Lily Lipman (all the pronouns!) is a queer disabled activist who uses creativity, art, imagination, humor, and friendship to create disabled centered access in cultural spaces. With a belief that access is generative rather than supplementary, Lily centers co-creation, organizing, relationship building, and access dreaming in their practice. Their goal is to make access work a more artistic and intentional experience created by and for disabled folks.
They began their career in the arts after graduating from NYU with a BFA in Acting; pursuing roles in theater, film, and TV. Additionally, they used their minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Studies and a concentration in Applied Theatre to work in education for a variety of institutions. While in NYU and in the years after graduating they experienced the ableism of the theater and arts industry. After working in a variety of cultural institutions and artistic projects they found that this ableism extends to audience members, workers, and artists. Their unique background enables them to integrate storytelling, dynamic conversation, and play in their activism; understanding that joy and curiosity are essential in order to reimagine a more inclusive world.
Because accessibility is an enormous field, Lily’s work often can take many different forms. Currently, Lily is the Accessibility Advocate for Emit Theatre where they make Emit’s immersive productions for children more accessible for everyone participating. Previously, Lily worked at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts where they ran the Lincoln Center Moments program for folks with Dementia and their caregivers. They've worked throughout NYC as an access worker and educator for cultural institutions including the Leslie Lohman Museum, New York City Children’s Theatre, Green-Wood Cemetery, and the Museum Access Consortium. For a full list of experiences, feel free to continue exploring this website or reach out to connect with them.