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Accessible events toolkit Chapter 4

Choosing a venue

What you will learn in this chapter

  • How to check the accessibility of a venue.
  • Things to consider to make your event more accessible.

 

When you choose a venue, consider asking if staff have attended disability equality training. You might want to make this a requirement. The training should have a focus on accessibility.

Capacity and layout

You should look for a room or venue with capacity around 1.5 times bigger than the number of people likely to attend. This means there is extra space for additional equipment. It also avoids people feeling crowded so they can be more comfortable.

The layout will vary depending on the event. But it needs to allow people to enter and leave the venue easily.

Getting to and from the venue

When you choose a venue, you should think about how people will get there.

The venue should be easy to get to by public transport. You should also check the accessibility of the station nearby.

For people coming by car, you should make sure that:

  • there is blue badge parking at the venue or near the venue
  • people without a blue badge can also park at the venue or near the venue
  • people can be dropped off at the venue or near the venue

Typically, within 50 metres is considered acceptable. But you should make sure that the path from the parking or the drop off point is accessible. For example, that there are dropped curbs.

If people need to book a parking space, you should make this clear.

Getting into the venue

You should make sure the entrance and exit are accessible. This could mean:

  • step free access
  • ramp
  • lift

The doors need to be automatic. If they are not, there should be someone at the entrance or exit. No one should have to call someone by phone or use an interphone.

Access throughout the venue

An accessible venue can sometimes become inaccessible. You need to think carefully about how you lay out the space. Make sure that:

  • there are no obstacles
  • the space doesn’t become crowded with chairs and tables

You might prefer a ground floor room for fire safety. There should be easy fire escape routes. And a clear procedure for evacuating anyone who is unable to use stairs.

People should be able to access the venue using their mobility aids. This means participants as well as any speakers or entertainers. If there is a stage, it should be step free or have a ramp. You should also think about people having enough room to turn around.

You should check that the venue respects the following regulations:

  • Ramps should be no steeper than 1:12.
  • Doors and hallways should be at least 1200mm wide but 1500mm is better.
  • Aisles to tables should be at least 1000mm wide but 1200mm is better.
  • Lifts must be at least 1100x1400mm in size.
  • A minimum of 700mm under table height. Standard 6ft tables are usually fine.

There should be enough power points if people need to charge essential equipment. These should be signposted.

Toilets

There should be several accessible toilets. They are generally 1500x2200mm. It’s even better if they are 1700x2200mm. Some people might be able to manage smaller toilets of 1500x2000mm.

People need accessible toilets for a range of reasons. Whether someone is a wheelchair user or not, they should be able to easily use:

  • flush
  • lock
  • sink
  • mirror
  • soap dispenser

The red cord alarm should be all the way to the floor. You should check this again before the start of the event. You might want to ask the venue to put a sign telling people that the cord needs to dangle. Some venues already do this.

Standard accessible toilets don’t meet the needs of all disabled people. You should check if there is a changing places toilet close to the venue. Mobile changing places toilets are also available for hire.

Option to hire additional spaces

It can be a good idea to have additional spaces available. For example:

  • breakout space for presenters or entertainers
  • breakout space for staff
  • quiet room for people who need to be away from the noise and stimulation
  • prayer room for prayer or individual contemplation. This should be accessible to people of all faiths and no faith.

Other accessibility features

There should be:

  • clear signage throughout the venue. If it’s a large venue, having maps available can be helpful
  • comfortable levels of warm lighting.
  • no stroke lighting or flashing lights. Fluorescent strip lighting can cause a range of issues for people.
  • a mixture of seating styles. A seat height of at least 4500mm is preferred.
  • fresh water available for assistance dogs with breaks and an arranged outside area for toilet needs. Share this information in advance.

If the venue does not include these features, there should be an option to bring them in externally. This might mean bringing them in yourself or arranging with an external supplier, for example hiring furniture.

If you are serving food, you should meet a range of dietary requirements.

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To do this, we partner with organisations to work on larger strategic goals together. For wider social change. For their customers. For their clients. For their employees.

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