We Hear You - Your Feedback.

Access in the arts is often invisible until a barrier appears in front of someone who simply wants to take part. At Actcessible we listen closely to the people who are experiencing these barriers first hand, because every message helps us understand where change is needed most. The feedback we have received recently is thoughtful, honest and important, and it reflects a wider national picture backed up by research.

“I messaged a theatre the other day and asked if their hearing loop was working before I bought a ticket to a show. Reply, no, it’s not. Sorry.”

One short reply can decide whether a person feels welcome or excluded before they have even entered the building. National data shows that almost half of disabled adults in the United Kingdom say they have been prevented from attending a theatre, cinema or arts event because of accessibility issues. When a theatre cannot confirm access support, people are forced to choose between attending without support or not attending at all.

“My theatre group in Buckinghamshire is open to everyone. Around ninety percent of us are neurodivergent. It is crazy how inaccessible theatre is. We found only two theatres with full disability accessibility onto the stage for our performers.”

This message highlights a structural issue. Disabled and neurodivergent performers are not

short on creativity, skill or passion, but the number of stages they can physically reach remains limited. Research from Arts Council England shows that although more than one fifth of the UK population identifies as disabled, only four to six percent of staff in major funded arts organisations do. When disabled people are underrepresented in staffing and leadership, accessibility often becomes an afterthought instead of a foundation.

“This, I work in live events, usually in accessibility for customers, and it is unbelievable that I am often the only disabled member of staff. And often your own accommodations are not met.”

Accessibility is not just something that should exist for audiences. It should exist for workers, performers, technicians, producers, volunteers and staff. When the person responsible for ensuring access is not offered access themselves, it reveals a deeper cultural gap. Inclusion needs to exist at every level, not just at the point of performance.

“Disability is not in the person, it is in the barriers put in their way.”

This is the social model of disability in one sentence. When the environment is accessible, the barrier disappears. When the environment is not accessible, people are excluded no matter how willing or talented they are. The person is not the problem. The barrier is.

“There is a lot of discussion, as there should be, about how to make training and the profession more accessible for neurodivergent practitioners. That is obviously an incredibly important discussion. But it is also important to acknowledge and celebrate the massive contribution that neurodiversity already makes to acting and the arts, and has done for a very long time, whether it has been recognised or not.”

This reminder invites celebration as well as reform. The arts have always been shaped by people who think differently, process differently, communicate differently and create differently. Neurodiversity is not a new arrival to theatre. It is a long standing part of what makes theatre imaginative, surprising and human.

“You are absolutely right. You cannot be seen as inclusive if you are not prepared to take action.”

Statements are not enough. Policies are not enough. Inclusion has to be something people can see, feel and experience. Research into UK arts venues shows that many organisations still do not include disabled people in programming decisions, rehearsal processes or access planning. If inclusion stays at the level of promise, nothing changes.

“Everybody matters” and “Too many places and people use accessibility as a tick box instead of thinking what needs to be in place for the individuals we cater for.”

These words challenge the idea that access is paperwork, or something that can be solved by a single policy. Real access is thoughtful, responsive and based on real people, not categories. It requires listening, adapting, and refusing to assume that one solution works for everyone.

Each message moves our mission forward. It confirms that barriers are not one-off issues but systemic patterns. It tells us that access cannot be an afterthought; it must be built in from the start. It reminds us that participation matters not only on stage but in rehearsal, in front of the curtain, in the ticketing queue, behind the scenes and in the boardroom. And it shows us that when people speak their truth, change becomes possible.

Thank you for sharing your stories, your frustrations, your hopes - and for trusting us to listen.

We hear you. We will keep building. We will keep asking questions. We will keep creating inclusive performance spaces where everybody truly can matter.