Guide > Access for Audiences >

In-Person Events

In addition to the provision covered in ‘Audiences - All Formats’, this section outlines access provision specifically relevant to In Person events, highlighting what should be in place before and during events, and various aspects of venue access.

Before Events

  1. Accessibility Site Check

    Hire disabled consultants to do an access check of your venue site.

    See the Access Consultants and Training Providers section of our Resources page for a list of some consultants.

    It’s vital to let audience members know in advance if you will not be meeting their access needs, and what steps you will take to mitigate that in future. If an audience member can no longer attend due to lack of access provision, ensure they are reimbursed for tickets.

  2. Venue Map

    Ensure the map is clear and uncluttered, using colours suitable for those who are colour-blind, with a dyslexia- and blind-friendly sans serif typeface, and high contrast. This isn’t the place for marketing – keep it functional.

  3. Video Walk-Through

    So that disabled people know what to expect in advance of their visit, it’s good practice to have a video on your website which shows a walk-through of what to expect on site. This should have an audio description, captions that can be turned on or off, and a BSL interpreter.

  4. Travel, Parking, and Accommodation

    On your website, provide audience members with all the details they need about travel, public transport, disabled parking (if there’s no disabled parking onsite, is there any nearby? Is there a drop-off point at the main entrance?), and nearby accessible overnight accommodation.

  5. Queues and Seat Reservations

    Some disabled people, whether you perceive them as disabled or not, may not be able to stand in queues. You can address this by:

    • Ensuring there’s a means to get in touch to let you know this in advance or note on your website that they should tell a member of staff when they arrive

    • Providing seating in the queuing area as standard. Also, by providing a reserved seat for them in the venue (allowing them to go in early) and checking if there’s a particular seat they need (e.g. at the front, on the end of a row, or near an exit)

    • Understand that some people may not be able to wait in a noisy area; take them to a quiet space for them to wait before the event and/or allow them to enter the venue early

    • Have ear defenders available

    • Putting reserved seating spaces in place for wheelchair users, for people using captions or BSL interpreters, and for people who cannot climb stairs, need to be at the end of the row, at the front, or near the exit – it should be easy to register for this

    • Reserving seats in the areas best suited to view captions, if it isn’t possible to provide captions that can be seen clearly throughout the entire venue, and be sure to highlight this repeatedly in pre-booking and upon audience arrival

    Reference: Sandra Alland, Jamie Hale

Venue Considerations

“Finding the entrance is a really big thing for me. If I can’t find the door that makes me feel awful… if it's just been poorly lit or signposted, that makes me feel helpless and that's not a nice feeling.”
– Maud Rowell
“I avoid events that require the use of a lift in order to attend with step-free access. I'm anxious they'll be/go out of service, have long waits, or be full of maskless people. Or my friends' wheelchairs won't fit. Some lifts require a staff member to assist you, which involves extra faff. It feels awkward to have to find a person to escort you every time you need the toilet or exit. Plus, for a lot of folk lifts cause anxiety full-stop.”
– Sandra Alland
“I went to a festival last year and I found the screen in the courtyard to be a massive sensory overload, there was so much noise and light, and I think things like that get missed on access documents and aren’t all that clear on maps.”
– Elspeth Wilson

  1. Welcome and entrance

    Ensure the entrance is clutter-free, clear, and easy to spot by having good lighting, large signs, and bright colours (this is especially useful for blind and partially sighted people. Blindness is a spectrum; very few blind people see nothing and will likely have some light perception). Even better is to have a staff member at the entrance to greet people (which can be useful for those with cognitive difficulties as well as people who are blind and is generally more welcoming for everyone).

    Reference: Maud Rowell

  2. Reception, Staff, and Info Points

    Set up a reception desk (at a height that is suitable for wheelchair users) at your main entrance, which should have programmes, maps, and access leaflets (outlining basic access provision and where to find things like the quiet room, ear defenders, etc.).

    Provide info points (at a height suitable for wheelchair users) throughout the venue. Have accessibility-trained staff ideally on every floor/throughout the venue, but definitely in the main traffic areas, and front-of-house. Have staff available to guide people through the venue, if required.

  3. Venue flow

    Ensure the venue is clutter-free and easy to navigate for those using wheelchairs or mobility scooters, or for those who are blind, partially sighted, or have cognitive difficulties.

  4. Signs and maps

    Make sure that your signs are in the appropriate location, high-contrast and easy to read and understand. The map must be easy to read, visually minimal, consider colour-blindness, and be in a blind- and dyslexia-friendly typeface.

  5. Assistance Dogs

    Ensure it’s clear on your website, and via signs at the venue entrance and around the venue, that assistance dogs are welcome.

