LOS ANGELES, CA — As a longtime musician living with obsessive compulsive disorder, Alexander Millar knows that navigating venues, shows and events can be a challenge for those with disabilities and other differences.
“Every concert that I’ve ever played and been to prioritizes neurotypical and abled folks. If the place has any ADA compliant stuff, the wheelchair users are shuffled into a corner,” Millar told Patch. “As someone with OCD, the idea of sharing a microphone with someone is horrifying — I’ve always brought my own.”
That’s why they created Neuronite, the Friday event billed as Los Angeles’ first mini festival designed around the needs of LGBTQ people, those with disabilities and other communities who often face barriers in public spaces. The free event’s name is a nod to “neurotypical” and “neurodivergence,” concepts that frame learning disabilities, mental illness and other neurological conditions as human differences, rather than deficiencies.
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“I wanted to create a mini festival centering the needs of the neurodiverse and the disabled community both on and off stage,” Millar said. “All the performers are neurodivergent.”
That will include music and other performances, a drag MC and DJ sets in between acts, which include Frankie Simone, VATTICA (aka Millar), Élishia Sharie and Frankie Simone, as well as vendors, food and merchants.
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The space is crafted with an eye toward inclusivity, Millar said. Different areas with a range of levels of sensory stimulation, such as quiet spaces with comfortable couches and a decompression area, will be available, which could be helpful for someone with Autism, for example.
An ASL interpreter will help open up the performances to a wider audience and wheelchair users won’t be relegated to a far-flung corner, Millar said.
For those unable to make it in person, the event will be live-streamed online in an aim to bring the experience to as wide an audience as possible.
And Millar said they’re proud of particularly strict COVID-19 protocols: Attendees will be required to wear N-95 masks (they’ll be available on site, too).
Neuronite is being put on in partnership with the CA Creative Corps, with grant support from the California Arts Council.
Millar said they hope Neuronite can help serve as a model of inclusivity for arts events.
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“If this can be proven as a sustainable model … I want it to be able to be replicated not just in the states but overseas,” they said.
Neuronite takes place Friday from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at 3816 Medford St. in Los Angeles.
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