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

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago

A journey of self-discovery leads to salvation in this major revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s masterwork. On the heels of Gem of the Ocean (2022), expert August Wilson interpreter Chuck Smith revives the second work in the famed American Century Cycle—one of Wilson’s best-loved, most compelling plays. Herald Loomis searches the country with his young […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning
  • Open Captions
  • Pay What You Can
  • Wheelchair Accessible

7NMS | Marjani Forté-Saunders and Everett Saunders, Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

A multi-genre storytelling project about the life journey of a lyricist, Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist illuminates the distinctive practices, systems, philosophies, and political ideologies that have shaped hip-hop’s emcees and lyricists. Combining craft, prose, oration, and exposé, the work presents the coming-of-age story of an emcee, immersing audiences in a world of courage, […]

  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • Low Lighting
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Sensory Friendly

Composers with Disabilities and Momenta Dance at UIC Student Center East!

UIC Student Center East 750 S Halsted St, Chicago

This Mother's Day weekend, celebrate the art of composers with disabilities from around the world! This program, presented in collaboration with the UIC Disability Cultural Center, is free and open to everyone. It includes the world premiere of "Consolation of Persephone," created in collaboration with Momenta Dance Company, with choreography commissioned of Connor Cornelius, music […]

  • Captioning
  • Digital Documents Available
  • In Person
  • Pay What You Can
  • Wheelchair Accessible

The Odyssey at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Chicago Shakespeare Theater 800 E. Grand Ave, Chicago

Set sail for an adventure like no other, full of twists and turns. Together we’ll meet indulgent Lotus Eaters and seductive Sirens who test our focus, and face terrifying monsters who test our wit and our courage. As we follow Odysseus on his Journey, the ensemble reflects on choice and agency and the hero in […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning
  • Digital Documents Available
  • In Person
  • Masks Required
  • Pay What You Can
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Family Day | Migration Stories at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Join us to celebrate the last Family Day of the season! Sueños Music Festival will be raffling two pairs of tickets for the Sueños Music Festival event. Join us as we bring together incredible local artists for a day of workshops and interactive experiences. Salvador Andrade will be leading a collaborative workshop using found objects […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • Closed Captions
  • Free Event
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago

A journey of self-discovery leads to salvation in this major revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s masterwork. On the heels of Gem of the Ocean (2022), expert August Wilson interpreter Chuck Smith revives the second work in the famed American Century Cycle—one of Wilson’s best-loved, most compelling plays. Herald Loomis searches the country with his young […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description

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 the seminal documentary Afro-Punk (2003), creation of the Afro Punk Festival, and a graphic memoir, The High Desert. In this book, Spooner shares his experience […]

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

Talk | Roundtable on Virginia Jaramillo at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

In celebration of the opening of Virginia Jaramillo: Principle of Equivalence, join us for a roundtable conversation on Jaramillo’s profound commitment to abstraction with the exhibition’s originating curator, Erin Dziedzic, Catherine Morris, Sackler Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, and Iris Colburn, MCA Curatorial Associate. Please […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Closed Captions
  • Spanish captioning
  • 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 2020: “We have black children. I have a 15-year-old daughter. I mean, what do I tell her?” Four years later, Sellers has an answer to […]

  • 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 tragic downfall of a young courtesan. Managing Director Nicole Wiesner and Resident Choreographer Miguel Long team up again to direct this reimagination, first produced at […]

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

Talk | Access Praxis: Ariella Granados at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

About Bodies of Work Bodies of Work is a consortium of four programs at three Chicago organizations that share a commitment to programming that is distinguished by its integration of disability artistry, academics, and activism: Program on Disability Art, Culture, and Humanities and the Disability Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Disability […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning

A Year with Frog and Toad at Chicago Children’s Theatre

Chicago Children's Theatre 100 S Racine Ave, Chicago
Event Series A Year with Frog and Toad

Children’s author and illustrator Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters hop from the page to the stage in the Tony-nominated musical A Year With Frog And Toad, based on his popular children’s book that follows two best friends – the cheerful, popular Frog and grumpy, but lovable Toad – through four fun-filled seasons. A YEAR WITH FROG […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Touch Tour
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Sensory-Friendly Morning at Lincoln Park Zoo

