ACCESS ALL AREASRicky BryanMarketing ManagerTwitter: @rickydbryan

ACCESS ALL AREAS

ACCESS ALL AREAS• Why is access important?• The legislative environment• Access audits• Mobility impaired• Blind and vision impaired• Deaf and hearing impaired• Other issues• Tips and Tricks

• Access is becoming an increasingly important issue in society and government– the NDIS and COAG• Most Govt funded arts orgs have

a mission to appeal to ALL their constituents• Source of a loyal paying

audience

WHY ACCESS?

WHY ACCESS?• ABS stats say the 4 million

Australians currently have a disability of some sort• Over half of all Australian aged over

60 have a disability• There are 2.6 million carers of people

with a disability in Australia• 2.9% have a profound disability this

number projected to grow by 70% by 2031• Its an audience and it’s growing

• Access is becoming an increasingly important issue in society and government– the NDIS and COAG agreement• Most Govt funded arts orgs have a

mission to appeal to ALL their constituents• Good Government and corporate PR• Source of a loyal paying audience• Because it’s the RIGHT thing to do

• Social isolation

WHY ACCESS?

THE RULES• The rules are complex and varied

and are dictated by agencies such as:• The Federal Government• State Government• Council Governments• The LPA code of conduct• The UN Universal declaration of

Human Rights• Too complex for most people to

get a grip on – so what do you do?

ACCESS AUDIT• Independent assessment • Ensure current legal compliance• Identify any gaps• Benchmark against best practice

(above and beyond base compliance)• Provision of a real actual physical

report to help guide you along the way• http://

www.accessauditsaustralia.com.au/aaa_contact.aspx 

MOBILITY IMPAIRED• Entry & Egress• Ramps to seats• Dedicated wheelchair spaces

• At all feasible price points?• Access to back of house and admin for staff, crew and performers• Lower counter level at box office and bar• Toilets• Special ticketing requests – aisle seats, no steps, you’ve had these – and policies to deal with them

VISION IMPAIRED• Website suitability for large print

and text reader applications• Large print and Braille publications

such as season brochures• Box Office and foyer environment –

tape on steps, Braille permanent signs, step lighting inside theatres.• Tactile tours• Audio described performances• Ticketing requests – near the front

VISION IMPAIRED

• Audio description – image courtesy of QPAC

HEARING IMPAIRED• Foyer and box office loops• Amplified speeches eg: Opening

nights• Loops and/or headsets in auditoriums

• Box office ability to reserve headsets or iPods for captions when booking tickets and other loan policies

• Caption performances• Special seating for optimal viewing

• Signed performances for the Deaf• Again special seating for optimal

viewing

HEARING IMPAIRED• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=VvxYlduBBUUImage: Sue Daw, courtesy of the Canberra Times

OTHER ISSUES• Haze, Strobe and Smoke effects

• Policies to communicate these to patrons and refunds?

• Carer seats/Companion Card• Website accessibility • Staff and board diversity • Marketing the services

• Produce an Access brochure, distribute it, make community connections, promote service on show material and ads, do some PR, signage

• IMAGES OF BROCHURE ETC

ON STAGE DIVERSITYLEADERS • Back to Back

- Ganesh vs the Third Reich and Laserbeak Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=e9u58rEhbSk• Australian Theatre of the Deaf• No Strings Attached Theatre Company• ISSUES:

• Non-disabled people in disabled roles.• Ability-blind casting

TIPS AND TRICKS• Any headset or special loan equipment should be subject to a pre-show test routine.• Think about how to best manage the set asides for carer seats, wheelchair spaces, caption viewing and the like.• Remember wheelchair seats when enacting prestige pricing• Whole of organisation buy-in• If using smart phone tech – does 3G work inside your building?• Respond to any complaint immediately

Summary• Access is important and

increasingly so• Move now before you are forced to• Commission an access audit as

your first step• Choose what you can afford to do

then do it well and thoroughly• Appoint a champion• Market the services and reach out

to the community

LASERBEAK MAN• Just because it’s cool!• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

feature=player_detailpage&v=jSoKv0U7xrM