Backstage for the visually impaired

[Skimble]

Hi.

 

I work in a school that has an increasing number of visually impaired students, several of whom are getting involved with productions. This gives me a problem - backstage is not particularly safe for those who can't see that well in low lighting conditions and I've been asked to adapt it so that edges in particular are made clear. I'm thinking textured tape on the floor, which is a simple measure, but it's also been suggested that there should be some kind of lighting provided to illuminate areas that might be too dark for contrast to help the students.

 

Does anyone have any experience of working with visually impaired performers and ideas as to the best ways of making everything visible without using lots of light?

[Robin D]

First thing is to find out if they use tinted lenses in glasses because if so you need to take that into account with any coloured lighting or surfaces.

 

The key issue is having very defined differences between wall, floor, step edges, architraves and any potential hazards. White, yellow and red gaffa can be used very effectively, and sometime even LX tape will work on a door edge, or similar.

 

Try to contain everything that's on the the deck in wings into a small space and 'tape' the walkway as clear of it as you can get. Use white tape for the walkways and yellow of similar for any crossing hazards including taped down cables.

 

Low level blue rope light can also be very effective. Put them on the deck if you can following the safe walkway so all they have to do is follow the corridor to get to and from positions.

 

IMHO, you have to ensure they are clear of the the stage when not on it, or immediately about to go on. Having visually impaired students standing in the wings is a recipe for disaster. Indeed, its a darn good idea whenever kids are involved to have them in a holding area out of the wings.

 

I hope you are doing a full risk assessment. This is all 'doable' but does need careful planning. Doing one will show you the risks, force you to work more tidily, but will actually improve overall safety.

 

What you are doing will allow those children to get an experience they will never forget so please put the effort in.

 

EDIT: SPAG!

[ramdram]

This might be of use? There is a bit of gen on labs which might help or at least get you started.

 

As usual, apols if this is known to yourself already

 

http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/vision.html

 

and:

 

http://www.graeae.org/about-us/access/

[kerry davies]

The short answer is that either you provide enough light, edge marking, reflective tape and safe access and egress or the movement of visually impaired people has to be restricted.

 

Longer answer being that anything is possible as long as an adequate risk assessment can be made by a person with the necessary expertise that allows that person to consider visual impairment as a hazard.

 

I pride myself on RA work but would enlist the assistance of friends at Hereford Blind College and in the VI community before even starting. They have the experience and knowledge.

 

Mixed ability groups are often more difficult to cater for than groups with a common disadvantage. Blind people tend to do better in the dark, for instance, than sighted people in my experience.

[Jivemaster]

Assistance from the relevant people and their professional support workers may help, but, don't underestimate the person's ability to learn if they want!

 

Kodak (when in Harrow) specifically employed "blind" people to work in their total darkness rooms, the people learned about the noises and the feel of the place and did at least as well as sighted people. The "blind" people were also empowered by having a sense of worth and a wallet of money. * Blind in those days may not have the same definition now!

[paulears]

Depending on the type of visual impairment they have, in the generally dark stage areas, it's quite easy to get disoriented - so perhaps something like a dance type 'spotting' light out front will let them judge their position a little better - type and colour may have to vary, but something they can identify and 'key' onto will work well.

[J Pearce]

Glow tape marking clear gangways may well be of value.

[mutley]

I'd use LED strips or rope light of various colours to mark out different areas. eg: white around floor, yellow on steps, red on obstacles, etc (make up your own colour convention in consultation with the visually impaired students).

 

LED strips are usually 12v and quite cheap. Example1 Example2

 

Rope light is a bit tougher (especially the LED stuff) but often mains powered.

 

You could also use EL strips on door edges, as it flat and self-adhesive.

 

To power it all, you could just use one PC power pack! They can be purchased for less than £15, and are capable of delivering 12v at about 30-40A, you could light the whole school hall and still not overload it! Simply short the grey 'PWR_OK' pin to ground, and take 12V off any yellow wire, with ground on any black.

 

http://files.myopera.com/PM-MD/blog/cekvoltagepower4.jpg

[Seano]

backstage is not particularly safe for those who can't see that well in low lighting conditions

Not fantastically hazardous either though, I would hope. Its an environment where it isn't always easy even for someone with perfect sight to see where they're going, especially a performer who may have had a followspot in their face a few seconds previously.

 

Glow tape marking clear gangways may well be of value.

I suspect (photoluminescent) glow tape will not be much help in the wings - its too dim too quickly after being 'charged' in bright light. Could be good for 'spike' marks on the stage though.

 

Perhaps a better bet as regards 'glow' tape in the wings would be fluorescent tape in conjunction with UV lighting. Fluorescent paint could also be an option for dip traps, stage weights, braces etc.. Fluoro 'chalk pens' like these: clicky might also be handy for temporary floor/wall markings. (Er.. I think. Dunno. Would have to experiment.)

