Access All Areas: Liza and Keys Explore Your Accessibility Conundrums

Dear Keys and Liza,

Ever since Miss Phipps chose me as the recipient of the Year 3 class music cup, I’ve known I had serious musical talent. Since then my chamber music career has gone from strength to strength. Audiences in Little Wallop have been flocking to my carefully considered classic programmes for over fifteen years.

But now that very programme, my pride and joy, is being cancelled. Cutbacks, they said. Not only that, I’ve been informed I have to conduct something they call an ‘accessible professional ensemble’ instead.

We can all agree that there’s a jolly good reason why Beethoven didn’t compose his masterpieces for the electroacoustic ocarina. One of the musicians wants to plug this so-called ‘instrument’ into the sound system to make its dratted noise even louder! Another one says the arpeggios on the score make their hands twitch and wants to make something else up instead. I've tried explaining that the great composers are all acoustic for a reason. But the message doesn't seem to be getting through.

How can I maintain my artistic integrity in these circumstances?

Noel Ectro

RE: Dear Noel Ectro,

Interestingly, Beethoven was one of many musicians throughout history that has challenged the concept of traditional music making and performance. Following the development of hearing loss, Beethoven learnt to continue playing piano through a process called bone conduction. By attaching one end of a rod to a piano and biting onto the other end with his teeth, Beethoven was able to feel the vibrations through his mouth which allowed him to continue playing.

This way of feeling the music instead of hearing it probably had a few people questioning Beethoven’s abilities back in the 1700’s. But as Beethoven has shown, embracing creativity and exploring new approaches to music making, performing and teaching is what truly encourages innovation and excellence. So, consider how you can step out of your comfort zone and use the “unconventional” approaches of others to strengthen your musicianship.

Maybe you’ll even end up creating the next Symphony No.5.

If you need guidance on how to create an accessible ensemble, we recommend checking out the Paraorchestra.

Keys and Liza.

Dear Keys and Liza,

I’ve been running a club night for the last twenty years. I’m a wheelchair user myself and we pride ourselves on only working with fully accessible venues.

Last Saturday one of the DJs came up to me, about 4am. The night was really kicking off by then, so I couldn’t hear them very well. So I just nodded and smiled. They started getting quite agitated, clapping their hands over their ears and grimacing, so I did my very best silly faces back. They seemed impressed and even filmed me for a bit.

Turns out they were trying to ask where the quiet space was. Now they’ve posted a video of me online and I’m getting a lot of flak. Some people are even saying they won’t come to my club nights any more.

How can I create a quiet space for DJs when we’re paying them to pump up the volume?

Deci Bell.

RE: Dear Deci Bell,

The first thing to know about accessibility is that we won’t always get everything right. But what matters most is that we try our best.

As you’ve experienced, what we do with good intentions can sometimes put others at a disadvantage. This can happen without us even realizing what is going on at the time. When this does happen, it’s important to take responsibility for our actions and make conscious efforts to learn from our mistakes. An easy way to do this is to apologize to the individual and ask how we can best support them in future. They know what they need better than anyone else.

Having a quiet space at loud events is actually super important for everyone, not just those with additional needs. As a Performer our work can quickly lead to overwhelm, whether that be from the pre-performance jitters or the post-performance adrenaline drop. Having a quiet space ensures that when our brains are buzzing like a nest of angry bees and our heart is pounding quicker than the kick drum, we can take a moment to ground ourselves and feel ready to take on the world again.

When establishing a quiet space make sure you consider ALL the senses. This means ensuring it actually is a quiet space, avoiding any sound bleed from other rooms, as well as considering things such as soft blankets and fidget items for touch, and warm lighting for sight. The best place to start is by asking yourself, what do I need when I’m feeling overwhelmed?

Keys and Liza.

Dear Keys and Liza,

Our band got booked for a great gig. We sent over our tech and access riders and they agreed to everything straight away - a minimum 3 hour sound check, and no work before 7am. We were delighted.

Now they’ve asked us to start playing at 10am. This means we’d have to sound check at 7am, and the venue is four hours away so we’d have to leave at 3am. They are claiming this is in line with our access requirements.

As teleportation doesn’t yet exist we asked if they could put us up the night before. From their reaction I think we’d have more luck inventing a magic carpet.

We already signed the contract and they want to keep us to it. What should we do?

Tuer Lee.

RE: Dear Tuer Lee,

I’m sorry to hear that you are having problems with your access support. Having our needs ignored can add a great level of unnecessary stress to our workload and sometimes even stop us from working altogether!

A good starting point would be to have a formal conversation with the promoter, reminding them of what was agreed in the access rider. This gives the promoter an opportunity to re-read your access rider and fully process what they may have missed the first time they read it.

If the promoter continues to ignore your access needs, it might be time to contact your Regional Office at the Musicians Union. All employers in the UK must abide by the Reasonable Adjustments policy, which states they must make reasonable adjustments to ensure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. If an employer is purposefully ignoring your access needs, they could be breaking the law. It’s important that you reach out for additional support if this is happening to you or someone you know.

Don’t struggle in silence. Because access isn’t a luxury, it’s the standard.

Keys and Liza.