From Access to Wellbeing: Framework Development and Health Impact Evaluation of Attending Inclusive Performative Arts Events

People with disabilities, along with their families and caregivers, are often excluded from mainstream arts spaces due to sensory overload, stigma, and inadequate accessible design. Traditional concert environments can feel overwhelming, leading to anxiety, social isolation, and reduced participation. Inclusive arts events offer an alternative by supporting joy, belonging and meaningful participation.

Xenia Concerts was founded to address these barriers by offering flexible, sensory friendly performances, where audience members are free to move, make sounds, take breaks, and use sensory tools. While most existing research focuses on clinical or therapeutic arts programs, there is limited understanding of how disabled or neurodiverse people experience arts as leisure audiences, and how such participation contributes to wellbeing and belonging. Building on emerging evidence linking accessible arts to positive emotional and social outcomes, this project investigates how adaptive concerts contribute to personal wellbeing and community connection for audiences historically excluded from cultural spaces.

Using a co-design method that centres community interest and expertise, the study develops a framework to evaluate the impact of Xenia Concerts’ programs and examines the experiences of audience members from a health and wellbeing perspective. This project aligns with the growing recognition that accessibility is crucial in fostering active and meaningful engagement in the arts for members of disability communities. Findings will offer arts organizations insights into how their accessibility practices influence individual and community wellbeing and how they can be further improved, advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility across cultural sectors.