AUTUMN | FEATURE
Sustainable accessibility at events
Live music accessibility charity Attitude is Everything has partnered with sustainability groups Julie ’ s Bicycle and A Greener Future on a research programme that examines how access to live music events for disabled people can become environmentally sustainable . Its organisers tell AAA why it is necessary and what ’ s involved
Words : Joe Gallop
Attitude is Everything ( AIE ) founder Suzanne Bull MBE says the idea of engaging disabled people more with environmental solutions came about during lockdown when she feared for the disabled community being “ left behind ” in sustainability conversations .
“ I felt the disabled community was being pitted against people who were really fighting for better climate change solutions . I felt there was a danger of disabled people being left behind , and they already were because the pandemic had a very drastic impact on the disabled community .”
She says solutions that enable accessibility and support environmental sustainability can
Suzanne Bull
“ often oppose one another ”, which the programme in collaboration with Julie ’ s Bicycle and A Greener Future ( AGF ) aims to resolve . It follows AIE ’ s collaboration with Black Lives in Music ( BLIM ) on the Unseen Unheard report , which found that 91 % of Black disabled creators and professionals were unsatisfied with how they are supported by the music industry .
The latest programme will provide the music and live events sectors with a toolkit containing practical solutions and case studies on how to make live music events for disabled
people more environmentally sustainable . With funding from Arts Council England , the first edition of the toolkit will be published in early 2024 .
“ There ’ s no point keep saying this is the issue if you aren ’ t going to resolve it . Climate change is happening now , it ’ s not into the future , it was yesterday . And disabled people can be a key part of that ,” says Bull .
She says disabled people ’ s access can be affected or even degraded by environmental policies , with disabled people often not included in conversations , planning and implementation of environmental policies , despite being one of the communities that are “ disproportionately affected by climate change ”.
“ At the moment it doesn ’ t seem as though we ’ ve got a say in it ,” says Bull . “ There are little pockets of this work around but nothing joined up , that ’ s what this project is seeking to do . The two things shouldn ’ t be mutually exclusive , we can find solutions ,
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