Accessibility
Events should be able to be attended by everyone, including visitors with disabilities. But as an organizer, how do you make sure your event or festival is accessible? How do you remove barriers and obstacles for visitors with disabilities, and make sure they can experience your event well? On this theme page, event organizers will find information on how to make their event accessible.
Culture accessible to all
We would like culture to be available and accessible to all. Unfortunately, there are several factors that can create barriers. Consider a site that is not passable for wheelchairs, a lack of accessible signage, or a website without a read-aloud feature. This can unintentionally exclude some audiences, as well as, of course, creators and artists.
An event is accessible when people with and without disabilities can make the same choices about whether or not to attend. Accessibility thus goes beyond being able to get somewhere because it is also about being able to experience the event.
Who is this page for?
As an organizer, making an event accessible can be a challenging task. What types of disabilities do you all need to take into account? And what do you need to think about? To help organizers make their events more accessible, we offer a variety of tips on these pages.
The main tool is the checklist, which was developed in collaboration with cultural entrepreneurs and Apcg, Arnhem's platform for the chronically ill and disabled. This is a list of questions that can help organizers determine how far along they are in making their event accessible, and where areas for improvement lie.
How do you navigate through this page?
The pages in this knowledge base and checklist are organized into five themes:
The best starting point is the checklist of questions. Do you come across a question you need more information about? On the corresponding topic's page, you'll find background information to learn more about the topic.
Podcast
In the podcast series Accessible Events, experienced visitors and experts share their experiences and presenter Tim Kroesbergen questions them on how to make it even better. Listen to all podcast episodes, including transcript, here.
Podcast: Accessible Events
Retrospective: Symposium Accessible Events - how to take the next step!
On Monday, November 25, Cultuur Academy, the Arnhem platform for the chronically ill and disabled (Apcg) and the Municipality of Arnhem organized the meeting "Accessible Events, how do we take the next step? Themes such as accessibility, sustainability and low-incentive cultural offerings took center stage. Writer Thijs Bisschops attended and recorded the day in a report.
Event scaling: a look behind the scenes with Apcg
Arnhems Platform Chronically Sick and Disabled (APCG) visits events such as festivals and exhibitions to assess accessibility and inclusion. Their experience experts and project staff offer practical advice that helps organizers make events more welcoming to all. Find out how APCG, in partnership with Cultuur Academy , assesses and helps improve three unique events.
Grants and funds
There is an enormous amount of information on available grants and funds, and how to apply for them. On this page we have gathered this information for you, so you can get started right away.
Marketing and communications
Marketing and communications is at its core about reaching your audience. Because no matter what you make or what service you provide as an artist or cultural organization, without an audience you are nowhere. But how do you figure out who your audience is and how to reach them?
Sustainability
Find out how the culture sector is contributing to sustainability with strategies for energy, mobility, circular materials, water, nature and responsible eating and drinking. Read more about concrete actions and inspiring examples.