  6. Wheelchair access, hire, and lockup

    All areas of the venue should be wheelchair accessible, and as best practice:

    • The wheelchair entrance of the venue should be the main entrance (not round the back or the side)

    • If you have seating areas throughout the venue, ensure there’s space for wheelchairs. You can hire Euan’s Guide (www.euansguide.com) to assess whether your venue is wheelchair friendly

    • Provide wheelchairs for people who may find them useful for getting round the venue

    • Provide somewhere people can safely lock up wheelchairs or mobility scooters as some people may use them to get to the venue, but don’t need them when they’ve arrived

    • Have dimensions of lifts and doorways (including entrances to toilets and catering areas) listed on your website access information under your ‘mobility’ section

  7. Lifts

    When choosing a venue for your event(s), prioritise ground-floor spaces, to avoid any of the potential pitfalls mentioned below, and give authors who need step-free access peace of mind. Please also consider:

    • If you are using a venue with lifts, it’s extremely important to ensure the lifts are in working order on the run-up to your event and first thing on the day of the event

    • If you’re hiring a venue, check with the venue staff that lifts are all working or visit yourself to ensure this – if you are using a venue without working lifts, this will prevent some disabled people attending, or force disabled people to use stairs when this could worsen their underlying condition

    • If the lift breaks on the day, ensure all attendees are informed in advance including via social media, that you refund attendees who cannot attend, and that you have an alternative plan (e.g. streaming or hybrid provision)

    Reference: Khairani Barokka, Jamie Hale, Sandra Alland

  8. Accessible Toilets

    There should be accessible toilets throughout the venue that are easy to get to and near event rooms:

    • Ensure they are all regularly cleaned, not used for storage, in working order, have proper grab rails and other adaptations, and are not situated in gendered toilets

    • If someone requires a Changing Places toilet (www.changing-places.org) be prepared to hire or provide one. Changing Places toilets should automatically be in place for larger events

    • If a person is ambulatory, don’t assume they can access toilets via stairs; ensure there’s toilets accessible via a lift or on the same floor as the event

    • Have free sanitary products available

    • Ensure that there are both gendered and gender-neutral toilets but clarify that people should use the toilet they feel most appropriate for them

    Reference: Jamie Hale, Khairani Barokka

  9. Quiet Room(s)

    Have a well-advertised, well-signposted quiet room available for audience members (separate from author quiet room provision). Provide information about it and its location on your website, and have the Chair mention it, along with other access provision, at the start of events.

    See “Spotlight: Quiet Rooms” for more information.

  10. Catering

    Make sure the catering teams are fully aware of the venue layout in order to assist attendees asking directions. All catering should:

    • Cater to various dietary requirements (such as vegan, gluten-free, allergies), including providing multiple choices in daily menus, clearly stating allergy info and clarifying the level of cross-contamination risks, and with full ingredients lists available

    • Consider having a nut-free event/festival and advertise this

    • Ensure catering vans and cafe counters are at a height suitable for wheelchair users and ask your caterers to provide some glasses and mugs with a handle and have plastic straws available

  11. Emergency Evacuation Procedure

    Have an emergency evacuation procedure in place for disabled attendees.

During Events

  1. Scent-free

    People with allergies, mast-cell dysfunction or sensory issues can end up very ill from scents. Request in advance that authors and audience members don’t wear scent and note in your advertising that people are told not to wear scents (however, unless you intend to forbid entrance to anyone wearing scent on the day, do not advertise it as a scent-free space).

  2. Seating

    This should be spacious with plenty of leg room, chairs that fully support the spine, and comfortable. Comfortable seating makes a huge difference to many disabled people, including those with chronic pain. You should also:

    • Identify if this kind of seating isn’t available across the board and work with the venue to provide some comfortable seating that disabled people can reserve

    • Have footrests available

    • Think about the position of reserved seating and be flexible about where disabled people may need to sit (e.g. at the front to see captions if not visible from all areas of the room, or on the end of rows for anxiety or ease of exit, etc.)

  3. Captions

    Provide live-captioners. Please always:

    • Ensure the caption screen is easy to see for every audience member (e.g. not on the floor), and not too bright or high contrast so as not to overwhelm those with sensory issues (lifting house lights a little can aid with this)

    • Use a sans serif font large enough to see from the back of the room; standard for good visibility is yellow on a black background

    See “Spotlight: Live Captioners” for more information.

    Reference: Sandra Alland

  4. Lighting

    Bright lights, including backdrops and screens, can be painful for many people with sensory issues. Please consider:

    • Tone, intensity, positioning, contrast with surroundings, and ambience

    • Blue-white light in particular can be a problem, so try to stick with warm lights while ensuring the lighting is bright enough to be safe for blind and partially sighted people, who may require brighter or dimmer lights than usual

  5. Noise

    Sudden bursts of noise may make events inaccessible for some people. We recommend asking the audience to applaud in British Sign Language (similar to ‘jazz hands’) to keep noise levels stable. We’d suggest this for all events, but especially for a disability-themed event with disabled participants, or when requested by participants or audience members.

    See “Sound” for more information.

    Reference: Jamie Hale, Sandra Alland

  6. Microphones

    Regardless of the size of the venue and audience number, always use microphones, and remember:

    • If an author or audience member says they don’t need a mic, insist they use it – people who are hard of hearing shouldn’t have to struggle to hear the participant, or audience questions

    • If an audience member can’t hold the mic, have staff on hand to hold it for them

    • Ensure that there are ways of the microphone reaching everyone speaking

    • If someone is uncomfortable using a microphone, suggest that they speak without, and that the Chair will repeat their question or comment using the mic for the full audience

    Reference: Penny Batchelor, Jamie Hale