Breaking Barriers: Accessibility in Arts and Culture
Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Jason Brownrig
What do we mean by accessibility?
Accessibility means the ability of everyone to use a service or a space, regardless of context of use or specificity (including, but not limited to, persons with disabilities, elderly individuals, children, pregnant women, those with temporary mobility limitations, individuals with invisible disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, and anyone with special needs, as well as people living in rural areas and facing socioeconomic challenges). Accessibility should be a consideration in all fields, including the cultural sector, and at all geographic scales so as to ensure its generic effectiveness.
As of April 2023, one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experienced some form of disability. On average as a group compared with persons without disabilities, persons with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes such as less education, poorer health outcomes, lower levels of employment, and higher poverty rates. Their access to culture is also hindered.
This article explores how cultural accessibility for people with different forms of disabilities and those facing geographic or socioeconomic barriers can be improved with infrastructure design, decentralisation and technology.
Why make culture accessible?
Movement workshops at Access Living.
The cultural and creative sectors have a key role in shaping the transition to more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable societies without leaving anyone behind. Accessibility and inclusion for people of all ages, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds are often treated as secondary considerations or constraints in cultural design—frequently overshadowed by priorities like aesthetics or budget limitations—rather than embraced as essential aspects of diversity. All audiences should feel welcomed in cultural spaces to engage with art and artists, and all cultural organisations should feel responsible for ensuring accessibility and inclusion in their spaces and programming. Developing conditions that allow everyone to participate in all cultural activities in the most autonomous way possible is the key criterion for cultural democratisation and diversity, and investing in accessibility is an investment in audience development, community trust, and social equity. Access to culture and heritage is essential for places to share their history and let legacies live on.
‘Training is everything’ at Attitude is Everything
Infrastructure, Amenities and Staff Training
It is imperative to collaborate with policymakers, technology companies, disability access auditors, on-ground cultural stakeholders, and disability rights organisations to improve accessibility and inclusion in the cultural sector. All efforts to develop inclusive cultural spaces, technologies and learning programmes must involve the participation of persons with disabilities themselves to transition from access to empowerment.
Upgrading built environments and cultural infrastructure via mobility considerations such as lifts; ramps; low-level counters and accessible parking, toilets, and seating areas with space for mobility aids is a necessary condition for disabled people to gain access to culture, knowledge and leisure. Adapting the offer to other kinds of audiences and addressing requirements related to sight, cognition and hearing is also essential.
Technologies can provide innovative ways to make cultural programming more accessible and inclusive for deaf and hearing-impaired individuals. Examples include haptic vests like SUBPACs, offered for instance during Coldplay’s tour. These devices translate sound into vibrations that can be felt on the skin, allowing users to experience audio elements in a tactile form. This option complements more established initiatives such as hearing loops, captioning, live subtitling, and sign language interpreters. AI can also enhance accessibility in various ways. For instance, London's Museum leveraged AI to generate alt text for all object images in its online collection, making these images accessible to screen reader users for the first time (see our article about AI in cultural ecosystems). According to KultureCity, who has partnered with Coldplay, 1 in 4 individuals have a sensory need or an invisible disability. These are individuals with PTSD, autism, dementia, or who suffer from strokes, to name just a few. These specific needs are addressed by providing sensory zones or quiet spaces, sensory bags and ear defenders, and dedicated programming, as offered for instance at the SSE Arena in Belfast.
In the UK,the Attitude is Everything organisation has been enhancing access to music and live events for disabled and neurodivergent people since 2000, collaborating with industry professionals and the disabled community to drive inclusion. Over 210 venues and events across the UK have been recognised with awards under the organisation’s Live Events Access Charter, which sets industry standards to promote disability equality and inclusive practices. London’s Southbank Centre is one of the most accessible venues, and provides fully accessible buildings and parking, downloadable access maps and information, sound enhancement systems, wheelchairs, guiding and narration. Staff is specifically trained to welcome and assist individuals with all abilities, and the venue welcomes assistance dogs.
