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Filter events by typing keywords into the search field below, or click on a keyword in an event to filter all events by that category.

Select "Submit an Event" to have your cultural organization's accessible event added to the Access Calendar.  

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Teen Creative Agency | Zine Fest for Families at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

The Teen Creative Agency (TCA) at the MCA is celebrating 13 years (and counting) of DIY publications by teens! This event showcases the original artwork, activism, and social practice of Chicago-area youth in zine form. Participate in activities organized by the TCA and find zines and merch giveaways on-site. Admission is free to Family Day […]

  • ASL Interpreted

Mañanas en el museo – Sensory Friendly Morning

Description: We invite you to enjoy our free sensory friendly morning at the museum! Experience the galleries before public hours with an interactive educational booklet to help you engage with exhibitions. Take a break in our quiet space equipped with fidgets, a weighted blanket, and weighted plushies. Get creative in our art studio with a […]

  • Sensory Friendly

World Premiere of Community Storytellers Shorts at Gene Siskel Film Center

Gene Siskel Film Center 164 N State St, Chicago

Join us for an evening that brings the soul of Chicago’s neighborhoods to the big screen! Experience the powerful stories of our community through the lens of three talented Chicago residents from the 2023-24 Community Storytellers program: Alexie Young Take 290 (15:53; North Lawndale, Westside) Directed by Sanicole Written by George Ellzey Jr. A defeated […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • Closed Captions
  • In Person
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Primary Trust at the Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago

An open-hearted, “utterly absorbing, very funny, darn near perfect play” (The Daily Beast) about leaving your comfort zone to find fulfillment. Meet Kenneth, a 38-year-old longtime bookstore worker, who is […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • Low Lighting
  • Open Captions
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Touch Tour

Desire Lines at AMC NEWCITY 14

AMC NEWCITY 14 1500 N Clybourn Ave c301, Chicago

Ahmad is an aging trans man who has long suppressed his desire for other men, fearing stigma and questioning if his gender identity and sexuality are at odds. He turns […]

  • Audio Description
  • Open Captions

Chicago Performs | Lykanthea, Some Viscera at Edlis Neeson Theater

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Lykanthea is a multidisciplinary collective led by artist Lakshmi Ramgopal, whose performances and installations use pop idioms to experiment with traditional South Asian art forms. Her latest work, Some Viscera, […]

  • Captioning
  • Masks Required
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Going Places: Chicago Short Films at Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St., Chicago

Summer Screenings is Cinema/Chicago’s annual free film series that casts a spotlight on a different country’s national cinema each week all summer. These shorts, all featured at past Festivals, display […]

  • Captioning
  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Millennium Park Film Series: Wonka at Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Millennium Park 201 E. Randolph St, Chicago

This summer, DCASE is pleased to present the Millennium Park Summer Film Series, presented by Pluto TV, on Tuesdays from July 16 through August 20. Films start at 6:30pm (with […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Captioning
  • Free Event
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Chicago Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach

North Avenue Beach 1600 North Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

The Chicago Air and Water Show presented by the City of Chicago is the largest FREE show of its kind in the United States. The show can be viewed along […]

  • Audio Description
  • Free Event
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Millennium Park Summer Music Series – Corinne Bailey Rae and Terrace Martin with James Fauntleroy

Jay Pritzker Pavilion 201 E Randolph St, Chicago

Millennium Park Summer Music Series features a wide variety of music from established and emerging artists at the iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Corinne Bailey Rae English singer/songwriter/musician Corinne Bailey Rae […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Digital Documents Available
  • Free Event
  • Large Print Programs
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Synapse Arts Birthday Bash at Berger Park Cultural Center

Berger Park Cultural Center 6205 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago

Synapse Arts turns 20! The Birthday Bash is a celebration of Synapse Arts in a welcoming, festival-type environment. All attendees will get a cupcake and have access to our open […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Digital Documents Available
  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Pay What You Can
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Sighted Guide
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Millennium Park Summer Music Series -Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain with Rakesh Chaurasia

Jay Pritzker Pavilion 201 E Randolph St, Chicago

Millennium Park Summer Music Series features a wide variety of music from established and emerging artists at the iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Béla Fleck Few musicians in any category seem […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Captioning
  • Digital Documents Available
  • Free Event
  • Large Print Programs
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Little Bear Ridge Road at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago

Ensemble Member Laurie Metcalf comes home to Steppenwolf to star in Little Bear Ridge Road, a comic, cosmic and intimate world premiere, penned by MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter and […]

