Disabled Technician Access

[thcousins]

I have been asked to produce a list of venues that provisions for disabled technicains.

 

Mostly, I'm interested in mobility impaired access to the LX box, sound booth, grid etc but any relevant info is also greatly welcomed.

 

Anyone who knows of venues with this type of access, please post the venue name, with brief description if poss.

 

 

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Tom

 

 

PS. my list currently is short

 

Hampstead theare, London. Full acess to Grid, LX, Sound and Stage.

 

PPS. See I said it was short.

[mac.calder]

Most of your problems will probably come from access to bio-box. Stage level access with a dropping grid is available in 8/10 places I have seen. That is about where the line is drawn though.

 

Access to places like the bio-box are often through narrow staircases hidden out of sight, dimmers are stowed away often either down below stage level or up above stage level (whatever is cheaper for power) etc.

 

The truth of the matter really is that appart from the FOH areas, theatres tend to be fairly... inaccessable.

 

That said, look at 'alternative' ways to do things in regular (designed without accessibility in mind) venues.

 

For example:

A lot of places have an option to run a FOH mix position - which at a push could probaby be used for LX as well with a bit of effort.

 

Do they have an orchestra pit - if so, there is one method for the tech to gain access to below stage level

 

I gather, from your phrasing, that you are finding this information out for someone who is disabled, and are not yourself - in that case, one thing to do would be to take note of problems you can see and then talk to them about how they overcome them in their day to day life... There will be a few things that are insurmountable problems, but for a lot of things, the person in question will already have solutions for. After you do that, you just need to make sure the solutions are safe and be able to prove it to the venue staff.

[AndrewR]

Perth Concert Hall. Scotland.

 

Wheelchair access:

LX and sound control rooms.

FoH mix position.

Stage.

Ochestra pit.

Access to 1 of 4 gantrys (the least used, above the stage)

Dimmer/Amp room.

Lx gantry over the stage, but not to FOH gantrys.

[Nicktaylor]

This is an interesting one! I can see that a building might have to comply with regulations to do with the public, but surely there comes a point where you cannot have every part of the theatre environment accessible for handicapped people. The spec is a bit woolly! What point is access for wheelchairs to the lighting grid? Or that patch room, do all breakers have to be at wheelchair height, etc ect

[Bryson]

Dance City, Newcastle.

 

Full access to stage, backstage, scene dock, dressing rooms, wardrobe and control room. (In fact, the control room is just off my office!)

 

Give me until the middle of the year and we'll have a grid that drops in to rigging height.

 

No access to grid or FOH bars for focussing.

 

HTH

[bythesea.33]

The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead (surpisingly...)

Hall 1:

LX, Sound control rooms

Stage

Amp/Dimmer rooms

No wheelchair access to FoH position, but I guess it depends on how motability impaired we're talking

No access to the followspot room

and we don't have a grid in this hall 1

 

Hall 2:

control rooms

foh position

amp/dimmer rooms

stage

lighting gantry

 

all backstage areas are flat and on the same level and the rest of the place is full of accessability enhancing stuff!

[Freddie]

[Wikiplug] This sort of info-list that is forming would be ideal for the Venues category of the wiki, just start a new page with your venue name as the title, and put the info in, maybe under

==Disabled Access For Crew==

Don't forget to put a

[[Category:Venues]]

in their somewhere. [/Wikiplug]

[StevieR]

I remember this one coming up during planning meetings for a theatre refit.

 

Plans for a new fly-tower had been submitted but when under discussion, one of the council officials queried where the 'Disabled lift' to the fly-floor was to be cited!!!!!

 

I think most people will have to admit that there are certain jobs which cannot be done by persons with impaired physical abilities as these would put them or others in danger. Theatre spaces should fall into this category. Now, it is not unresaonable to ensure that the tech box is made easily accessible and that certain disabled people will make superb operators. However, we all know that, as a tech, you don't just operate the desk - you need to go up and down ladders and tallescopes, work with heavy loads, crawl into tight spaces, etc, etc, etc. You cannot realistically provide access for all these tasks and, as such, I would argue that trying to make the tech provisions in a theatre fit with the DDA regs is a nonsense!

 

Anyway, that's my opinion.

 

(Standby for flak....)

 

S.

[Andrew C]

would argue that trying to make the tech provisions in a theatre fit with the DDA regs is a nonsense!

Unless you want Lottery funding... Been there, seen that, gave up in disgust!

[thcousins]

Thank you to all that have replied so far!

 

And thanks for your comments Nick and Mac Calder, hope this is helpful and/or responds to your questions.

 

This Wikiplug seems to the way forward, I don't really understand the system yet, but am about to read the info pages and am sure I'll get my head around it!

 

I realise my initial post was a bit vague, this was partly intentional, and partly as I was short of time when posting. I shall explain a little more my background and reasons for asking.

 

I have been working in the industry for many years both touring and as venue tech. I am currently the Head Tech at a venue in Brighton. The theatre is looking at the possibility of an extensive refurb but as with many venues we are Grade 2 listed so there are limits to the refurb. One of the questions that regularly comes up is DDA regs and related documentation with which I have become quite familiar! The trouble is that many of these regs use the word 'reasonable' which makes nailing things down a little more difficult. We currently have very limited access for disabled audience members and almost no provision for disabled performers or techs. (Building listing currently takes precedent over DDA regs)

 

Although I have no direct input to the building's development; the more I can throw into the mix, the more likely they are to consult myself and other technical crew on aspect of the future plans. Which hopefully will make the technical aspect of the new building, workable, intuitive, practical and functional. As a result I was asked to add some data to my views/ideas. (hence the post!) I'm no theatre consultant, but hey I do work there!

