Access Advice
Helping arts organisations with access
Photo by Tom Arber – touch tour for Madame Butterfly, Opera North, 2018
I worked for Opera North organising their access performances from 2013 to 2023, during which time I;
- Built up a pool of local providers for audio description, signing and captioning
- Scripted and recorded audio introductions for productions
- Developed and managed their first full-length dementia friendly opera
- Developed and managed their first relaxed performance in the Howard Assembly Room
- Co-created their in-house audio description and captioning styles and methods
- Developed their first ever pre-recorded audio description for the UK tour of Parsifal in June 2022
Access advice
If you’re looking to make your product or service more accessible, the most important thing is to diagnose where you’re being inaccessible by asking people with lived experience of disability. There are plenty of consultants out there, and you can ask your own customers for their thoughts, either in focus groups, or via feedback forms. But with some kind of payment or payment in kind for their time.
Once you’ve diagnosed what needs doing, I am very happy to share the knowledge I have to improve accessibility with quick, easy and cost-effective wins.
My top tips are: just do it, talk about access right at the very start of any project, work locally, use technology and most importantly, communicate with your audience. And have a listen to my Podcast where you can hear from experts in the field.
Book in a free thirty minute chat with me to talk about your project.
Email [email protected]
Read my article on Making Family Shows Accessible
Making Family Shows Accessible article – August 5, 2023
Access Training
I provide training for theatres talking about all aspects of access performances, usually to teams of front of house, technical and visitor experience staff. These can range from 1.5 – 3 hours with hands-on team work involved.
Access Consultant
I have provided consultancy services to theatre design companies keen to find out about accessibility and how it impacts theatre design and usability. I also spoke as part of a panel at PLASA in London (September 2024) on Access Technology in Theatres, alongside a Theatre Design Architect, a representative from the technology company Ampetronics, a Sound Designer and Accessibility Expert and Head of Sound at the Royal Ballet and Opera.
Email [email protected]