  • Open Captions

Victor Wong Showcase at Second City

The Second City e.t.c. theater 230 W North Ave, Chicago

A showcase of The Second City's Victor Wong Fellows. The Victor Wong Fellowship is an intensive program at The Second City that mentors & trains talented Asian / Asian American […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Miranda July: A Woman’s Quest for Freedom at Illinois Tech – Hermann Hall

Illinois Institute of Technology - Herrmann Hall 3241 S Federal St, Chicago

Renowned multi-hyphenated artist and Chicago Humanities favorite, Miranda July has gained a cult following throughout her award-winning career as a filmmaker (Me and You and Everyone We Know, Kajillionaire), author […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Ruha Benjamin: How Imagination Can Build a Better World at Illinois Tech – Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship

Illinois Tech - Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship 3137 S Federal St, Chicago

A Professor of African American studies at Princeton University, Ruha Benjamin brings a unique and interdisciplinary perspective to social justice and technology. In her latest work, Imagination: A Manifesto, Benjamin […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

James Spooner: Black Punk Now at Ramova Theatre

Ramova Theatre 3520 S Halsted St, Chicago

Award-winning graphic novelist James Spooner comes to Chicago Humanities for a chat on punk, comics and Black Identity. Spooner is a leader in the Black punk community. His works include […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Bakari Sellers: Moving Forward from The Race Reckoning at Ramova Theatre

Ramova Theatre 3520 S Halsted St, Chicago

Former South Carolina State Representative and CNN Political Analyst Bakari Sellers passionately asked live on-air the question that many Black Americans had in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Nana at Trapdoor Theatre

Trap Door Theatre 1655 W Cortland St, Chicago

Trap Door Theatre's 30th Anniversary Season closes with Olwen Wymark’s splendid dramatization of Zola’s Nana: a story of sexual and financial greed in nineteenth-century Parisian society, depicting the rise and […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Open Captions

The Swans of Harlem: Reclaiming the History of Black Ballet at Francis W. Parker School

Francis W. Parker School 330 W Webster Ave, IL

The legendary “Swans of Harlem” ballerinas take the stage with Brandis Friedman (co-anchor, WTTW Chicago Tonight / host, Black Voices) and author Karen Valby to reclaim and lift up the trailblazing contributions to the dance world by these Black artists whose stories have been marginalized, devalued and forgotten by history. Stay after the chat for […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Eddie Glaude Jr.: We Are the Leaders at Francis W. Parker School

Francis W. Parker School 330 W Webster Ave, IL

Renowned Princeton University professor and New York Times best-selling author Eddie Glaude Jr. is one of the world’s most prominent scholars of African American Studies. Through the iconic interpretations of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Ella Baker, Glaude Jr. urges fellow Black Americans to focus on personal growth and individual empowerment to reshape […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Frank Bruni: An Age of Grievance at Chicago History Museum

Chicago History Museum 1601 N Clark St, Chicago

Frank Bruni, renowned New York Times columnist, guides Chicago Humanities on an incisive exploration of our cultural obsession with grievance that has permeated both political spectrums. Grievance dominates our unpredictable political landscape as all sides label disappointment or dissent as personal injury, fueling blame and rage. In his latest work, The Age of Grievance, Bruni […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

A Portrait of Redefined History through Photography at Chicago History Museum

Chicago History Museum 1601 N Clark St, Chicago

MacArthur Fellow and Professor of Photography at Columbia College in Chicago, Dawoud Bey, is one of the most celebrated photographers in American history. Fellow photography colleague Kelli Connell is an artist who investigates sexuality, gender, identity, and the relationship between photographer and subject. Natasha Egan, Executive Director at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, moderates a […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Keep it Going at the Russ Tutterow Theatre

Chicago Dramatists 798 N Aberdeen St, Chicago

In partnership with former Technical Director Glenn B. Rust's Graduate Thesis Project, Keep it Going presents an afternoon of new works that you can watch in the theatre or from the comfort of your own home! Beginning the afternoon we will have Interrobang by Resident Playwright Arlene Malinowski followed by the final performance of Access […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Low Lighting
  • Masks Highly Recommended
  • Pay What You Can
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Virtual
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Michael Ondaatje: Memory and the Act of Looking Back at First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple

First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple 77 W Washington St, Chicago

