My name is Mark Humphries aka Kray-Z Legz. I am a full-time wheelchair user born with spina bifida and I am a professional rap artist, producer and CEO of Kidmenace Studios. I was also selected as one of the Future Leaders of 2024/25 for Attitude is Everything.
I attended The Bristol Accessibility Afternoon at the amazing Bristol Beacon on Monday 17th November to shadow the lovely Lara and Alex from Attitude is Everything and take part in a Q&A session. The day started with a presentation from Lara and Alex about Attitude is Everything and the Live Events Access Charter which was very informative and had a lot of information for extra support regarding access for events and venues.
I then joined for a Q&A session with Lara and spoke about my experience as a Future Leader and about my experiences with access at live events. I was asked what is one thing that I would change if I could, so I mentioned “I wish viewing platforms were more inclusive and interactive with the crowd. I love to get right in there, but I must stress how vital quiet spaces are too.”
We then had a short break and afterwards were shown around the wonderful Lantern Hall at the Bristol Beacon which even had its own viewing platform. We then headed back to the meeting area and were divided into two groups to discuss and answer a great presentation and quiz around access at live venues and events. This was incredibly informative and a really helpful, positive, proactive way to get people thinking and working together to overcome the common obstacles faced surrounding access at events.
It helped me develop my public speaking skills and knowledge regarding disability advocacy for live events and venues. It was an incredible networking opportunity too and I think more meetings and workshops like this opportunity would be hugely beneficial and get a lot of interest.
The key thing I learnt was when everybody works in synchronisation, anything can be resolved. There is also a hunger for smaller venues and events to be more accessible as these struggle due to being in old inaccessible buildings. I also think the most important thing the organisations attending learnt was how just an extra little thought and being open minded and comfortable to have these discussions can really make a difference to make all spaces accessible.
Events like this help to create change by bringing the right people together and focusing all minds on the same subject. Different people have different experience and knowledge to share, and it gets everyone thinking about access in focus as it should be.
I would like to see industry standards be accessible in the first place – for example, all gates at festivals to be wide enough for power chairs. I would like to see viewing platforms that are more inclusive and interactive with the crowds to feel part of the magic. I would also love to see more role models in the music industry for young people with disabilities.
About Kray-Z Legz
Kray-Z Legz (real name Mark Humphries) is an independent British rap artist, producer and disability advocate from Somerset, UK. Born with spina bifida and a full-time wheelchair user, he began making music at a young age and channels his life experiences into his work, blending classic hip-hop influences with elements of drum & bass and electronic production.
Over the years Kray-Z Legz has performed across the UK at major festivals such as Boomtown and Wilderness, shared stages with artists including Coolio and collaborated with Snoop Dogg and Mic Righteous. He released his first EP in 2013 and has amassed significant streams on platforms like Spotify.
Kray-Z Legz is also known for his advocacy work. In 2021 he became a Global Youth Ambassador for disability charity Leonard Cheshire, using his profile to campaign for inclusion, accessibility and greater representation of disabled artists in the music industry.
