Accessibility is a word that is used a lot at the moment . It ’ s a word that the team at ROAR B2B , the organisers of Naidex ( National Accessibility , Inclusion & Disability Expo ) hear and use daily . But what does it really mean for us as event organisers and why is it important ?
Accessibility means that no one is excluded from an activity due to a disability . It means that people are empowered to live independently and will not be held back by poor design or delivery . It means fair and equal access for all .
There are currently around 14.7m people in the UK living with a disability - either hidden or visible . That ’ s roughly one in five of the population - a huge segment of society and for us as event organisers that ’ s a massive prospective visitor pool . That should be reason enough to have accessibility on your agenda , but when you consider that the global disability community represents an estimated $ 13trillion in spending power *, you realise it ’ s not just the right thing to do , but that it makes complete commercial sense too .
As Naidex is an event for the disability community , accessibility is central to every operational conversation we have , but there are several simple steps which other organisers can take as they plan their events too .
1 . If you have a steering group or advisory board then include members of the disability community on it . Direct feedback on what you can do better with regards to accessibility will be invaluable .
2 . Do you ask any questions regarding disability on your reg forms ? It will help you to plan if you understand any additional needs your attendees may have well in advance .
3 . Consider using sign language interpreters or subtitles in your theatres for deaf attendees and hearing loops for anyone with a visual impairment .
4 . Make sure that you always include
Accessibility all the way
Steve Clarke , managing director of the healthcare division at ROAR B2B , provides simple steps for making an event as accessible as possible
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5 . When designing your floorplans , consider wheelchair users – they may require wider aisles . Additionally , make sure that when planning your theatre layouts , you include allocated space for wheelchair users too .
6 . Long distance travel can be really challenging for people living with disabilities and will often require advanced planning . The more guidance you can provide pre-event , the better .
The list is by no means exhaustive but hopefully it provides some food for thought . The size of your event , the content , budget and location will have a bearing on what you can implement , but nothing on the list should be out of reach .
Ultimately , we all have a responsibility to ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of our planning , and every visitor should enjoy the same experience from the moment they register to the time they depart your show . EN * Statistics provided by purpletuesday . co
58 — December