Bazeley says the craft fairs she’s participated in within her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, have been generous with meeting her accommodations. Still she does her research. “I always look at the location first to see if it’s at a hotel, convention center or school,” she says, because those venues are sure to be ADA compliant whereas stores, popup markets, and retreat centers may not. “Then I’ll email the organizer to ask what supplies I’ll need and to see if I’ll be able to carry them and how far. Will I need a sewing machine? Will there be volunteers there to help if I need to carry it a far distance?” For craft fairs she chooses to participate in mostly outdoor shows which require more city involvement for permits and code enforcement.

Still, outdoor locations can prove difficult to navigate. Rebekah Taussig is a writer and teacher who runs a popular Instagram account, @sitting_pretty, about her life in what she describes as a crippled body. She attends an annual craft fair in Kansas where she lives, but finds the locale to be challenging. “It always takes place in a park, which means a grassy, hilly terrain and a lot of crowds — in some ways, I can see that this is part of the charm of the experience, but it also makes things difficult to navigate. I still go to this fair most years, but it totally exhausts me. And because my experience isn’t considered in the planning, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that the organizers don’t really want me there,” she says.

Planning for maneuverability inside is important, too. Ample room between booths and tables is important as well. Banquet rounds packed together tightly or narrow classroom-style seating are difficult for someone in a wheelchair to navigate. “I also ask about the height of the tables for classes,” Blazeley says. “Some classes have bar height tables and those just don’t work for me.” Bathrooms can also be tricky. She asks if there at least one handicapped accessible bathroom on site.

When scheduling speakers and presenters with physical disabilities it’s important to provide them with dignified access.

“I’ve done some public speaking for my day job and been asked to just be in front of the stage, on the floor,” Blazeley says. “That doesn’t work. You don’t have the same authority as the other speakers because you’re at the same level as the audience.” The stage should have a ramp and lecturns at various heights.

Getting to an event can be a hurdle for disabled artists who are reliant on outside transportation. Sharon Dorsey is the program manager at Open Door Studios, a studio and gallery space for artists with disabilities in Columbus, Ohio. The studio represents more than 100 artists, with space for up to 35 on any given day. “Many of the artists at Open Door utilize the facility as a space to express themselves. They may lack the resources to attend creative programming and services that take into account a wide level of disabilities so they can become self-sustaining artists,” says Dorsey. For example, often craft shows occur on the weekend which can be difficult for someone with a disability because transportation is often provided and offset by insurance and typically offered only Monday through Friday. This makes disabled artists dependent on friends or family for travel accommodations to weekend events. Parking is also an important considering. Taussig points out, “Are there a sufficient number of accessible parking spaces? Or are people expected to find street parking and trek up a giant hill to the event?”

Making accessibility a part of our craft world builds a more diverse community and adds new perspectives that benefit everyone. As Blazeley points out, intention goes a long way towards making everyone feel welcome and comfortable. “People get really hung up about complying with the law and all the specifics. This doesn’t have to be intimidating and you don’t need to know everything,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know.”