Circus Meets Accessibility at PSCA

PSCA is offering a free Accessible Circus Community Workshop on April 17th from 4:30-6:00 pm

About the Workshop

Perfect for people who identify with the Disability, Deafness, or hard-of hearing, Blindness, partially sighted, or low vision, Madness, Neurodiversity, Fatness and/or Older Adults communities, or anyone who would benefit from fluid class structures and an emphasis on exploring individualized and accessible pathways to movement.  

The PSCA believes that circus is for everybody and has prioritized training staff and coaches to develop and create inclusive, accessible, and adaptive practices for our circus community. We invite you into this welcoming space while our staff work in collaboration with Circus Artist and Coach Erin Ball of Kingston Circus Arts and LEGacy Circus to develop this workshop and create pathways for circus for everyone who is interested in trying. 

If you experience barriers in the sign up process or if you are unable to attend this date and are still interested, please email our Accessibility Coordinator, Sarah Tuberty: Sarah@Phillycircus.com

What to Expect

There will be opportunities to explore movement with sling, trapeze, balance, and juggling. Movements are self selected and choice in activities is promoted and encouraged. Staff have just completed training in exploring pathways to create movement with an apparatus while building community, they will be working in partnership with you to explore and create movement, applying principles learned in training. 

There will be options for various sensory activities such as going upside down, being enclosed in a fabric, interacting with manipulatives, and exploring balance. There may be spaces of pressure and squeezing then release, bodies in positions maybe not typical to daily routines, and interactions with new items. These are all opportunities with choice and empowerment for individuals to engage as they wish. 

After the class there will be moments of sharing feedback through experiences, thoughts and feelings. A survey will be sent as a platform to anonymously share feedback on things individuals liked and ways that PSCA can be more accessible. Feedback is greatly valued and appreciated.

Access Notes 

  • Accessible parking in parking lot
  • Wheelchair accessible door entrance
  • Gender neutral bathrooms on main level (bathrooms are large enough to accommodate a wheelchair but do not have accessible height toilets, sinks or mirrors and do not have grab bars)
  • Caregivers are welcome 
  • Service animals are welcome 
  • Vaccines are required at this time and proof of vaccination will need to be emailed to info@phillycircus.com
  • Masks are required indoors, mask breaks are encouraged 
  • The circus school campus will be exclusively used for this workshop
  • Water fountains are available
  • Comfortable and tighter fitting exercise clothing is preferred
  • This workshop is open to individuals 16+ **youth programming is coming soon.