Joe GallopLive music accessibility charity Attitude is Everything (AIE) has partnered with sustainability groups Julie’s Bicycle and A Greener Future (AGF) on a new research programme that examines how access to live music events for disabled people can become environmentally sustainable.
AIE said it intends to provide the music and live events sectors with a toolkit containing practical solutions and case studies. With funding from Arts Council England, the first edition of the toolkit will be published in early 2024.
AIE said the programme has been launched because solutions that enable accessibility and support environmental sustainability “can often oppose one another”.
The charity said disabled people’s access can be affected or even degraded by environmental policies. It said disabled people are often not included in conversations, planning and implementation of environmental policies, despite being one of the communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change.
Attitude is Everything founder Suzanne Bull MBE said, “This will be a real opportunity for Attitude is Everything, Julie’s Bicycle and A Greener Future to bring our collective expertise to the table; firstly to support the music and live event industries to understand that climate change and access solutions are not separate entities, and secondly, to create practical solutions that are both accessible, and protect the environment. As with most new programmes, ours is experimental in its approach, and we’re looking forward to exploring access and climate change solutions with a fresh perspective.”
Julie’s Bicycle climate justice lead Farah Ahmed said, “Disability access must be a key part of how we design climate solutions and orient our world towards justice. It is the embodiment of care and solidarity in practice.”
AGF director Teresa Moore said, “Accessibility has always been an important part of A Greener Future’s assessments and certification. We’re very happy to be able to dig even deeper with this new project and together with Attitude is Everything and Julie’s Bicycle, develop solutions which meet the challenge of access for all which is also environmentally friendly.”
To take part in the roundtable discussions and survey, contact AIE – info@attitudeiseverything.org.uk