ACCESSIBILITY

Accessibility is about making your event or activities accessible by as many people as possible. A common misunderstanding is that making your event accessible means just focusing on ensuring disabled people can find out and come along. In real terms, it is also about allowing access by as many people regardless of their age, background, or experience.

ISAN Access Toolkit
The Independent Street Arts Network (ISAN) Access Toolkit is packed with useful information, and examples of ways you can improve access for Deaf and disabled audiences at your festivals and events. All areas are covered, from marketing to facilities, from stewarding to programming and much more.

Many of the measures you can take don't cost a bean, and all of the advice in the toolkit will help you encourage attendance and improve access for the audience members you might not even know you were excluding.

Download your copy of the Access Toolkit at www.streetartsnetwork.org.uk

GET A PLAN - Physical Access For Outdoors Events.Read section on Carnivals. The 'Get A Plan' website suggests that outdoor events can pose considerable access barriers for disabled people - both as performers and audience members. Where carnivals involve procession routes, consideration needs to be given as to the length of route. A long route is not in itself discriminatory, if consideration is given to how different people might respond and travel along it. Access to information is key here, so that people are sure what they are committing to, when agreeing to take part. Read more on: Action for Access: a practical resource for arts organisations (2005).

It has information on a wide range of areas, including:

• Disability Discrimination Act
• Meeting Access requirements
• Employing people with disabilities
• Communication (inc. accessible communication by web & print)
• Monitoring
• Language & terminology to use
• Customer care

Disability Discrimination Act is the first legislation in the United Kingdom to address the issue of discrimination against people with disabilities. The Act protects disabled people in areas such as employment, access to goods, facilities and services and education.

You can read more by clicking here and also find out about your rights and obligations as service providers using this Direct.gov website list.

Somerset Total Communication (STC)
STC can communicate written information to people with learning or communication needs in Somerset. It can also provide a signing CD and other resources. Contact: Louise Lisle on stc@somerset.gov.uk or visit website

Shape Arts
Shape Arts: disabled and deaf people and the arts, have an online resources section that also includes a 'rough guide to access to work' which is a guide for employees and employers in the arts and creative industries. Access to Work initiative may be able to provide funding that can support deaf and disabled people in the workplace. Click here to visit website.

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Carnivals offer a great opportunity for families to participate in and enjoy a rich variety of arts experiences. These experiences can become embedded in a family's personal history and through that, can lead young people to develop a lifelong relationship with your organisation and with the arts.

Ensuring that your work is accessible to families is therefore another issue to consider when planning your work and event.

Arts Council England: Family Friendly Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to support arts organisations wishing to make a commitment to families, making it easier for families to take part in the arts, as audiences and participants

RNIB (supporting blind and partially-sighted people)
Useful publication: See It Right
http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/publicWebsite/public_seeitright.hcsp

RNID Information and resources for deaf and hard of hearing people, their families, friends and employers, and professionals.
Factsheets and information: http://www.rnid.org.uk/information_resources/factsheets/communication/factsheets_leaflets/

USEFUL LINKS

Kaleido
http://www.kaleidoarts.org/
Kaleido is the South West Disability Arts Development Agency.

Arts Access UK
http://artsaccessuk.org/
provides listings of accessible venues

Shape
http://www.shapearts.org.uk/
Shape is the country's leading disability arts organisation. Shape aims to improve access to the arts for deaf and disabled people.

Disability Cultural Projects (DCP) CIC
http://www.disabilityarts.info
Aims to further the cultural equality of Deaf and Disabled people & Deaf and Disability arts practice in the UK, and to evolve new approaches to the way these are delivered.

Disability and Deaf Arts (DaDa)
http://www.dadahello.com

DIVERSITY
It is important to remember that making your work accessible does not stop at those attending your event, but those who might be interested in working with or for you. Making sure your organisation is diverse requires long-term commitment.
Respond: A practical resource for developing a race equality action plan. Respond is a resource to help regularly funded organisations develop a race equality action plan. The publication may help other arts organisations look at how they approach race equality.