LIncoln Park Zoo 2400 N Cannon Drive, Chicago

On Sunday, April 28 from 8-10am, Lincoln Park Zoo is offering Sensory-Friendly Morning hours for guests with disabilities, chronicle illness, or Deaf to experience the zoo grounds and animal buildings in a comfortable and inclusive environment. Modifications include limited capacity and muted attractions. This is a free event. Register for FREE tickets HERE. During Sensory-Friendly […]

  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Sensory Friendly

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

Laura Ortman, Smoke Rings Shimmers Endless Blur at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist Laura Ortman performs two evenings of live, solo, multimedia concerts. Informed by her practice as a sculptor and installation artist, Ortman bridges the gap between music and fine art in her performances, describing her musical approach as “sculpting sound.” An accomplished violinist, her work encompasses a variety of textures and atmospheres […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • 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

Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin – A Play with Music at Writers Theatre

Nichols Theatre 325 Tudor Ct, Glencoe

Days after the February 1848 revolution, Fryderyk Chopin is teaching a piano lesson in Paris. Set in the Polish pianist-composer’s intimate salon, Chopin shares with his students secrets about the piano and secrets about himself—as well as playing some of his most beautiful and enduring compositions. In a tour de force performance, virtuoso actor/pianist Hershey […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Captioning
  • Digital Documents Available
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Dance Residency Open Studio Series with Keisha Janae at Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St., Chicago

Soulfully rooted in playful praise, this Praise House Language workshop will be a creative circle of expression with testimonials, dance, art-making and song. Through a guided process that centers care, participants of all experiences and backgrounds are able to step into the rehearsal process being used to develop "Praise House Ceremony". The workshop facilitation is […]

  • Free Event
  • In Person

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

Learning Series | The Impact of Food Apartheid in Education Part 3 at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Gardening, not Architecture Throughout the year, the MCA hosts high-quality professional development programming, open to teachers of all subjects, grade levels, and disciplines. These events are educator-specific, skills-based, training on contemporary art integration. Programs are designed in connection with the cultural assets of the MCA and the needs of the Chicago area educators. In keeping […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • Wheelchair Accessible

A Year with Frog and Toad at Chicago Children’s Theatre

Chicago Children's Theatre 100 S Racine Ave, Chicago
Event Series A Year with Frog and Toad

Children’s author and illustrator Arnold Lobel’s beloved characters hop from the page to the stage in the Tony-nominated musical A Year With Frog And Toad, based on his popular children’s book that follows two best friends – the cheerful, popular Frog and grumpy, but lovable Toad – through four fun-filled seasons. A YEAR WITH FROG […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Touch Tour
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin – A Play with Music at Writers Theatre

Nichols Theatre 325 Tudor Ct, Glencoe

Days after the February 1848 revolution, Fryderyk Chopin is teaching a piano lesson in Paris. Set in the Polish pianist-composer’s intimate salon, Chopin shares with his students secrets about the piano and secrets about himself—as well as playing some of his most beautiful and enduring compositions. In a tour de force performance, virtuoso actor/pianist Hershey […]

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

CineYouth 2024: Chicago Lens at Facets

FACETS 1517 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago

Watch the city breathe life into the stories of ten local young filmmakers. From documentaries to music videos, this program represents the city’s long-term love affair with art and culture. Please note: Films in this program contain themes, images, and language that may not be suitable for all ages. Virtual Screening Available to stream globally […]

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

Samita Sinha, Tremor at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Tremor is artist and composer Samita Sinha’s latest performance work. In the piece, Sinha explores what she describes as “the practice of attuning oneself to the raw material of vibration and its emergence in space, as well as unfolding the possibilities that arise from encounters between this sonic material and other individuals.” Tremor is born […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Audio Description
  • Captioning

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

Dance Residency Open Studio Series with Drew Lewis / House of DOV at Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St., Chicago

Join House of DOV in the Dance Studio for an intimate view of the rehearsal process and participate in the creation of a new work by Drew Lewis with live music by Family Junket. Drew Lewis (he/him) is a performer, choreographer, composer and educator originally from Oak Park, IL. He graduated magna cum laude from Cornish […]

  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Low Lighting
  • Sensory Friendly

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

PURPOSE at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago

For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home to Illinois with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning […]

