Afford fave Elsie Croker on being a live music superfan and chasing her dream

Afford fave Elsie Croker on being a live music superfan and chasing her dream

Afford favourite Elsie Croker is passionate about a number of things. She loves her family. She’s mad about dogs. And she’s wild for live music. In fact, she loves live music so much that she refers to herself as a superfan and we’re here to tell you, she’s not wrong.

Elsie, who is in her late 20s, has spina bifida and is a wheelchair user. Given that, accessibility is sometimes an issue, but superfan Elsie gets to as many gigs as she possibly can.

“Being a wheelchair user is really hard,” admits Elsie.

“The world isn’t always made for us. It’s tough. But people with disability deserve the access that everyone else has.”

Music fan and Afford client Elsie Croker is a live gig superfan.

Making a change

Elsie’s determination to see people with disability fully included in the live music scene is one of the main reasons behind her podcast Inclusive Groove. The podcast focuses on live music and accessibility, spotlighting the barriers that people with disabilities often face when trying to enjoy performances.

Her hope is that Inclusive Groove will help raise awareness for the disability community, especially the music lovers, and that music venues might become more accessible as a result. Elsie is proud of herself for kicking off such a big project – and a little sad that access and the lack of it is still a thing.

“To be completely honest, I’m proud I’m doing this,” says Elsie, a member of Afford’s sector-leading Explore program.

“I’m raising awareness for the disability community and the music industry too. However, I feel like this shouldn’t be a topic we need to speak about …

“Accessibility should be at the forefront of what people think about. The difficult part is that a lot of venues can’t change or won’t change. That’s frustrating.”

Elsie says she hates using a wheelchair but she will not let it stop her from chasing her dream.

Meeting her heroes

Frustration aside, Elsie loves hosting Inclusive Groove. Doing so has allowed her to meet and interview some five-star rock gods (Julia Zemiro of Rockwiz and Paul Field of The Cockroaches for instance). Also, and perhaps more importantly, it has provided her with a platform on which to spread her message and to reach others.

“As much as I am a person in a wheelchair with a disability, which, I hate, I am still just a person … a person who deserves to have her voice heard and if this is the way to do it, then I will continue to do it,” says Elsie.

Inclusive Groove has provided the opportunity to meet some of her music heroes. It’s also given Elsie the chance to connect with other music lovers in a whole new way.

“When I’m out somewhere and someone says they’ve listened to my podcast and that they love it … well, that is the best,” she says.

Inclusive Groove is available via Acast and platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can even check it out via Linktr.ee. Plus, there’s a Facebook page and an Instagram account too. Elsie would love to see you there. Inclusive Groove is now coming up to its first anniversary and is building a community of fans which Elsie is deeply grateful for.

Elsie’s podcast Inclusive Groove is building a fan following and she’s loving every moment.

Chasing her dream

She is the first to admit it hasn’t been an easy project to pull together, but she has no regrets. She is chasing her dream. And, as she said, she is deeply proud for having pulled this off. And that’s something she wants others in the disability community to consider. If she can chase her dream, then so can you.

“You can do it,” says Elsie.

“Find people who are happy and passionate who can help you. They’re out there.”

And in terms of life with a disability in general? Well, Elsie has something to say about that too.

“Have your bad days but then know you are loved and keep moving forward,” she says.

“Remember good days happen too. Keep trying. You can hate having a disability but know even if you don’t see how awesome you are, someone else will and they will remind you of that, time and time again.”