Project Santa: The hunt for accessible Christmas Attractions

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.... or so the song goes. But what if you or one of your family members are disabled? Can you still enjoy all the traditional activities we associate with the run up to Christmas, such as: shopping; visiting Christmas Fairs; pantomimes; carol concerts and nativity plays? Or does being disabled mean you’re left out in the cold. Capability Scotland launched Project SANTA (Search for Accessible Noel Themed Attractions) to find out.

What is the issue?

Christmas is a time when many people want to do things together with family and friends. Disabled people are no different; sometimes, however, they are excluded from Christmas activities because they are inaccessible.

Some disabled parents have told us that their child’s school is physically inaccessible for them, others have gone to a restaurant or a shop having been told it is accessible, only to find a couple of steps that were “forgotten” about or that the lift is out of order! Imagine if your child can’t be in the Christmas show because there is no ramped access onto the stage.

Capability Scotland wanted to find out whether Christmas events and outings could really be enjoyed by all.

www.capability-scotland.org.uk

December 2012

Key points

Positive staff attitudes are top of disabled people’s Christmas list this year Christmas turkeys include locked disabled toilets and lack of clear accessible information about attractions

Capability Scotland has asked service providers and organisers to make New Years resolutions which will improve access to services and visitor attractions all year round

Scottish charity SC011330. Scottish company SC36524 limited by guarantee

Capability ScotlandHead Office, Westerlea11 Ellersly RoadEdinburghEH12 6HYTelephone: 0131 337 9876Textphone: 0131 346 2529Fax: 0131 346 7864

December 2012

2

How did we research the issue?

We asked disabled people, their family and friends to act as ’roving reporters’ for us when they were out and about preparing for and enjoying Christmas.

We wanted them to tell us about their experiences, which they did by completing a questionnaire. Questions asked included: Did you enjoy the event? Was the event or place physically accessible? Did staff communicate well and was clear information available? Overall was the attraction genuinely accessible?

Key Findings

Christmas Crackers

People told us about a range of Christmas activities they had enjoyed participating in such as Christmas shopping, Christmas concerts and pantomimes and the switch on of Christmas lights.

The reasons given for putting these events on the good list included : positive staff attitudes where staff spoke to the disabled person rather than the person they were with, not being rushed, being able to use facilities without assistance, carers getting free admission and good parking facilities.

Case study- Livingston Shopping Centre

Jennifer from Lanarkshire Houses had a great day out shopping at Livingston Shopping Centre. She was able to get all her presents and even had time to enjoy a lovely lunch.

Jennifer particularly liked the fact that there was good parking close to all the amenities and plenty of lifts and ramps.

She said: “I liked that the shopping centre staff spoke directly to me and not over my head.”

Christmas Turkeys

However they also told us about the problems they encountered which put a real damper on their Christmas spirit.

These included accessible toilets being locked and having to ask for the key, difficulty with colour contrast on information leaflets and some attractions not being suitable for people who are full time wheelchair users rather than part time.

Insufficient accessible parking also made the activities less enjoyable.

3www.capability-scotland.org.uk

Conclusion

Disabled people and their families are no different to other families when it comes to enjoying Christmas. They do their Christmas shopping, collect the tree, watch the school nativity play, have a Christmas meal in a hotel/restaurant – and they want to do it with their family and friends.

Generally parents with a disabled child spend more time with that child as they need more care and it takes longer to do different tasks therefore it can be hard for them to spend time together as a family. Parents tell us that sometimes friends and extended family find it difficult to understand their child’s disability.1 Doing fun things together, spending time together and supporting each other at important events (such as the nativity play) all help to maintain good family relationships.

To enable families affected by disability to do this, they need others to understand what is important for them and addressing social and physical barriers can certainly help with this. The Equality Act has certainly improved physical access to some services, however many disabled people still have to plan outings and activities – being spontaneous is almost impossible and many disabled people are reluctant to trust the information they are given before their visit. Some of our previous reports illustrate that this reluctance is justified.

Our previous Christmas Night Out report found that much of the information given about access directly conflicted with what was actually found at venues. In only a quarter of venues was the correct information about access given.2

1 http://www.capability-scotland.org.uk/

supportforparents

2 http://www.capability-scotland.org.uk/nightout

Case Study - Edinburgh Winter Wonderland

Katrina said that good online information helped her and her son enjoy their day out at Edinburgh’s Winter Wonderland. Katrina said that there was a lot to do and the staff were patient, friendly and happy to assist.

The only downside for Katrina was that she needed a key to use the disabled toilets and they were a short walk away. However, they still enjoyed a great day out.

Similarly our report into access at outdoor festivals showed that staff knowledge about access was inconsistent and limited. Disabled people are a diverse group of people with different needs.

Having a general term such as “wheelchair friendly” is very unhelpful – what people need are the hard facts about access before their visit as well as when they arrive – this can be achieved by ensuring staff understand how to work the loop system, where the accessible entrance is, where the disabled loo is, where the portable ramp is kept etc.

December 2012

Ensuring staff have undergone disability equality training can also help with attitudinal barriers.3

It seems that this Christmas story at least has a happy ending at least with many of our reporters telling positive tales of their Christmas experiences. In particular we were pleased to hear that staff attitudes were generally very good – lets hope these are for life and not just for Christmas!

However, there is always room for improvement which is why Capability Scotland is asking event organisers and service providers to commit to a number of New Years Resolutions based on what disabled people have told us need to be in place to make an event truly accessible.

New Year’s Resolutions

Our New Year’s Resolutions for organisers and service providers are:

• In2013whenorganisinganeventoractivity we will ensure access arrangements are on the agenda from the start

• In2013,wewillensurepublicityandinformation about our event or activity will include accurate information about physical access (before being asked about this).

• In2013,wewillensureourstaffand/orvolunteers have up-to-date information about equipment and access and also know where it is kept and how it works.

• In2013wewillresolvetotrytoensurethat disabled people and their family and friends can enjoy our event or activity together.

3 http://www.capability-scotland.org.uk/

disabilityequalitytraining

Further Information

For further information about the report and reference details please contact Lorna Thompson, Advice Service 0131 347 1019 lorna.thomson@capability-scotland.org.uk

Report compiled by: Capability Scotland’s Research Advice and Policy Team

Case Study - Glasgow

Duncan who uses Capability Scotland’s, Wishaw Supported Living Services, enjoyed a great Christmas night out in Glasgow. After a meal at J D Wetherspoons’ Argyle Street restaurant, Duncan headed off to George Square to take in the Christmas sights and sounds.

Organisers had provided ramps which meant it was possible to get up close to all the attractions including the ice skating and the nativity scene. There were accessible toilets available and Duncan really appreciated the helpful, friendly attendants at the square.