Two charities which work to make cultural experiences accessible to disabled audiences are joining forces to find out more about the obstacles which face visually-impaired people and people who have hearing impairments.
VocalEyes and Stagetext are also working with the Centre for Accessible Environments in launching a survey of UK theatre audiences who use access facilities.
The partners in the project have set a deadline of Monday 16 August for responses to the survey and will publish the results in a report which will be widely circulated.
The survey begins by asking people whether they identify as D/deaf, disabled or neurodivergent and it goes on to explore the frequency of theatre visits before the first lockdown in March 2020 and the plans of respondents to attend performances since theatres were allowed to open on 17 May 2021.
It asks people to indicate which access facilities or support they used before March 2020 and how important such services are when attending theatres.
The survey also asks people how comfortable they are about visiting a theatre again and what sort of factors will influence their decision, such as information about Covid-safety measures and disability awareness and knowledge among staff.
The Theatre Access Survey 2021 is the latest in a series of annual studies by VocalEyes into access at arts and heritage organisations in the UK.
The charity said: “Help us to inform theatres to what extent they are meeting or failing to meet the access requirements of their audiences.
“If you are a theatre-lover who uses access services please take the survey, which asks questions about your visits to theatres before the pandemic, your experience of theatre content online during lockdown and how you feel about returning to theatres as lockdown restrictions are eased.
“If you work at a theatre, theatre company or are connected with the theatre industry in any way, please help spread the word.”
To find out more about the survey please email enquiries@VocalEyes.co.uk
