Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart recently met with Sight Scotland’s Policy Group to discuss the importance of improving access and inclusion in Scotland’s venues. She stressed that everyone should have the freedom to enjoy life and visit places of their choice, such as theatres, cinemas, concert halls, galleries and attractions, without facing accessibility barriers.
Sight Scotland’s Policy Group, made up of blind and partially sighted members, released the ‘Enhancing Accessibility: Venues and Visual Impairment’ report last year. It highlights major accessibility issues in Scottish venues and calls for improvements to ensure equal access for all.
Using real experiences, the report identifies common barriers, including poor communication, inaccessible booking systems, lack of audio descriptions or touch tours, untrained staff, and design flaws like low colour contrast, missing tactile elements, and unclear signage. It also shares best practices to inspire venues to improve accessibility for visually impaired visitors.
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “I was delighted to discuss what actions we can take to strengthen accessibility standards for visual impairment with members of the Sight Scotland team and their policy group.
“Although it’s clear that many barriers remain, I was inspired to hear how blind and partially sighted people are working closely with Sight Scotland and range of other partners to deliver best practice building on the Accessible Venues Campaign and Report.
“Across government we’re working to embed equality and inclusion across all areas of life, including the arts and culture. One way we’re doing this is through All In – a new access scheme for creative and culture in the UK and Ireland.
“It’s being developed as a partnership between Creative Scotland and the arts councils of England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales to improve access and remove barriers for deaf, disabled, neurodivergent and visually impaired people in creative and culture spaces.
“Although our power to legislate on equality is limited, we’re working to drive positive change for disabled people in Scotland including investing an additional £2 million to enhance our Disability Equality Plan.”
Sight Scotland Policy Group member, Amanda Whitfield, from Edinburgh, who was diagnosed with Stargardt disease in 2016, comments: “It was wonderful to welcome the Equalities Minister to our policy group and discuss with her the accessibility challenges that blind and partially sighted people face when trying to access venues.
“I absolutely love music and going to concerts, but booking tickets feels like an impossible task. Sight loss is an invisible disability, and it often feels like I’m being excluded from enjoying live music like everyone else.
“Everything is done online or digitally – from booking your ticket to even ordering drinks on the night. You can’t just speak to someone and explain your needs.
“Instead, you’re stuck in long virtual queues, forced to choose a seat from a visual plan, and often left to struggle with inaccessible websites that don’t support zooming or screen readers.
“It’s frustrating, disheartening, and it shouldn’t be this hard for people with vision impairment to enjoy live events.”
Craig Spalding, Chief Executive of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, said: “We’re grateful to the Minister for meeting with our Policy Group and helping to highlight the daily accessibility challenges faced by people with vision impairment.
“Inaccessible venues exclude those with sight loss from arts and cultural events, increasing isolation and loneliness.
“Our Accessible Venues Report outlines key issues and calls for improvements such as a standardised booking system for accessible seats, audio descriptions, touch tours for all performances, and mandatory visual impairment awareness and sighted guide training for staff.
“Small changes can make a big difference to inclusivity.”
Download the Enhancing Accessibility: Venues and Visual Impairment report here:
https://sightscotland.org.uk/accessible-venues#AccessibleVenuesReportDownload
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