Explore accessible events!

How to use the calendar

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.  

submit an event

Access Events Search and Views Navigation

Access Event Views Navigation

Filters

Changing any of the form inputs will cause the list of events to refresh with the filtered results.

Today

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

Calm Waters at Shedd Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium 1200 S DuSable Lak Shore Dr,, Chicago

Calm Waters is an exclusive event for guests with disabilities and Veterans to explore Shedd Aquarium’s exhibits and experiences in a comfortable and accepting environment. Modifications for this event will include limited capacity and streamlined entry with advance registration. Modifications for Calm Waters Include: Limited capacity and streamlined entry with advance registration A sensory friendly […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Edge Theater

The Edge Theater 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago

Four Athenians run away to the forest in the name of love (reciprocated and otherwise). They find themselves in the midst of a war between Titania and Oberon, the king and queen of the fairies, over a changeling boy in Titania’s charge. In the midst of this conflict, local workers are attempting (poorly) to rehearse […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Digital Documents Available
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Tegan and Sara on Junior High and Crushes at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture 2936 N Southport Ave, Chicago

Tegan and Sara are indie-pop royalty, twin sisters, and bestselling authors of a young adult graphic novel duology. Crush, the second book in this autobiographically-inspired series, explores the teenage world of crushes, crushing it, and being crushed by life — all wrapped in a queer lens. Join Chicago Humanities in conversation with Tegan and Sara […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

Movement and Collaboration: Claudia Rankine in Conversation with Shamel Pitts at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture 2936 N Southport Ave, Chicago

Join us as we experience poet and Yale professor Claudia Rankine and choreographer Shamel Pitts in conversation and performance. Rankine is not only the New York Times bestseller of Citizen: An American Lyric, but a MacArthur Fellow, playwright, and author of the newly released Dont Let Me Be Lonely. She brings her unique perspective on […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

Milo Imagines The World at Chicago Children’s Theatre

Chicago Children's Theatre 100 S Racine Ave, Chicago

MILO IMAGINES THE WORLD is a musical odyssey of imagination. Through vibrant song, expressive dance, and a whole lot of imagination, this magical, musical journey takes us through the mind of a child, as he learns to see the world as it really is. A journey from house to home, this play is a real […]

  • Audio Description
  • In Person
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Touch Tour

Anne Curzan: Says Who? at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture 2936 N Southport Ave, Chicago

Language is constantly changing. Linguist and veteran English professor Anne Curzan is here to help us decipher its “rules.” Written with lively humor and humanity, Curzan’s newest book Says Who? is a pragmatic and accessible key that reveals how our choices about language can be a powerful force for equity and personal expression. Join Chicago […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

“Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller: HBO’s Somebody Somewhere” at Chop Shop

Chop Shop 2033 W North Ave, Chicago

Expect unfiltered stories and insights as these two friends and collaborators take the stage to discuss their rise in New York's alt-cabaret and improv comedy scene to starring roles in HBO’s Peabody Award-winning, critically acclaimed comedy series, Somebody Somewhere. After a short screening of the Season 3 premiere episode, Everett and Hiller will share behind-the-scenes […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • 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 perfectly content with his after-work routine: a mai tai (or two) at the local tiki bar. But when his employer decides to close the store, […]

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

Milo Imagines The World at Chicago Children’s Theatre

Chicago Children's Theatre 100 S Racine Ave, Chicago

MILO IMAGINES THE WORLD is a musical odyssey of imagination. Through vibrant song, expressive dance, and a whole lot of imagination, this magical, musical journey takes us through the mind of a child, as he learns to see the world as it really is. A journey from house to home, this play is a real […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Sensory Friendly

Writing on Eggshells: Political Comedy Cracked Up At Northwestern University

Northwestern University - Norris University Center 1999 Campus Dr, Evanston

What’s it like to write for the most popular late-night comedy shows in America when the news already feels like a satire of itself? Second City’s Kelly Leonard sits down with Chicago-bred talent who have written for the hottest shows in late night: Ali Barthwell (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver), Peter Grosz (The Colbert […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

Talk | Politics of Poetics: Heid E. Erdrich and Andrea Carlson at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Politics of Poetics is a series of readings and workshops that highlights influential contemporary poets whose practices traverse the political through writing, teaching, and activism. This fall, poet Heid E. Erdrich reads new work and selections from her award-winning book of poetry, Little Big Bully (2020) and Curator of Ephemera at the New Museum of […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Captioning

