Night-Time Economy Accessibility Survey
Because we all deserve to get a little bit silly sometimes
A very detailed and thorough survey conducted on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media was launched yesterday to understand how disabled people experience night life in Ireland. No matter what age you are, what areas of arts, culture or entertainment you enjoy, or where you live, if you identify as disabled, this is your chance to get down to the bare bones of access and just how much Ireland needs to improve.
This has been a very thrilling project to be involved in, as it’s a topic I’ve been very passionate about for most of my adult life. While inclusivity and diversity are buzzwords that so many places embrace, things don’t seem to be improving for disabled people when it comes to having as full a social life as their non-disabled peers. This inevitably makes us feel like we are left behind or difficult when friends try to plan a night out.
There’s no one element to blame, which means that there’s no easy hack to make Ireland’s night life accessible. But I believe that if a grant system existed for venues to improve their access, and if there was an advisory body there to guide venues so that that money isn’t wasted on inaccessible access, we could achieve so much. It needs to be easier for venues to become accessible.
Venues need to assess what they can do to improve accessibility if they cannot afford to do big renovations. They can do this by providing more information on their websites or socials, by making sure that their floor staff are helpful and patient, by clearing more space in their dining and seating areas… there’s so many ways to add accessible features without blowing the bank.
Disability, inclusion and access are far-reaching terms, so there’s no limiting to the ways in which we can improve and progress. The comments on the reel below, taken from this excursion with RTE’s Arts and Media Correspondent Eveyln O’Rourke, show how much work we have to do with some idiots. God love them.
This is a huge opportunity for disabled people to have their say. The survey, which you can access here, allows for plenty of comments to be made on every element of social life (cinema, sports events, gigs, galleries etc.). Do not for one second think that night life is just a young person’s game - we should all be able to socialise easily after 6pm.
The survey is open until June 10th, and it asks for opinions from disabled attendees and disabled performers. There is also an easy to read survey available here.
PRESS RELEASE, 21 May 2024
Department drive to make Ireland’s nightlife inclusive for people with disabilities
New Night-Time Economy Accessibility Survey launched to find solutions on how make nightlife more accessible for people with disabilities
People with a disability, an artist with a disability working in the Night Time Economy, or an organisation working with persons’ with a disability, are encouraged to participate in this research
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, today announced the launch of a new Night-Time Economy accessibility survey. This is in support of Action 7 in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce which highlighted the need for awareness raising about the challenges people with disabilities face when socialising or working at night.
The survey was developed by the Department in conjunction with Ireland Thinks and was informed by consultation with Disabled Persons’ Organisations, artists and other stakeholders across the disability community.
The purpose of the survey is to examine the challenges for patrons and artists with disabilities accessing the Night Time Economy. If the Night-Time Economy is to be truly inclusive and diverse, it is important to examine what barriers exist for people with disabilities when socialising at night in order to find practical solutions in consultation with those affected on how to deliver an inclusive accessible Night-Time Economy.
Questions include how accessible are night time activities such as a concert, the cinema, the theatre, a gallery, a restaurant, sporting venue or a nightclub. However, the survey also drills down into where difficulties might lie with accessibility, finding out about that online, getting transport to a venue and the role of staff too.
Announcing the launch of the survey today, Minister Martin said:
“The Night-Time Economy is where we meet friends, enjoy what our cities and towns have to offer and where we create and express ourselves. However, if we want our nightlife to be truly inclusive and diverse, we need to first understand the lived experiences that people with disabilities face when performing or socialising at night. I want to encourage people to participate in this survey so we can begin to understand the type of interventions needed to ensure we make nightlife accessible for all. I am looking forward to seeing the report from this survey and the set of actions needed to improve our nightlife for everyone.”
The survey results will be collated into a report by Ireland Thinks and will contain a set of actions to further the Night-Time Economy Taskforce objective of an inclusive, accessible nightlife. These actions will be considered by the Minister who will support and work with the relevant Government Departments, agencies and the Night-Time Sector to progress the recommendations.
Speaking about the survey today, DJ and activist Louise Bruton said:
“This survey is a great opportunity for disabled people to point out all the ways in which the Night-Time Economy can become more inclusive. It will be a huge learning curve for everyone working in the arts and entertainment sectors in Ireland – possibly even a shock – but we cannot continue to exclude so many people from living fully enriched social lives any longer.”
If you are a person with a disability, an artist with a disability working in the Night Time Economy or an organisation working with persons’ with a disability, you are invited to participate in this research by completing an online survey.
Also commenting on the survey, artist Emilie Conway said:
“As a disabled artist myself, I am passionate that more disabled people engage in arts and culture as both artists and audiences. But accessibility is a huge barrier. For example, some places are physically inaccessible, while some booking websites are inaccessible or very difficult to use for disabled people.
That is why it is so important that as many disabled people as possible, respond to this survey. If you are disabled, please have your voice heard: respond to the survey as its findings will be used to lead to improving accessibility to arts & culture.”
For more information on the survey, including a short presentation from DJ, Author and disability rights activist Louise Bruton, please visit our website here.
For the main survey please click here
For organisations who represent persons with disabilities please click here
If you are person with an intellectual disability, or someone assisting a person with an intellectual disability, please click here for the easy to read survey
The survey will close on Monday 10th June 2024.