Do you want to be accessible and inclusive? Start with your culture

Watching the news, it feels like there has never been a more urgent need for the arts to take the lead in driving social change – since no one in power seems to care about that. Because if the arts are not for challenging the status quo, what are they for?

I imagine for many of you reading this, they are also intended to create careers for hardworking creatives and the people who support them. But also in this respect, accessibility for everyone is essential.

After all, diversifying and expanding the audience is a necessity for survival. Britain is becoming less white and queer. If you fail to appeal to this more diverse audience, venues will struggle to attract people.

A two-pronged approach

I spend a lot of time talking about accessible web design and inclusive content, and I’m often asked what can be done to make an organization more accessible and inclusive.

My answers depend on who I’m talking to, but they always include a warning that you can’t fake this. It must come from authenticity and reflect what you do honestly. And to do this fairly, you need a two-pronged approach.

A lot of practical work goes into captivating and attracting a specific audience. Market research, program development, community outreach and so on. But there is also a cultural element: creating an organization that can serve a diverse audience not only authentically, but also safely.

If the practical work is not supported by an organization-wide cultural understanding of what is going on, it can be a recipe for disaster, resulting in events that can be unsafe for marginalized people and potentially actively harmful.

What do you mean, harmful?

What do you mean by harmful? Traditionally, spaces have not been designed for us and have not been inviting to us. We should feel safe with it. But more importantly: we must actually be safe.

Safe to appear as ourselves without risk of harassment. Safe to use facilities without risk of harassment. We need to know that we will be respected by the staff and other event attendees, that the environment will not tolerate harassment and will be supportive.

And while many of these issues require practical solutions, they need to be supported by the right culture.

So what is the right culture?

In its simplest form, the right culture is one where people are willing to listen and do the work. To be receptive to change when things go wrong, and to put marginalized audience members first.

The most inclusive, supportive event manager may be let down by security or box office staff who have never received training because the wider organization does not see this as a priority.

Or because of a culture in which no one takes responsibility for handling complaints and implementing changes. Or by an organization that withdraws when there is criticism of changes in the status quo.

These are not easy changes overnight, but they are important to strive for. If you don’t, you could endanger the very people you want to appeal to.