Barbican Theatre’s PETROL HEADZ at Thê Depø Venue Aug 2021. Image credit Greenbeanz, as part of their ‘Pay What You Decide’ Events.
Socioeconomic and geographic barriers
While infrastructural upgrades, programming adaptations, and staff training are essential for improving cultural accessibility, they require significant funding and are generally concentrated in major cities. Consequently, they fail to address other barriers to cultural participation, such as socioeconomic or geographic challenges.
Cost and geographical distance barriers prevent many people from lower-income backgrounds or from rural areas from being exposed to culture, and this inequality has only increased as a result of the pandemic and rising cost of living. Due to low population density, maintaining economically sustainable public transportation in rural regions is a significant challenge. Yet, such transportation is vital to connect these communities to cultural opportunities, particularly for the elderly, young people, people with disabilities and those who are economically marginalised. This raises issues about both accessibility of public transport and the need to invest in cultural infrastructure outside major cities.
Decentralisation as a way to improve cultural democratisation
Decentralisation means transferring some of a state’s responsibilities and funding to local authorities, thus giving them a certain degree of autonomy. This can be a transformative approach to cultural accessibility and democratisation. French cultural decentralisation is a unique example blending centralised vision and funding with local implementation via formalised legislations, policies and investment. France's 13 administrative regions each develop their own cultural programmes, often supported and overseen by the Directions Régionales des Affaires Culturelles (DRACs)—regional branches of the Ministry of Culture. Acting as extensions of the Ministry, the DRACs play a pivotal role in implementing national cultural policies at the regional level, ensuring a cohesive and uniform strategy while allowing local stakeholders to adapt cultural policy to local context and priorities. For instance, under the framework of the “fonds d’accessibilité des œuvres” (accessibility fund for artwork), the DRACs receive government funding to support the acquisition and development of accessibility tools. These tools aim to advance policies that improve access to cultural offerings for people with disabilities at the local level. Depending on the allocated funding, some DRACs issue calls for projects to encourage local initiatives, while others identify eligible cultural institutions to directly support their efforts.
This decentralised structure also aims to ensure that cultural opportunities extend far beyond metropolitan hubs like Paris, reaching smaller cities, rural areas, and historically underserved regions. This is exemplified by the Culture and Rurality Plan, which aims to strengthen the role of culture at the heart of rural territories. Launched in January 2024, it began with the consultation of local residents, elected officials, associations, and cultural stakeholders to ensure alignment with local realities. In parallel, the DRACs organised local meetings, debates, and workshops on the role of culture in rural areas. This led to the creation of 23 concrete measures grouped into four key areas: highlighting culture and local initiatives that instill pride in French territories; supporting local cultural actors and networks; facilitating the mobility of artists, artworks, and audiences; and assisting project leaders with tailored support services. This approach focuses on considering local needs and providing structured, actionable solutions to enhance cultural engagement in rural areas.
Decentralisation, by promoting equity in cultural participation through territorial equity, plays a key role in democratising access to culture, and enables the creation of initiatives tailored to specific community needs. This includes making venues and events accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities, developing programming that resonates with various age groups, reducing economic barriers through free or subsidised events, and developing cultural programming in rural or marginalised areas. By allowing cultural programming that aligns with local needs and cultural scene, decentralisation can also foster community engagement in the definition of local cultural landscapes. By involving local voices in the development of cultural initiatives, decentralisation can contribute to the development of more creative, accessible, inclusive, diverse and sustainable communities.
Institutionalised decentralisation, supported by dedicated funding, holds the potential to ensure that no one is excluded from the meaning and joy that culture brings. By empowering local initiatives and providing resources for infrastructural upgrades, equipment, staff training, and community-based programming, decentralisation breaks down barriers that limit cultural access. This approach enables broader, more inclusive participation, ensuring that cultural expression is accessible across entire territories. Decentralisation represents an opportunity to not only democratise culture but also position it as a key element of collective resilience and progress.