Hawke's Bay Front of House Accessibility Training

Part of the new training series facilitated by Arts Access Aotearoa.

Learn how to provide an accessible, dignified and equitable events experience to all visitors, and gain more confidence in your abilities to meet the needs of Deaf and disabled people. For all levels of experience with accessibility in the arts, the session is ideal for theatre, venue and event staff, and anyone working in front of house and customer facing roles in the arts.

Explore topics of ableism and disability language and concepts, and dive into activities on managing scenarios such as meeting access needs, handling complaints, and solving access clashes and complex situations involving disability in performing arts events.

Leave the session with concrete knowledge you can bring back to your organisation, including sharable resources for casual staff and your wider team. Learn together with other arts organisations, to build stronger local networks and set the stage for developing collective action toward arts accessibility in your community.

Ongoing follow-up support is available to Arts For All Network members after the workshop, to embed your learnings. Check out the Arts For All Network, your arts accessibility resource available to all Kiwis.

A standard ticket is $35. If you wish, you can increase the amount you pay for your ticket to 'pay-it-forward' into our scholarship fund. This fund enables us to offer free or reduced cost workshop entry to community organisation members, independent creatives, and others who face cost as a barrier to attending. For example, setting your ticket price at $70 means one ticket for yourself, plus providing a ticket for one other attendee who otherwise couldn't attend.

Facilitator Katie Querin
This workshop is hosted by Katie Querin, Whakahohe a Toi Ōritetanga / Arts For All Activator for Arts Access Aotearoa. Katie is a disabled person who has a background working in theatre and performing arts accessibility, and she brings both lived and professional experience to the workshop.

Workshop Details:
Workshop begins with introductions around the room, to learn who is sharing the space.
We'll get started discussing ablism, language, and concepts and understandings of disability. There will be time for discussion and questions. After a solid grounding in FOH's role in providing accessibility and understanding disability, we will break into groups to examine scenarios that might arise for FOH.

After a quick break for tea, biscuits and mingling, we'll return to explore existing accessibility practices and common barriers. We'll break into groups for more activities on handling complaints, conflict and access clashes, and what to do when everything doesn't go to plan.

We will wrap up with key takeaways and final questions to finish at 4:30pm. We will have time for mingling and networking until 5:00pm.

Accessibility
The building and the hui space is wheelchair accessible, and there are mobility parks nearby. Check out more details on Toitoi's accessibility webpage.
Certified disability assist dogs and support persons are welcome in the workshop. You are encouraged to bring comfort items, such as sunnies, hats, quiet fidget toys, and hearing protection, that can help you enjoy the session. Taking breaks and moving around during the session is welcome.
During the workshop we will break up into smaller groups for activities and scenarios. The main room may get noisy during these breakout sessions. One separate area will be available nearby to offer lower-sensory breakout session option.
The workshop will use a large font slide presentation. Any visual content will be audio described, and the group activities are all discussion based, with the choice to participate a little or a lot. We aren't providing NZSL interpreters for this workshop, but if you'd like to attend and you require interpreters, please get in touch.

Thank you to Toitoi Hawke's Bay Arts and Events Centre for generously hosting this session.