Idea Submission

Accessible Events

How do you understand a film if you're deaf? How do you understand theatre - the action on stage - if you're blind?

Submitted by accessible_events.

Nationally there are nearly 9 million deaf people and 1.8 million visually impaired/blind. This is not a small group and to get out and enjoy our lives we need films we can watch, gigs we can go to and theatre we understand. In a word we need accessible events.

There are accessible events such as subtitled English language films like 'Inception' or audio described Theatre. Problem is, there are not many of them and they are not marketed properly.

We plan to change that by creating a fully accessible website that holds listings of all accessible events. Film, theatre, music, leisure, sports and community events such as Deaf Health Community Day. Our website will cover Manchester and the North West.

With one central site it is easy for our users to find events they want to do or see. We will list events in Calendar format - easier to see what is happening by day, week or month. Even better this won't just be on one site but the same calendar can be shown (mirrored) on the websites of hundred of other organisations. E.g. our site and Manchester Deaf Centre, Henshaws Society for Blind People and City Life etc.

Our site will be a single usable and accessible website. With accessible calendars of events. If you're blind or visually impaired it's frustrating trying to use websites even if you have screen reading technology. Our calendars - specially designed by the co-founder of WordPress - will be similar to Google calendar but fully accessible. Our users can also choose to have automatic emails and/or text messages listing suitable events.

Why is it important? • Fairness. Everybody gets the chance to get out and about and enjoy their lives. • Venues will sell more tickets for accessible events and offer more events. • Users of accessible events can feedback to the venues about quality of access and event. This will lead to better events with better access. • Your mate, you, your mum, your girlfriend or boyfriend may need the access. • It combats the isolation that many deaf and blind people face.

We have explained what we are doing to deaf and visually impaired people. They are excited by it and agree that our project is needed. We are also working out a partnership with All About Audiences to host the accessible calendar on their Go See This... listings website.

The funding we are looking for is to create and demonstrate the 'Proof of Concept'. To ensure the websites and accessible listing calendars are fully used by deaf and blind people we will use our own contacts, word of mouth, print marketing and also specialised target marketing e.g. Talking Newspapers.

The project is led by a skilled and experienced arts project manager with projects in Liverpool, Cumbria, Manchester and London. Technical expertise is added by a skilled Web developer with the input of deaf and blind people to ensure we are meeting their needs.