Tomorrow I will attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival for the second time, in part, because of Kulture City (which sounds like a cool band name—they are not a band but are definitely cool).
Austin City Limits Musical (ACL) Festival is one of the premiere events in Austin, Texas, taking place over two weekends, three-days each, with eight stages over 46 acres, 130 musical acts, and attendance of 450,000. Kulture City is an organization striving for sensory inclusion in spaces that have generally been off-limits for those with sensory issues: concerts, sports arenas, etc. I learned of their existence when I went to ACL for the very first time in 2022, and I wrote about it on Instagram.
October 9, 2022. I had casually passed the Kulture City table on Day 1; my husband even commented that they had ear protection headphones on the table. But I had brought my own, so we didn’t stop.
Late on Day 2, the bass vibrations were stronger than usual and I attempted to “go walk to regulate,” walking from the furthest eastern point of the park to the furthest western point.
The vibration and sound never eased, just shifting as I passed the nine different stages. Attempting to outrun sound at an outdoor music festival just isn’t very logical.
Then I remembered seeing a portable “room” that was beside the Kulture City table, so I headed that direction. I was at limited verbal capacity, but they quickly let me go in their little tented space. I didn’t have to explain or “prove” I had a condition or even name it. They just let me in. I sat on a small bean bag chair, in a dark space, felt the breeze from a fan, and watched a bubbly tower of plastic fish. I could still feel the bass rumbles but I had stopped running.
Then I started to cry. Not from the panic attack as much as from the relief of feeling understood. Usually when this happens, I feel this nebulous invisible judgement of: If you have this condition then why are you even HERE?”
But HERE someone had bothered to imagine that a person with sound sensitivity would “dare” attend an event that guarantees loud sound.
And HERE I am because ACL chose to be Sensory Inclusive (TM) through Kulture City. Thank you for making this event that I have never attempted before a little bit easier in the biggest way.
I wrote that post on Day 3 sitting in my stubby lawn chair, half a football field’s distance from a stage with a relatively small (less loud) act. Checking my phone later in the day, Kulture City had shared my post on their feed and I was humbled. Eventually, it received 1500 likes, which I know I am totally not supposed to care about, but each little heart added to my sense of being less alone and less weird. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that if I hadn’t found the refuge of Kulture City a year ago, I would not have the courage to return ACL.
I’d never considered myself in need of inclusion, but this interaction with Kulture City was the most direct experience I’ve had that illustrates that “accessibility benefits everyone.” (Last night I was reading American Identity in Crisis by Kat Calvin where she used that phrase—I’m sure she’s not the first, but it was much more succinct than the 4-line sentence I had written.)
Rabbit Holes
🐰 Read the book American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist by Kat Calvin to learn how obtaining a government ID is one of the most inaccessible “benefits” in our country.
🐰 My sensory issues are related to hyperacusis, a condition where ordinary sounds can cause pain (physical and emotional). I often avoid labelling myself with hyperacusis, because I feel a protective compassion for those with the most severe forms. I wouldn’t want anyone to point to the fact that I can do this with hyperacusis to somehow mean others should as well. Like so much in life, the spectrum of disability from the condition varies widely between each person and with in each person, by the day. (On flare days, I need my earplugs for unloading the dishwasher. And I always use them when I vacuum.)
🐰 I use the Peace & Quiet sound filter version of Earasers for things like restaurants or an especially loud grocery store. At ACL and other music concerts, I use the Earasers and then add my son’s old drummers headphones from Vic Firth (as pictured below).
Image: Jen in navy blue dress with white polka dots, wearing ear protection headphones and sunglasses. She is standing in front of a grey-colored inflatable wall with a white Kulture City logo (which looks like a heart-shape wearing headphones).
Photo credit: Jim Machajewski 2022