Access is everything

In December last year, Attitude is Everything published the first ever comprehensive report into access to the UK’s live music venues. Based on two years of research into the accessibility of over 100 music venues UK-wide, the State of Access Report covers the experiences of disabled and Deaf mystery shoppers at venues ranging from small pubs to large arenas between 2009 and 2011. It examines views and approaches to access across the music industry and sets out recommendations to ensure that all venues follow best practice. In particular, it includes suggestions for an ‘Event Standard’ which all venues should meet.

To the relief of venue owners, the Report’s findings suggest that expensive solutions aren’t always required to combat the main issues plaguing their Deaf and disabled patrons: clarity of information is one of the main barriers to attending. Less than two-thirds of the access information provided to the mystery shoppers was found to correctly represent the facilities at the venues audited. Clearly, such misinformation can place a disabled person in needlessly difficult situations. Furthermore, only 56% of venues had a two-for-one ticketing scheme for disabled attenders, making price a further barrier to attending for many.

Improving the facilities of currently so-called ‘accessible’ venues is also a priority though. Only just over half of those audited were found to have step-free access throughout, meaning that access to toilets or the bar is in some cases extremely difficult for disabled people, even if they can enter the venue through step-free entrances. Improving access facilities actually makes hard economic sense for the owners. Disabled people make up 20% of the UK working population, and a business can expand its customer base by making a venue accessible throughout. When Glastonbury Festival began to improve its access facilities, the number of disabled attenders increased from 195 in 2007 to over 700 in 2011, and attenders at Reading and Leeds Festivals have increased by over 25% a year through our partnership with Festival Republic.

Under current Equality Law, disabled people must receive an equal experience to their non-disabled peers, meaning venues must actively work towards eradicating these inequalities. With this in mind, a Charter of Best Practice has been created to help the music industry understand the requirements of Deaf and disabled people at music venues and festivals, and build equality into the strategic thinking for events instead of providing access facilities as an after-thought. KOKO and the Roundhouse have already signed up to the Charter, along with festivals such as Lovebox, Latitude and Reading Festival. The evidence in the State of Access report proves the need for the music industry to adopt the Charter as an Event Standard in access. Scotland is ahead of the field here. In October 2011 it changed its entertainment licensing laws to make access a condition that music venues must meet to qualify for entertainment licences. In England and Wales, there is a need for a coalition of supportive music venues, key festival organisers, local authorities and Licensing Officers to join together to lobby for this. Attitude is Everything will be leading from the front.