Attitude is the cure for access ills

Long time access activist, campaigner and chief executive of Attitude is Everything, Suzanne Bull, on why the music industry can’t dis integration

As a fully paid-up member of the ticket buying public, I felt strongly that I didn’t see enough disabled and Deaf people around me at gigs, so I took a cut in hours and wages to work on Attitude is Everything.

We work to improve Deaf and disabled people’s access to live music by working in partnership with audiences, artists and the music industry to implement a charter of best practice across the UK.

We concentrate on the music industry because when we looked into complaints we found that museums, galleries and theatres were accessible to meet the requirements of public funding, but the music industry genuinely didn’t understand their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

I won’t name and shame: we’re here to help. If a venue gets bad feedback, 99 per cent of the time they’re really embarrassed. They say: “Oh my God!

I didn’t think. This is awful. I’m ashamed. Can you help me?”

The DDA has improved things. Expectations are higher. People know more about access. Venues are more willing now to talk and discuss access. But best practice goes far beyond the DDA. It’s only a starting point and many of the venues on our charter go further.

It’s all about attitude: venues can do all the things they’re supposed to and say “there you go”, but if they’re not embracing it in their minds it won’t work.

It’s more than just physical access: attitudes have to change.

We have a big team of mystery shoppers: Deaf and disabled volunteers who go to gigs, clubs and festivals throughout the country. They tell us what access and staff attitudes are like. It’s all music, not just popular Reading bands. We have people doing opera and class­ical, and we have some old guys doing jazz stuff for us.

Now we’re getting really good feedback. It sounds like things are changing, especially festival access, but it’s easier as the sites are temporary.

The older generation pushed for change and forced through the social model of disability. Now young people want a higher level of access and if things aren’t good enough they’ll shout about it. It’s not enough to just provide a viewing platform. They’ll say, “That platform isn’t in the right place,” or, “I can’t read this information, it’s not accessible to me.” Access campaigning is going into those areas now, looking at things like lighting for people with visual impairments.

What I really want is to see more disabled artists. People now expect to see disabled people on stage and DJ-ing. I discovered the Mystery Jets when I handed Blaine a flyer on a viewing platform at a Radiohead gig. He said,

“I’m in a really cool band. Can I give you a demo?” We were the first people to put on them and Heavy Load as well. Now I want to discover more talent.”

• www.attitudeis everything.org.uk

•• Suzanne Bull was talking to Kelly Mullan