 

Retro-reflective tape is just a dull grey when you're viewing it in ambient light so probably pretty useless, unless...

Because the light source is so close to your eyes it does really 'pop' when lit by a head-torch.

 

I really like Paulears' 'spotting lamp' idea - also perhaps a good way to get a partially sighted performer safely past masking flattage and back into the wings after a blackout?

 

All these technical things are fun, but I suspect the most helpful stuff will be much more mundane. Good housekeeping. Blocking and generally organising things to give people who need it plenty of time to get from A-B. Ensuring someone with better vision is around to lend a hand if required. That kind of thing - just good, well thought-out stage management basically.

[bigclive]

If the production is being geared up for partially sighted stagehands and is brightly lit throughout then why should the backstage area be dark at all?

[brainwave-generator]

backstage is not particularly safe for those who can't see that well in low lighting conditions

Not fantastically hazardous either though, I would hope. Its an environment where it isn't always easy even for someone with perfect sight to see where they're going, especially a performer who may have had a followspot in their face a few seconds previously.

 

Glow tape marking clear gangways may well be of value.

I suspect (photoluminescent) glow tape will not be much help in the wings - its too dim too quickly after being 'charged' in bright light. Could be good for 'spike' marks on the stage though.

 

Perhaps a better bet as regards 'glow' tape in the wings would be fluorescent tape in conjunction with UV lighting. Fluorescent paint could also be an option for dip traps, stage weights, braces etc.. Fluoro 'chalk pens' like these: clicky might also be handy for temporary floor/wall markings. (Er.. I think. Dunno. Would have to experiment.)

 

Retro-reflective tape is just a dull grey when you're viewing it in ambient light so probably pretty useless, unless...

Because the light source is so close to your eyes it does really 'pop' when lit by a head-torch.

 

I really like Paulears' 'spotting lamp' idea - also perhaps a good way to get a partially sighted performer safely past masking flattage and back into the wings after a blackout?

 

All these technical things are fun, but I suspect the most helpful stuff will be much more mundane. Good housekeeping. Blocking and generally organising things to give people who need it plenty of time to get from A-B. Ensuring someone with better vision is around to lend a hand if required. That kind of thing - just good, well thought-out stage management basically.

 

 

These are all things that I would agree with.

 

With access areas / routes, try and keep them lit during the day so that people can spot hazards that may become dangerous during the show. Mark out walkways (initially, if only with chalk lines) and make it a cardinal sin to lay a cable across it unless absolutely necessary, and even then, with cable ramp. Just like in workshops and warehouses where they're painted on the floor, you can chalk them out in the light, and then re-mark them with a method of your choice afterwards.

 

My preferred marking is hi-vis tapes, with a UV light allowing them to glow without lighting the space itself. Use multiple colours to mark different things... for instance, orange could be a physical edge (IE off the side of the stage or walkway or whatever), with green being edge of a marked walkway, yellow being cable ramp, pink being an obstruction, whatever. Alternatively, you could say, orange for sound's kit / cases, yellow for lights, green for video, pink for rigging; or whatever you like. I've also seen, rather than doing a typical "walk between the 2 lines" type thing, a route marked with a single line, where you just keep 18" each side of that line clear. With that, you can again use colour coding, with orange taking you to FoH, green to dressing rooms, yellow to loading dock, whatever. You can run them next to each other on common routes then branch them off as required. Use your imagination! (A lot of this depends on how long you're staying... not really worth it for a one night gig but if you're in town for a week then it's more value for money).

 

PS Cheers for the link to the chalk pens. I know a few people who chalk up with these outdoors because they get rained on and don't disappear. Will probably buy some.

 

 

[Bryson]

backstage is not particularly safe for those who can't see that well in low lighting conditions

Not fantastically hazardous either though, I would hope. Its an environment where it isn't always easy even for someone with perfect sight to see where they're going, especially a performer who may have had a followspot in their face a few seconds previously.

 

 

 

Indeed. Backstage is dark enough that virtually everyone could be considered effectively partially sighted - hence the proliferation of edge markings, taped out walkways and high-contrast signage. In many ways, backstage is already pretty well adapted to partially sighted workers.

[Skimble]

Our backstage area leaves a lot to be desired, tbh, and we don't have edges or paths marked out at present. It's VI performers rather than stage hands, and it's two or three - the students are almost all without disability and we've just worked round the limitations of our space. I'm delighted that I have this 'problem' because it means that the VI students are accessing the opportunity to perform in a production; I just want to make sure that I do them justice, and am glad that there will be the added side-effect of making everything easier for the whole cast and crew because these things have to be sorted for a few particular students.

 

As always I'm grateful for the various suggestions and will be looking at what is best with a VI adviser, the directors and, most importantly, the students who'll be on the stage. With a bit of time and effort we'll have a stage that runs more smoothly, more safely and more efficiently and everyone will be a winner.