Michael Ondaatje is one of the most influential writers of his generation. He won the Booker Prize for his successful 1992 novel The English Patient, which was made into the nine-time Academy Award-winning film, including for Best Picture. Critically respected for testing the limits of the genre of poetry with playful experimentation, Ondaatje makes a […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

The Verge AI Sessions: Art Creator or Thief? at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

School of the Art Institute of Chicago 112 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

What guardrails do artists need in a new age of artificial intelligence? As artists voice concerns about AI replacing their work or using their creative intellectual property to train AI models without proper consent or compensation, lawmakers are beginning to take notice. The essence of this debate — what artists seek and how regulations should […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Judith Butler: Who’s Afraid of Gender? at Music Box Theatre

Music Box Theatre 3733 N Southport Ave, Chicago

Judith Butler’s groundbreaking work, and their theory of gender performativity, has had a vast influence on contemporary scholarship in feminism and gender studies. In Butler’s latest work, Who’s Afraid of Gender?, they tackle the global rise of right-wing movements that seek to nullify reproductive justice, undermine protections against sexual and gender violence and strip trans […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

“This Living Earth – Our Shared Gaia” exhibition showcase at Beverly Arts Center

Beverly Arts Center 2407 W. 111th Street, Chicago

WHO: Beverly Arts Center in partnership with the Beverly Area Arts Alliance – https://www.thebeverlyartscenter.com | https://beverlyarts.org/ WHAT: “This Living Earth – Our Shared Gaia” Exhibition WHEN: April 5 - 27, 2024 WHERE: Beverly Arts Center, Simmerling 2nd Floor Gallery, 2407 W. 111th St, Chicago, IL 60655 ARTISTS’ RECEPTION “This Living Earth — Our Shared Gaia” […]

  • Free Event
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Billy Elliot: The Musical at Paramount Theatre

Paramount Theatre 23 E Galena Blvd, Aurora

There will be two certified sign interpreters to interpret all dialogue and lyrics at the Paramount Theatre on March 22nd, 2024 for Billy Elliot: The Musical. See the show for $30 each. Purchase online using instructions below, or email mariew@paramountarts.com. Click the performance you wish to purchase: Enter promo code: ASLPARAMOUNT Click on the ASL […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices

Caro Murphy: Interactive Experience Design at Illinois Tech – Hermann Hall

Illinois Institute of Technology - Herrmann Hall 3241 S Federal St, Chicago

Cultural historian and video gaming specialist, Dr. Carly Kocurek from Illinois Tech Lewis College of Science and Letters moderates a discussion with game and interactive experience designer Caro Murphy. Caro is leading the vanguard in the emerging field and art form of interactive, experiential, and live-action game design. Caro has produced award-winning work as the […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Cultural Access Collaborative’s 10th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser

Plante Moran 10 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago

Celebrate a decade of access. Join Us! Monday, October 30, 2023 5-7pm Plante Moran 1st Floor Lobby 10 South Riverside Plaza Chicago IL Entrance on the corner of Monroe and Canal $50 per attendee Buy Tickets Cultural Access Collab removes barriers to make Illinois’ arts and culture more accessible to people with disabilities by providing […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Masks Highly Recommended
  • Open Captions
  • Quiet Spaces

Marie and Rosetta at Northlight Theatre

Hailed as the “Godmother of Rock ‘n Roll,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe influenced rock icons from Elvis Presley to Jimi Hendrix. Bringing fierce guitar playing and sizzling swing to gospel music, […]

  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • Touch Tour

Marie and Rosetta at Northlight Theatre

Hailed as the “Godmother of Rock ‘n Roll,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe influenced rock icons from Elvis Presley to Jimi Hendrix. Bringing fierce guitar playing and sizzling swing to gospel music, […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning

Marie and Rosetta at Northlight Theatre

Hailed as the “Godmother of Rock ‘n Roll,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe influenced rock icons from Elvis Presley to Jimi Hendrix. Bringing fierce guitar playing and sizzling swing to gospel music, […]

  • Sensory Friendly

The Who’s Tommy at Goodman Theatre

The groundbreaking pop-culture musical sensation is reimagined in a new production. Myth and spectacle combine in a fresh reinvention of The Who’s exhilarating 1969 rock concept album, Tommy—including the unforgettable […]

  • Sensory Friendly

The Who’s Tommy at Goodman Theatre

The groundbreaking pop-culture musical sensation is reimagined in a new production. Myth and spectacle combine in a fresh reinvention of The Who’s exhilarating 1969 rock concept album, Tommy—including the unforgettable […]

  • Captioning