Meghan Sivani-Merrigan, Accessibility Consultant and Auditor

Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Meghan is the founder of Apex Arts Access and creator of the Better Backstages Accessibility Toolkit. Her father, who was a special education teacher the founder of Halifax’s Peak Audio, taught her the value of both community and technical precision from an early age. She brings over two decades of combined experience in the music industry as a touring musician, live sound engineer, festival organizer, promoter, venue bartender, and former co-owner and operator of a Montreal live music venue.

That ground-level experience, combined with lived experience with disability, gives her an expert understanding of how spaces operate from Front-of-House to Back-of-House, along with a sharp eye for the barriers faced by artists, patrons, and staff.

Rooted in years of facilitating community workshops, including training domestic violence and crisis responders to better support disabled people and recognize systemic, domestic, and police violence, and following her auditor training through Eastern Front Theatre’s Accessibility Project, Meghan founded Apex Arts Access and created the Better Backstages Accessibility Toolkit to support the arts community she loves.

Hand Cream @ Rialto, Montreal. Meghan plays her favourite guitar, a 1950’s Harmony Stratotone.