The State of Access Report 2016

If you follow me on Twitter or have me on Facebook or know me in person or read the Independent newspaper, then you may be aware that today is the publication of Attitude is Everything’s 2016 State of Access Report. I've been getting involved in every way I can with this excellent charity of late and I love the platform that it gives to an issue that's so important to me personally.

I appreciate that many people may not want to read the full State of Access Report – it’s 40 pages long - but as a disabled gig-goer I found the report extremely relatable and incredibly self-validating. So I read it all. When I go to a gig and I explain myself (which, as you know, I simply HATE doing) it's often met with complete puzzlement at best. Nobody seems quite sure what to do – am I the only disabled person who goes to gigs? This is what it felt like, until this charity came along. The report says that 280 ‘Mystery Shoppers’ faced similar or exactly the same issues as me in both attitude and physical barriers to music. Apparently some people feel that the inclusion of disabled people in live music is not that important. It’s not the end of the world if we don’t go, right? Perhaps this is why the issue receives so little attention and awareness. But why should we miss out on the buzz, fulfilment and culture of live music? Not that any of us want a pity party but most, if not all, disabled people go through enough crap in their lives already. Asides from being an issue of absolute equality, we deserve some fun in our lives as much as anyone.

‘Mystery Shoppers’ are disabled people who take voluntary surveys for events that they attend at various venues throughout the UK. The information used from these surveys is used in the State of Access Report and these bring together common themes and issues faced by disabled people. It would be all well and good going round asking venues if they provide accessible facilities and they would point out some wheelchair ramps and a disabled toilet and get a nice big tick. But accessibility isn't there for the venue owners, it's there for the disabled people that use it. Only disabled people can judge what makes a venue accessible to them (and it’s different for everyone – many disabled people don’t need ramps and disabled toilets) so therefore … Mystery Shopping.

Asking everyone to read the full report would be a little ambitious of me, but if you do want to, it can be found here. The executive summary rounds up some of the main points and I also spoke to the Independent newspaper for an excellent article that they featured. The online version is here. And the print version is below.

The report is all about picking out areas that matter to disabled people and exposing the areas of bad practice that are really not acceptable when striving for equality. I have written a short blog for Attitude is Everything, which should hopefully be published at some point this week but I also thought I'd do a piece on my own blog about the issues in the State of Access Report that jumped out at me.

A key theme throughout the report, as in the last report is that over a third of venues provided no access information at all on their website. Only 17% of websites provided good information and the rest were either poor or adequate. Some shoppers even reported that staff were completely ignorant of the facilities they provided and weren't able to tell them whether or not the venue was accessible at all! This is something that I too have had a problem with and it’s so frustrating. It’s like banging your head against a brick wall.

 Due to the general inaccessibility of the world, most disabled people have to meticulously plan everything they do. If they can’t get hold of access information, they can’t plan and therefore they either take a very risky leap into already seemingly untrustworthy waters or miss out on seeing their favourite bands.  It’s also really important to raise awareness of the fact that access information needs to be tailored to all disabilities – is there a ramp? Is there a toilet? Is there a sign interpreter? Hearing loops? Large crowds? Seats for non-wheelchair disabilities? Strobe lighting? Will there be medics onsight? Something that is important to me is whether the staff are knowledgeable on disability and accessibility so I don’t have to keep explaining myself. Do the staff know the appropriate policies and procedures to follow when I come in with my unconventional disability? I hate asking for information and being met with ‘don’t know, sorry’ – well… find out? Solving this problem really is largely dependent on employing helpful, polite staff with a bit of a can-do attitude. The benefits of informed staff can be found on page 29 of the report – a really important part. I wish all venues would read this section!

Another issue raised by the Mystery Shoppers was that ‘normal’ people can book online, and choose where they are sat. Disabled people often have to ring up, spend time in queues, speak to robots and still can’t choose where they sit. This isn't really equality and it's not a fun way to spend hours of your time!

The report states that accessible toilets are only accessible if they are fit for purpose. You can't just take a room and put a disabled sticker on it. When we went to see Kodaline, Becca (whose wheelchair isn't actually that big) only JUST fit in the toilet. The wheelchair took up the whole room with little room for Becs to get in and out and it meant that we didn't know when she was ready because she was so squashed up she couldn't open the door from the inside. So psychic friend powers and guesswork had to be employed. I've spoken to friends with bigger wheelchairs, who need a carer who have actually had to use facilities with the door open!

Only 38% of bars were lowered for wheelchairs but this is a slight improvement since the last State of Access Report (22% 2 years ago). Personally, at the venues that I have visited, I've never come across a lowered bar. 38% is still pretty shoddy.

An issue that I personally found very sad was that only 18% of venues had a dedicated viewing platform. Often, when I ask if I can go somewhere with seats and not in a crowd, the latter need isn't met. We just end up somewhere really busy, with seats and often have to share it with able bodied people who stand up in front of us. If seats are taken you either have to explain to able-bodied (often drunk) people (who are stood on the chairs) that you need a seat because you’re disabled, or sit on the floor, or go home. It's not really appropriate to put disabled people in these situations. Especially when they have come out to have a good time. Dedicated veiwing platforms are an area just for disabled people. They are not only raised so that people in wheelchairs can see above the crowd, but they are a space where individual accessibility needs can be met.

Sticking with the theme of a viewing platform, the report raises the issue of obstructive staff telling disabled customers that they aren't disabled enough to access the platform. I don’t know how to explain how upsetting and demoralising this is. It just makes you feel like you don’t deserve the experience. It makes me want to curl up in a hole and never attend an event again. It’s truly awful. If I could highlight one area of the report that is most distressing for me, it’s this. Again, benefits of informed staff. Page 29. My favourite page.

Whilst music is an activity that largely involves listening, only 38% of the venues shopped were fitted with a hearing loop. In my opinion, this just makes the venue entirely unfit for purpose at all. The report raises awareness for the need for more hearing loops, signers and access lyrics/live subtitling so that deaf people are able to enjoy the experience too.

It also found that most people assumed that venues provided this service which leads me onto a popular misconception. Most people just assume that accessibility has to be met. We assume that discrimination is illegal. Discrimination sounds illegal. My friends are always shocked when we go out somewhere and there isn't a lift. I do believe that most people just assume that disabilities have to be catered for and that it isn't optional. They think that there are provisions for everything everywhere, because there has to be!

Most people assume that the goal we are trying to achieve (accessibility for all) has already been reached. There’s so much need for awareness to demonstrate that this is quite far from being reached and there are still so many areas for improvement. This is what the report does, it highlights these areas and this is why it’s such an important (and not boring!) piece of work!

This turned out way longer than I intended. There is lots more I could have said, but please read some of the documents and articles and educate yourself. When you are at a gig, or if you work and at a venue, keep a look out for those who are struggling and do what you can to make a difference. J