Several months ago, Tyler Williams was contacted by representatives of PineCone and the Bluegrass SItuation regarding a special business panel that would be brought forth at the IBMA World of Bluegrass event in Raleigh coming up this week. He was asked to offer an expertise in dealing with less than average mobility in order to “get around” at music events like bluegrass festivals and large concerts or venues that would be invaluable in trying to make a positive change for he and others like himself.
In Tyler’s own words “the disability doesn’t define me and I just hope to contribute to making the overall bluegrass experience better for all.”
Tyler would like to invite all of his friends, peers, festival promoters and the like, that have seen and assisted him throughout the years, to whom he is so grateful, to support him as he addresses this panel on Thursday September 28, 2017 9:00am – 9:50am in the Raleigh Convention Center, Room 306 A.
Here are the full details of the workshop:
Originally presented at the Kennedy Center’s 2016 Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disabilities conference, this workshop has been re-imagined for this year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass. The session starts with the premise that creating great customer service experiences for people with disabilities leads to improved experiences for all festival attendees. Workshop participants will benefit from the experiences of two festival producers and a professional bluegrass musician who is blind and has cerebral palsy as they compare and contrast everything from services and accommodations to marketing tools, website design, accessibility guides and staff/volunteer training. By the end of the session, participants will have actionable first steps for increasing accessibility at their events, as well as tools and resources for implementing them.
About Tyler:
Singer, songwriter Tyler Williams, born in central Ohio, is a young man with big dreams that started when he was just 2 years old. By the time he was 4, he began playing piano attracting the attention of everyone around him. Although Williams was born with Cerebral Palsy and became blind at infancy, he remained determined in his pursuit of becoming an entertainer despite the obstacles.
Over the years, Tyler has been diligently studying and performing every chance he gets to refine his skills, including performances with some of his heroes such as the legendary Tony Rice, Lonesome River Band, and Balsam Range. One of the most recent accomplishments of this young artist is his Bachelor’s Degree major in Broadcasting and minor in Bluegrass, which he graduated with honors from East Tennessee State University.
His hard work has already produced a powerful voice and original style that is often talked about throughout the industry. He has assembled his own group applying all the knowledge he has gained throughout his journey and is ready to take his career as an entertainer all the way.
We hope you will all come out to support Tyler and help make a positive change at your Festivals, venues and bluegrass events!
