1. Disability, Customer Service and Developing an Access Culture Accessible Arts Festivals Forum Tuesday, 19 July 2011 Associate Professor Simon Darcy UTS Business School University of Technology, Sydney simon.darcy@uts.edu.au Our vision is a society in which people with disabilities can contribute to and fully experience the arts and cultural life.

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3. 3 Overview 1.Definition of Access for Festivals 2.Access market potential 3.Business case 4.Market dynamics 5.Cool accessible festival experiences 6.Developing an access culture 7.Concluding comments Based on Buhalis, D., & Darcy, S. (Eds.). (2011). Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues. Bristol, UK: Channel View Publications. http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?k=9781845411602

4. 1. Definition of Access for Festivals ...is a collaborative process between stakeholders that enables people with disability, including mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions, to function independently and with equity and dignity through the delivery of universally designed products, services and environments.  This definition adopts a whole of life approach where people through their lifespan benefit from access provisions.  These include people with permanent and temporary disabilities, seniors, obese, families with young children and those working in safer and more socially sustainably designed environments (adapted Darcy & Buhalis 2011, p10-11). 4

5. 5 Dimensions of Access Mobility –Ramps, lifts, circulation space, accessible unisex toilets, automatic doors, table heights, operational dexterity Vision –Tactile tiles, visual contrast, audible signals (lifts/street crossings), braille, large print, assistance animal respite areas, audio described, mp3 Hearing –Visual signals, Auslan Sign interpreters, captioning or Tele text, telephone typewriters, preprepared written material Cognition/learning –Plain English material, iconic signage, time, speed of communication, environmental stimulus, alternative modes Others

6. 6 2. Access Market Potential Domestic Demand Australia = 4.0m New Zealand = 0.7m Overseas Tourism Europe = 127m China = 62m USA = 60m India = 47m Great Britian = 9m Canada = 4m Group Dynamics = 2.8/day trip = 3.4/domestic

7. Economic Studies Overseas Europe€80bn German €3bn USA $14bn Australia Day Trips $1.5bn Overnight $4.8bn Inbound $1.4bn To the Australian economy each year. (Dwyer & Darcy 2011). 7

8. 8 3. Business Case for Access Markets Global Trends Ageing of the population Baby boomers Increased opportunities Human rights declarations Community expectations Lifelong learning CSR – Social sustainability Part of all markets A specific/niche market New products - innovation Non peak periods Segregated  Universal Flexible/integrated space Group size Networks and collaborations Destination competitivness

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11. Lifecycle Groups 11 Source: Darcy 2011 based on NVS 2010

12. Activities 12 Source: NVS 2010

13. 5. Quality Accessible Festival Experiences

14. 14 Source: HREOC 2003

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16. Festival Experiences 16

17. Summit Mt. Kosciusko

18. 6. Developing an Access Culture 1. Access Enabling Environment 2. Organisation Commitment Access Audit, Information & Training 3. Marketing, Promotion & Distribution Traditional & Electronic based on W3C 4. Market Use The Experience 6. Review (Positive/ Negative) Customer Feedback 6. Monitor Assessing the Business Case 18 C ustomer Feedback Loop Access Market Use Circle Darcy, S. (2011). Developing Sustainable Approaches to Accessible Accommodation Information Provision: A Foundation for Strategic Knowledge Management. Tourism Recreation Research, 36(2), 141-157.

19. Planning an Accessible Festival Language, information and promotion –Dignity –Registration forms –Information –Marketing –Publicity Venue –Access/Toilets –Communication –Volunteers/Attendants Transport –Parking –Public Transport –Special Purpose Responsibility? –Who? At what level? Resources? Accommodation –Access –Proximity to Venue –Variety of classes Social Calendar –After hours information and/or program –Restaurants/side trips –Transport and Attendants Support Services –Medical –Catering - special diets –Tty/Signers 19

20. 20 Iconography Source: www.health.state.ny.us/ nysdoh/promo/events.htmwww.health.state.ny.us/ nysdoh/promo/events.htm

21. 21 Managing Expectation All organisations have access warts! Strategic approach…Disability Action Plans Expectation = experience  Expectation ≠ experience     Information provision Customer service culture Organisational communication and commitment

22. Best practice examples The Access All Areas Film Festivals use the iconography to clearly convey their message together with a phone number/website address http://www.accessallareasfilmfestival.com.au/archive.htm lhttp://www.accessallareasfilmfestival.com.au/archive.htm l 22

23. … Preplanning, registering and having close off dates for access makes managing resources possible together with creating organisational responsibility for delivering what it is said that you were going to deliver… In this case, at Glastonbury Festival camping and positional access for key performances http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/information/disable d-info/http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/information/disable d-info/ 23

24. Melbourne comedy Festival had a different approach with respect to get access where they said pre-register for shows and we will provide Auslan interpreters http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2011/season/shows/d eaf-access/http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2011/season/shows/d eaf-access/ 24

25. 7. Conclusion All people have constraints People with disabilities and others have access requirements All people have a right to attend festivals in whatever role they choose to involve themselves Don’t constrain people’s experiences by what you think their abilities are Empower people to experience Organisational responses need to address this issue from both the human rights and economic case Equality of experience “Sense of festival” 25

26. Companion Card Promoting the rights of people with disability, who require a companion, to fair ticketing at events and venues 4500 Cardholders in NSW since March 2009 http://www.nds.org.au/nsw/companioncard.htm http://www.nds.org.au/nsw/companioncard.htm 26

27. 27 Contact Dr Simon Darcy UTS Business School University of Technology, Sydney 02 9514-5100 simon.darcy@uts.edu.au

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