PICTURED: Suzanne Bull says music venues are missing out on customers
JUST days after pop legend Stevie Wonder called for greater access for disabled people, a report has revealed how those with disabilities are being excluded from gigs and festivals by the UK music industry.
The blind singer-songwriter light-heartedly said at this year’s Grammys that the winner’s name had been written in Braille for him, before calling for greater consideration for disabled people.
“We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability,” he said.
But Suzanne Bull, the chief executive of UK music campaign group Attitude is Everything (AIE) and a wheelchair user, said UK festivals and venues were failing to give adequate information on accessibility and would lose out on “the purple pound” – the custom of disabled people.
“If a venue or festival doesn’t provide any access information, I’ll go and spend my money somewhere that the information is really clear,” she said.
The group’s study of 251 live music venues and 135 festivals, backed by Arts Council England, found that many failed to provide adequate information on access for people with disabilities.
Among independent venues, 69% gave no prior details at all and 50% of the remainder offered information described by the report as “poor”.
Fans recounted stories of being ordered out of disabled toilets for taking too long, having their vital medical equipment subjected to searches and being doubted by staff over their need for a raised platform because they were not wheelchair users.
In its report, AIE said there was a clear need for “universal guidance” on disabled access across the industry.
Key finding include:
- One in three live music events has no access information available on their website for deaf and disabled people;
- Two out of three disabled music fans couldn’t find the information they needed online and 60% were put off buying tickets as a result;
- Two out of three independent venues provide no access information;
- Less than one in five of websites surveyed provide ‘good’ access information.
Suzanne Bull added: “Evidence suggests that many will not risk attending an event if they are unsure about access facilities.
“Signing up to Attitude is Everything’s Access Starts Online initiative is something all live music businesses can do. Working together, we can make the UK’s live music sector the most accessible in the world.”
Glastonbury Festival’s Emily Eavis, who wrote the report’s foreword, said: “Glastonbury Festival has always prided itself on being an event that is open and inclusive.
“In 2005, we realised that we needed help to improve our offering to deaf and disabled customers to ensure that this was the case, so we reached out to Attitude is Everything for advice and guidance.
“We now welcome more than 600 deaf and disabled customers to each festival, alongside having over 100 deaf and disabled crew members working on the event itself.
“We are also very proud to have become the first camping festival in the UK to be awarded the gold standard of the Charter of Best Practice.”
www.attitudeiseverything.org.uk