Michelangelo Sabatino: The Edith Farnsworth House at Northwestern University

Northwestern University - Norris University Center 1999 Campus Dr, Evanston

The Edith Farnsworth House, one of the most famous residences in modern architectural history, was legendary long before it could be widely accessed. Michelangelo Sabatino brings to life the house’s original design by Mies van der Rohe and discusses periods of neglect, flooding, and new ownership by Lord Peter Palumbo in his latest book, The […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

John Green and Rebecca Makkai in Conversation at Northwestern University

Northwestern University - Cahn Auditorium 600 Emerson St, Evanston

John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, The Anthropocene Reviewed) and Rebecca Makkai (The Great Believers, I Have Some Questions for You) are two of our most beloved contemporary writers. They’re also long-time admirers of each other’s work. For the first time, the two best-selling authors will come together to discuss their books and their […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

Barry Sonnenfeld: Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time—True Stories From a Career in Hollywood at Northwestern University

Northwestern University - Ryan Center for Music 70 Arts Cir Dr, Evanston

The legendary director of Men in Black, Get Shorty, and The Addams Family dishes out a delectable mix of insights and true tales that escalate from outrageous to unbelievable in his new memoir, Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time. From battling with studio executives and producers to bad-script-solving on set to coaxing actors into finding […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

Beauty and the Beast Jr. ASL Interpreted Performance with BrightSide Theatre

Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall 31 S Ellsworth Street, Naperville

Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. features some of the most popular songs […]

  • ASL Interpreted

Joan Baez: When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture 2936 N Southport Ave, Chicago

Immerse yourself in the lyrical world of legendary artist and activist, Joan Baez. Sharing decades of personal poetry for the first time publicly, join us to discover how Baez has weaved her verse with experiences, activism, and her musical legacy. Bask in the inspiring stories of her childhood and poetic reflections on fellow friends and […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Open Captions

Live Arts | Joseph Lefthand at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Join Chicago-based performance artist Joseph Lefthand for a sharing session exploring the concepts of grief, repair, and renewal. The event begins with an introduction to Lefthand’s performance and research practice and participants are invited to join them in the Commons to exchange ideas around personal and cultural expressions of reparation. The evening concludes with a […]

  • Captioning

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 to an LGBTQ archive for answers, digging through oral histories and interviews from trans men past and present. He immerses himself so deeply in the […]

  • Audio Description
  • Open Captions

Malcolm Gladwell: Revenge of the Tipping Point at Ramova Theatre

Ramova Theatre 3520 S Halsted St, Chicago

It has been twenty-five years since publication of bestseller, The Tipping Point. Let’s join Malcolm Gladwell as he reveals a fresh reframing of his groundbreaking first book in a startling new light. Hear the always provocative Gladwell revisit the phenomenon of social epidemics and the ways in which we have learned to tinker with and […]

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

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at Writers Theatre!

Nichols Theatre 325 Tudor Ct, Glencoe

ASL performance of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at Writers Theatre! $30.00 Tickets! Promo Code: ASLNatasha (Please enter code before selecting seat. If you run into any issues please give the box office a call at 847-242-6000) "There’s a war going on somewhere out there, and Andrey isn’t here.” Young and impulsive, […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Digital Documents Available
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

NOISES OFF at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago

The cast and crew of Nothing On are scrambling to prepare for opening night, but despite their earnest efforts, the production is an absolute mess. Line flubs and lost props and missed cues, oh my! Can this beleaguered ensemble overcome egos and jealousies to pull the show together in time? Onstage antics collide with offstage […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Open Captions

Edgar Arceneaux, Until, Until, Until . . . at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Edgar Arceneaux is a contemporary artist working in Los Angeles, whose primary materials are histories and memories marred by gaps in logic, clichés, and erasures. Working within these gaps, Arceneaux applies a surreal, dream-like lens to pry open the messy contents of history, and pull what we think we already know into new shapes. Arceneaux’s […]

  • Audio Description
  • Captioning

Randy Rainbow’s Low-Hanging Fruit: Pressing Issues From My Gay Agenda at Harris Theater

Harris Theater for Music and Dance 205 E Randolph Dr, Chicago

The New York Times bestselling author and adored comedian Randy Rainbow has a few things on his mind that he wants to talk about in his newest essay collection, Low-Hanging Fruit. As a savvy social commentator who is keenly attuned to the public discourse, Randy’s unfailing intuition tells him that the perspective everyone in America […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Kohl Children’s Museum Everyone At Play