 

I am aware of a few venues that offer full access for mobility impaired technicians, but I haven't been on the touring circuit for a few years, and things can change quite quickly.

 

I also do not know of any mobility impaired techs, though I do know of a blind one and a few deaf or hearing impaired ones. If there are any, it would be good to hear about your experiences.

 

Although there are limits to what a disable tech could do in the theatre environment (and lets face it we all have limits! many techs have fear of heights), given the nature of the work, there aren’t actually as many as one might think. For example: Board Op (both Sound and LX) or Follow spot Op can easily be taken on, with the right access.

 

With a lower-able bars there is no reason why they could not rig and with a tension wire grid they could both rig and focus! As Mac Calder states when you look at ‘alternative’ ways, most things become possible.

In addition to that there is no technical reason why things like breakers, patch bays can’t be put a ‘wheelchair’ height. I’m 6’7” so am fully aware that bending down can cause back problems – but I can and do bend down so logic suggests that things should be put at a lower height, especially when you also consider the more vertically challenged, able bodied techs!

 

And give the fact that we may have a blank canvas, lets make sure that the painting we produce can be enjoyed by all!

 

Thanks again for your post, please keep them coming!

 

Tom

 

 

P.S. Mac Calder, what do you mean by ‘bio-box’? I’ve been working in technical theatre for 12years and never heard this word!

[paulears]

I'm not sure that on a new build it is acceptable to decide that the DDA cannot be implemented - after all, with a decent architect, getting a lift fitted to allow access to the otherwise unaccessable areas may well be possible. If access is made easier for disabled people, it's also easier for us too. A lift to the flies sounds good to me.

 

The problem with the DDA is that provision has to be made - but it's the people that count. Some disabled people can be really good to employ, even with severe disability - while others are a waste of time, but use the act to try and do things they can't. I had a student once in a wheelchair. She had ME really bad - so weak her mum was with her 24/7. They became sort of a combined being - She wanted to be a stage manager and was one of the annoying people who wanted changes to be made so that she could do it, no matter how daft. She said theatres should be made so that her wheelchair could get onto the stage level - me being me, gave her a list of quite a few where structurally that would be impossible, and hence not within the purvue of the DDA. Not convinced by a long way - that is the attitude that winds me up. Some people in a wheelchair are really mobile and have enough mobility to be safe, and keep others safe. Others, like this girl are so physically weak that they need constant help - in my humble view this doesn't generate trust. As suchyou have to ask how much real use they are. In this circumstance people would actually get one and a half people for the price of one - but who is really doing the work? The carer, or the cared for? Very Un-PC, but turning down a deaf person for a sound job, or someone colour blind for a lighting job or a physically disabled person for a flymans job isn't just correct, it is realistic.

[thcousins]

StevieR,

 

Just read your post, and in some way I agree, but in others (as you predicted!) I do not.

 

We are primarily a recieving house, but this would apply to a producing house too! It may be that although a disabled tech would not suit a full time position, due to the reasons you mention, they could easily be employed on a casual basis as a board op.

 

This of coures depends on the size of the venue, but when working at the Opera house (cov. garden) the board op did just that, operate the board - and only operate the board. (no disrespect, that in itself was a full time job!) For smaller venues this is different, but some considerations should surely be made?

 

 

Paulears,

 

Ooooh!

 

Who am I to pass judgement on your opinions?

 

But...

 

 

Oooooh!

[Bryson]

I sometimes think the DDA is one of the best bits of legislation to affect us, to be honest. Ramps, lifts and self-opening nice wide doors all over the place? Sounds great. Anywhere you can get a wheelchair, you can get a nice dolly full of kit, too. Great.

[J Pearce]

Re Pauls comment on colour blindness.

 

You will find many good lighting techs who are colour blind. In worst cases, yes designing would be hard or they could produce bad designs.

 

I am colour blind. You learn where your ambiguity in detecting colours is, and you learn ways of coping. I am moderately colour blind. I have trouble distinguishing some blues and purples, and also browns and greens. I could tell you they are different, just not which one is which.

With lighting colours being numbered I have no problem whatsoever, unless someone asks me to find a purple gel, and even then 70% of the time I get it right.

 

I also have no trouble distinguishing electrical wires, so you couldn't count me out there either.

 

Don't underestimate what 'disabled' people can do....

[Tom]

Tom,

I commend your open approach. The whole point about legislation like the DDA is to start from a view point of "what can be done". It's the same approach we are all now starting to accept with H+S - at least the enlightened amongst us are anyway.

 

One thing to keep in mind though in your planning is emergency egress. It's all very well being accessible but if that means a lift to the grid or control box, how do the mobility impaired get out in the event of a fire / power failure.

 

Regards,

Tom

Production Manager - Hampstead Theatre

(not as accessible as we though it was)

 

PS - may I second you Ooooh! with regard to Paulears views.