AUTUMN | FEATURE
“ Disability access must be a key part of how we design climate solutions .”
Teresa Moore Farah Ahmed
but we can ’ t find them on our own . We need to work with Julie ’ s Bicycle and AGF , because they ’ re the climate change solutions , and we have the keys to the access solutions .”
Bull says the charity has also gained support from lead singer of indie rock band Mystery Jets , Blaine Harrison , who is disabled : “ Blaine also understands the juxtapositions that come with some of this . It can ’ t all just come down to plastic straws and bottles , there ’ s got to be more to this . Hopefully his support will mean we reach more people .”
AIE has asked AGF to identify three different scales and types of festival in the UK and include accessibility related questions in their survey . AGF will launch the toolkit with a panel of experts discussing it at its Green Events & Innovations conference ( GEI ) in February .
AGF director Teresa Moore says , “ Accessibility has always been an important part of A Greener Future ’ s assessments and certification . We ’ re very happy to be able to dig even deeper with this new project and together with Attitude is Everything
and Julie ’ s Bicycle , develop solutions which meet the challenge of access for all which is also environmentally friendly .”
Julie ’ s Bicycle , meanwhile , will conduct a survey for artists , audience members , volunteers and event professionals to identify what some of the barriers are around access and sustainability . The charity will also host roundtables in the Autumn to explore the topic in more depth .
Julie ’ s Bicycle climate justice lead Farah Ahmed says , “ We can ’ t have solutions that are leaving whole communities and swathes of people out of the conversation . For us this is an opportunity to do something that isn ’ t already out there . Disability access must be a key part of how we design climate solutions and orient our world towards justice . It is the embodiment of care and solidarity in practice .”
Ahmed says the programme has been well received by the industry : “ There ’ s no one who can argue that this is needed . There ’ s already been questions that have come up that a lot of people don ’ t consider in their day-to-day work , because the way you normally do things isn ’ t always the most accessible or the most environmentally friendly . This is a good opportunity for us as a sector to collectively unlearn all of that and think about what it means to do things differently . We ’ ve reached a point where this work is inevitable and has to be done .”
Bull adds , “ Over 23 years , Attitude is Everything has proved that you don ’ t have to always do things in the same way when there are probably better and more creative solutions out there .
“ I think there will be new and creative solutions found that some of us have never even thought about before – no matter how much expertise us three organisations have . That ’ s why you need to open the conversation out to everyone . There ’ s no point pitting communities of people or different sectors of work in creative industries against one another - we all have to come together .
“ This is a universal thing that is going to drastically change our lives , no matter who we are .”
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