KCM welcomes children with disabilities and their families for an afternoon of learning and play focused on them. Our Museum campus is designed for universal accessibility with a purpose to encourage linguistic, cognitive, motor and social skills for all children ages birth to 8. -16 hands-on Museum exhibits. -One-on-one interactive activities with trained, registered therapy […]

  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

NOISES OFF at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago

The cast and crew of Nothing On are scrambling to prepare for opening night, but despite their earnest efforts, the production is an absolute mess. Line flubs and lost props and missed cues, oh my! Can this beleaguered ensemble overcome egos and jealousies to pull the show together in time? Onstage antics collide with offstage […]

  • Open Captions

Halloween Creepy Crawlies at Dovetail Studios

Dovetail Studios 2853 W Montrose Ave, Chicago

Halloween Creepy Crawlies is a family friendly dance production that explores the mysteries of Halloween through a lost ghost’s search for her haunted home. On her way, she is helped by Ballerina Witches, Jazzy Vampires, Modern-Dancing Mummies and even a Jack O’ Lantern named Jake! Join us on October 12 + 13 at Dovetail Studios […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Digital Documents Available
  • In Person
  • Wheelchair Accessible

The Murmuring Grief of the Americas at the Poetry Foundation

Poetry Foundation 61 W Superior St, Chicago

Three award-winning poets read from their latest collections grappling with landscapes of grief. National Book-winning Chicago poet Daniel Borzutzky’s The Murmuring Grief of the Americas exhumes the necrophilic underbelly of carceral capitalism and authoritarianism in the hemispheric Americas. Pulitzer Prize-winning language poet Rae Armantrout’s Go Figure tries to find humor and consolation in a disaster-ridden […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Closed Captions
  • Free Event
  • Hybrid Program

Chicago Humanities: UIC Day Festival

UIC Dorin Forum 1213 S Halsted St, Chicago

Spend the day with us at UIC Forum! Check out the event link to see the full festival lineup. Please note that ticket prices and accessibility offerings vary by event; visit our event pages or call our box office for specific details.   https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/?sort=venue&view=day&fromDate=2024-10-05

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Play For All at Chicago Children’s Museum

Chicago Children's Museum 700 E. Grand Ave., Chicago

At the heart of the Play For All initiative is the belief that every individual, regardless of their abilities, deserves an enriching museum experience. Accessibility: sensory-friendly https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/play-for-all

  • Free Event
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Inherit the Wind at the Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago
Event Series Inherit the Wind

A three-time Tony Award-winning masterwork and “cultural landmark that only seems to grow with relevance” (Los Angeles Times). Science and religion go head-to-head in this iconic courtroom showdown. A small-town educator’s trial for teaching the theory of evolution becomes a battle royal of wits, wisdom and will for two of the country’s most powerful lawyers. […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • Open Captions
  • Spanish captioning
  • Touch Tour

Inherit the Wind – Panel Discussion at Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago

**ASL interpreter is for panel only** Legal experts and science educators—along with civic engagement and free speech advocates—engage in a lively, wide-ranging discussion on the historical context of the Scopes Monkey Trial, while drawing parallels to the limitations on intellectual freedom in contemporary public classrooms. Tickets include the discussion, drinks, light refreshments and the 7:30pm […]

  • ASL Interpreted

Inherit the Wind at the Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago
Event Series Inherit the Wind

A three-time Tony Award-winning masterwork and “cultural landmark that only seems to grow with relevance” (Los Angeles Times). Science and religion go head-to-head in this iconic courtroom showdown. A small-town educator’s trial for teaching the theory of evolution becomes a battle royal of wits, wisdom and will for two of the country’s most powerful lawyers. […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • Open Captions
  • Spanish captioning
  • Touch Tour

Misery at American Blues Theater

MISERY by William Goldman based on the novel by Stephen King directed by Artistic Affiliate Halena Kays Thursday October 3rd Touch Tour @6:30 Audio Described performance @7:30pm Use code word ACCESS for $25 tickets. American Blues Theater 5627 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60659 Box Office: (773) 654-3103 Runs 90 minutes with no intermission https://americanbluestheater.com/misery/ CAST: […]

