The Role Of Disabled People In Technical Theatre

[richard]

I don't want to start a big argument here, but am interested to know of peoples views on how far we should go to make it possible for persons with a disability to work in the industry.

 

For example -

 

Lighting crew - I would think it perfectly reasonable and sensible that all new control rooms should be made fully accessible to disabled persons, there is no reason why someone in a wheelchair should not be able (and capable) of operating a lighting/sound desk or calling a show.

 

However, should theatres be forced to invest in access equipment (such as a genie lift) which can take a wheelchair - would someone in a wheelchair be able to work effectively in one of these (considering some of the more tricky areas that you would need to acces.

 

Also, with lighting bridges, many theatres have bridges which you need to crawl along to access the lamps, and you need to lean out of to focus, should new theatres design these with disabled persons in mind, even if it results in the actual bridge being in a less useful, position for lanterns (angles etc)

 

I would say that I would see no reason why a disabled person could not be fully emplyed as part of a Stage Management team - there are few occasions where SM's need to climb ladders as an integral part of thier job (apart from in the fringe!!) and there is no reason why someone in a wheelchair could not call a show, sort out props etc etc..

 

In the sound departments also, their are many occasions again where a wheelchair should not be a barrier, apart from while rigging...

 

--

 

My main point, I suppose, is how far should a theatre go towards making their space fully accessible, even where it results in the theatre being less well designed as a performance space, or loses the space functionality.

 

If we were to want to employ more disabled persons in the industry, how should we go about it??

 

Hmm, I dunno

 

ANy thoughts

 

Richard?

[Bryson]

Disability access needn't be about reducing usefulness. What it can often be about, however, is increasing cost.

 

I run a number of venues, and the last two refits (one in progress now) have been very much about Disability access. We have, as you suggest, a genie lift, and also a truss or bars that come down to meet you for rigging (a reasonable rarity in venues of this kind of small size)

 

Cynically speaking, a lot of the justification I supplied, and won through with, to get that kind of money was to do with access issues. What we've ended up with, on the other hand, is venues that are better for everyone, while pressing all the "right" funding buttons.

 

I think my point is, that yes, there is additional cost involved. But that difference in cost is balanced by increased access to funding by virtue of what you're trying to do.

 

As for how we would go about it: I'd urge you to look as a model at Heart n Soul and the Octopus Club - although they're mainly involved with people with learning disabilities, not physical. What they do is have a mixed crew of professionals and persons with disabilities getting experience and skills. We have them down here twice a year and it's great. (Ever heard a DJ mix "Smack my Up" with "Ghostbusters"? I have!)

 

 

(Caveat: This is all Public-Sector stuff I'm talking about here. The Private sector may well have a quite different experience.)

[Ben P]

Here at Cambridge we run (I think the only one in the country) a summer school for both deaf and hearing kids. Although Deafness is not a physical complaint when you think more about it and how theatre works it is a major barrier and H+S nightmare.

 

But we successfully had two kids work backstage on the show. One as an ASM and the other doing Sound (yes I mean sound). Both loved the process and enjoyed doing it.

 

It is harder work. More Cue lights and back up measures but if you work at it - it is possible.

 

The year before we did let a deaf kid fly - but with his own individual cue light that was above each rope pulled. If he received a flashing red light - that was a stop immediately

 

Ben

[Gilly]

At the venue where I work we were required, as part of the original build to provide wheelchair access throughout, including to the FOH bridges. Therefore the bridges are extra wide, and there is a lift from the circle level to the loading gallery cross over. Having said that, the wide bridges just offer more storage solutions, and the lift is more used to transporting wigglys than wheel chair users!

[techwsussex]

This is a tricky one.

 

Whilst someone in wheelchair could operate or call a show, they could not (in most venues) do much during fit -up. Seeing as most operators, DSMs etc take part in fit up, then doesn't this mean that employing a wheelchair bound person would often require employing 2 people where there would normally only be one?

 

In these cases I think its unreasonable to expect employers to go to significant extra expense to allow the employing of a disabled person.

 

But I see no reason not to employ a wheelchair person in a situation where they can do the job, and do all of it.

 

Point of thought: IF its reasonable to expect employers to adapt for disabled employees to be able to work, then why do I insure myself against disabling occurence to ensure an income in the event of an accident?

 

I'm not taking sides, just putting another side to the arguement.

 

Owen

[Brian]

then why do I insure myself against disabling occurence to ensure an income in the event of an accident

I think being disabled is about more than being unable to work.

[Che Novel]

Why not turn the label of disability on its head and start to look at what each individual is able to do. We all work in a mixed ability environment where each of us needs more support for one thing and less for another. It would seem to me that we need to assess the level of support someone needs to do their job and then insure that support is there.

 

Are we talking about a lack of understanding here or the cost of support, both in being able to access the work space and in educating staff.

 

One other thought, while we all know what a SM does, the job description is not written in stone. I do not believe it is beyond the wit of those with the ability to reorganise their work force to insure that all that needs to be done is done, by who ever is available. In fact it is this ability to improvise and invent that has made us who we are today.

 

PS. I like the idea of multiple cue lights, like another language which everyone learns to understand. :D