedom of live DJ sets and electronic music, he tells The Lancashire Telegraph.

Skinner is also reportedly committed to platforming disabled artists. Saturday’s event will be headlined by DJ Jake Smith, who also has cerebral palsy and recently performed alongside Fatboy Slim at this year’s Creamfields festival.

Other performers include disabled artists AJ Murphy, Finley Allen and Matty Taylforth. The event also comes together with the help of Lee from Compakt & Gabe from Xtratrax.

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“We created United By The Groove because, between us all, we were fed up with not being able to attend due to accessibility issues,” Skinner tells Mixmag.

“This is when we came into contact with The Yard in Manchester, and they swung their doors open to work with us on this,” he adds. “It helps us to show there is a broad range of people that struggle to enjoy themselves in the world of music due to different disabilities.”

The Yard calls itself a “unique environment designed for the visionary minds of the city,” amongst Manchester’s bubbling club scene.

All proceeds from the event will go to Sense, the national disability charity. Tickets can be purchased here, and additional donations to Sense can be made here.

Annabel Craddock is a freelance journalist, follow her on Instagram