  • Audio Description
  • Touch Tour

Kelsey Street Press 50th Anniversary at The Poetry Foundation

Poetry Foundation 61 W Superior St, Chicago

Kelsey Street Press, a small press with an explosive history of publishing radical queer and trans BIPOC and women authors, celebrates its 50th anniversary. Publishing experimental feminist poetics since 1974, Kelsey Street Press has been pivotal in addressing gender disparity in publishing. Their formidable lineage includes Etel Adnan, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Renee Gladman, Fanny Howe, Erica […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Closed Captions
  • Free Event
  • Hybrid Program

Kate McKinnon: Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture 2936 N Southport Ave, Chicago

Join us for a thrilling evening with two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian Kate McKinnon as she unveils her debut novel and a new series for quirky tweens and young adult readers aged 8-12, The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. The former SNL cast member, no stranger to creating wonderfully wild […]

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

Fidelio at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago 20 N Wacker Drive, Chicago

Leonore, who disguises herself as a young man in order to work in the prison, hoping to rescue her husband. Accessibility: SoundShirt, audio description, and touch tour. Touch tour starting at 12:00pm before the performance at 2:00pm https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2024-25/fidelio/

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Braille Programs
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Touch Tour
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Chicago Performs | cat mahari, blk ark: the impossible manifestation

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

cat mahari’s blk ark: the impossible manifestation is an interactive performance and installation, with live, semi-improvisational sound, hip-hop and house dance, and film. By exploring improvisational and Black cultural strategies of play, learned from joanin’ and the soul clap, mahari presents modes of survival and liberation, revealing questions about what it will take to find […]

  • Captioning
  • Wheelchair Accessible

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, is a collection of song and movement accompanied by immersive stage design that explores childhood, kinship, and memory in the contemporary Indian-American diaspora. The project […]

  • Captioning
  • Masks Required
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Rigoletto at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago 20 N Wacker Drive, Chicago

Rigoletto, tragically obsessed with avenging his daughter Gilda’s dishonor. The score’s highlights are unforgettable, from Rigoletto’s hair-raising denunciation of the Duke of Mantua’s courtiers, “Cortigiani,” to the immoral, philandering Duke’s “La donna è mobile,” to Gilda’s ecstatic “Caro nome.” Audio Description & Sound Shirts are available at the performance - more information at lyricopera.org. Touch […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Braille Programs
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Touch Tour
  • Wheelchair Accessible

The Infinite Wrench at Free Street Theater Pulaski Park

Pulaski Park 1419 W Blackhawk Street, Chicago

The Neo-Futurists present an ADA-Accessible and ASL-interpreted performance of The Infinite Wrench in partnership with Free Street Theater at Pulaski Park. At THE INFINITE WRENCH you’ll see thirty original plays in sixty minutes, written and performed by The Neo-Futurist Ensemble.Each play offers something different, be it funny, profound, elegant, disgusting, topical, irreverent, terrifying, or a […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Masks Required
  • Pay What You Can
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Abra Berens and Greta Johnsen: From Seed to Market to Plate at Chop Shop

Chop Shop 2033 W North Ave, Chicago

Join Abra Berens in conversation with Greta Johnsen for delicious insights into innovative recipes with simple and sustainable ingredients. With a background in Midwestern farming, the celebrated author and chef shares her farm-to-table approach with tips for the climate and your own kitchen. Walk away with a packet of seasonal recipes and inspiration to start […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Wheelchair Accessible

The Curator Presents at the Neo-Futurist Theatre

The Neo-Futurist Theater 5153 N Ashland Ave., Chicago

The Curator Presents, a solo show by Madeline Esterhammer-Fic, is a one-woman play that explores the feelings of isolation, fear, and hope experienced during the height of COVID. Madeline will be playing the Curator, a character who works at the fictional World COVID Museum of Chicago. By providing a platform for discussion and incorporating humor […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • In Person
  • Masks Required
  • Pay What You Can

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 the brilliance and variety of our city’s incredible filmmakers. They explore a friendship in crisis (A Real One), the sisterhood bonds (Video Funeral), the inherent […]

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

Stabbed in the Heart Audio Descriptive Performance + Touch Tour at The Factory Theater

The Factory Theater 1623 West Howard, Chicago

Halloween meets Spring Awakening in this original horror rock musical. Lia feels out of place when her college roommate, Trish, makes her tag along for a cabin weekend with her old high school friends. Their fun-filled weekend becomes blood-soaked when a menacing killer starts slaughtering teens left and right. Navigating through young love, toxic relationships, […]

  • Audio Description
  • Touch Tour