New York Times (01/20/22) Zornosa, Laura

The Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD) coalition was founded in July 2021 to enhance awareness of disability culture and push for accessibility in the music business. One goal is to make accessibility ramps visible on TV during awards shows in order to help make disability a norm in the entertainment industry. RAMPD's official kickoff was a virtual event on Jan. 21, with opening and closing remarks from the Grammy Museum Experience at the Prudential Center. "Our professional membership have awards, have toured, have worked with big names, are big names themselves," said RAMPD founding member and musician Lachi. "And we're not here to make folks feel warm and gushy. We're not here to get handouts. We're here to get gigs. We're here to get on stages, we're here to get paid." The coalition in October partnered with the inaugural Wavy Awards for an event celebrating women, LGBTQ artists, nonbinary musicians, artists of color, performers who identify as disabled, and proponents. "It's paramount for folks to recognize that disability has color, that disability has gender, that disability has sexual preference and that disability is not straight, white, middle-America male," Lachi said. An Arts Ecosystem Grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council in Duluth, Minn., will enable RAMPD to accumulate a membership database of professional disabled artists, while the organization has gained sponsorship from the nonprofit Accessible Festivals to help manage grants and donations, and allow for the group to expand beyond its founding members.

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