  • Open Captions

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

The Verge AI Sessions: AI and Humans at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

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

The proliferation of artificial intelligence tools has created a flood of AI-generated content online, much of it spammy, inaccurate, or even abusive. In her coverage, The Verge reporter Mia Sato documents how generative AI is being used to accelerate the production of junk online and entrench existing disparities around art and labor. She’ll offer primers […]

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

Joy-Ann Reid at First United Methodist Church

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

Joy-Ann Reid, host of MSNBC’s The ReidOut and best-selling author, chronicles the lives of civil rights icons Medgar and Myrlie Evers. Myrlie Louise Beasley met Medgar Evers in college, forging an instant connection that culminated in marriage a year later, prompting her to leave school to prioritize their growing family. Medgar, an NAACP field secretary, […]

  • 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

Politics of Poetics: CAConrad

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago
Event Series Puerto Rican Archives: Preserving Community Memory

About the Event Join us for a reading with poet CAConrad in celebration of the new series Politics of Poetics. ASL and CART captioning are provided. About the Series Politics of Poetics is a new quarterly program series held in the MCA’s Edlis Neeson Theater that highlights today’s leading poets whose practices traverse the political […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning
  • Spanish captioning
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Dance Residency Open Studio Series with Helen Lee / Momentum Sensorium at Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St., Chicago

Curiosities of Wellness in Bodies of Grief and Joy Glimpse into the rehearsal process of building choreography in the round for 7 dancers. While this work currently has several sections from 2 previous iterations, this open rehearsal (with possible audience participation) will focus on a new section. Join us as we stumble along together to […]

  • Free Event
  • In Person

Play For All at Chicago Children’s Museum

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

Chicago Children's Museum's Play for All initiative creates a community where play and learning connect for visitors of all abilities. Play for All invites children and families with disabilities to come and experience CCM's inclusive, multisensory exhibits and programs. The museum will open at 10 a.m. for pre-registered children and families with disabilities and CCM […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Free Event
  • In Person
  • Open Captions
  • Quiet Spaces
  • 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

PURPOSE at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago

For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home to Illinois with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning […]

  • Open Captions

David Lamelas: This Is My Place

Gene Siskel Film Center 164 N State St, Chicago

About the Event This Is My Place is a fictional documentary about the itinerant life and conceptual artwork of artist David Lamelas, whose sculpture Situacíon de cuatro placas de aluminio (Four Changeable Plaques) (1966), is currently on view in Endless. Commissioned by the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), the film features Lamelas […]

  • ASL Interpreted

Justice Stephen Breyer at Francis W. Parker School

Francis W. Parker School 330 W Webster Ave, IL

Honorably serving for twenty-eight years as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer challenges the textualist philosophy of the court’s supermajority with insightful analysis and arguments for a more nuanced view of Constitutional interpretation. Emphasizing the consequential impacts of major legal decisions, Breyer upends the prevailing textualism approach as outlined in his book Reading the Constitution: […]

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

The Penelopiad at Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre 170 N Dearborn St, Chicago

An unexpected remix of Homer’s The Odyssey, told by the celebrated and subversive author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale). It’s her turn. Penelope has waited 20 years for her husband to return from the Trojan War. Now, as authorial control shifts to Odysseus’ long-suffering wife—and the 12 faithful maids who have long tended to her—we […]

  • Open Captions

Sensory-Friendly Morning

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the MCA without large crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes visitors with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, dementia, and more. On these mornings, lighting at the museum is dimmed, sounds from artworks and environmental noise is kept at a minimum, […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning
  • Closed Captions
  • Free Event
  • Hybrid Program
  • Low Lighting
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Sensory Friendly

Sensory-Friendly Morning at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the MCA without large crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes visitors with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, dementia, and more. On these mornings, lighting at the museum is dimmed, sounds from artworks and environmental noise is kept at a minimum, […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Free Event
  • Low Lighting
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

FORCE! An Opera in Three Acts at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago

This is an opera, but what is an opera? If opera is defined simply as “big work,” what could be blacker? FORCE! features a live band that blends gospel, folk, pop, and jazz, with experimental dance, song, and the spoken word. As the work unfolds, characters reveal layered interiors creating a strange sisterhood with the […]

  • Audio Description
  • Captioning