Welcome to All In
- Accessibility
- Andrew Miller
26 July 2024
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All In is the new UK access scheme for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people. Last November, allin.online went live, giving a first look at how we want to improve accessibility in the creative and cultural sector. Andrew Miller, UK Arts Access Champion, has been advocating a national UK-wide access scheme for the past five years. He takes a look back at the journey All In has taken, and the exciting developments still to come.
“Booking a ticket shouldn’t be a performance. This simple phrase has driven All In during key moments of its development. It’s a phrase we regularly return to when explaining the overwhelming need for a UK-wide access scheme for creativity and culture. I recognise this first-hand as a wheelchair user and know personally how being a disabled audience member or visitor has a unique set of challenges.
Recently I spent three hours trying to book a London theatre ticket. This involved half an hour on an unanswered call to an access line, having to join two separate membership schemes and I was unable to complete the purchase until a week later. These types of barriers are problems that disabled people regularly face when trying to engage, not just with theatres, but with galleries, museums, cinemas, and other cultural spaces.
Disabled people are faced with signing up to multiple access schemes before they can even begin to enjoy the experience they wanted in the first place.
While there are already some fantastic examples of accessibility in venues across the UK, differences in resource, funding, and knowledge means there is little consistency. Disabled people are faced with signing up to multiple access schemes before they can even begin to enjoy the experience they wanted in the first place. Personally, I’m a member of over a hundred! Not only is this a barrier to someone with access requirements, but also to the creative and cultural sector, who do not want to discourage new customers.
If you’re a disabled person yourself, you will know that these kinds of stories are not uncommon which is why All In is designed by disabled people for disabled people. The All In team regularly meets with our disabled advisory group to ensure lived experiences inform our development. This will also provide valuable feedback to the sector, with whom we are working closely with our sector advisory group to make sure the scheme addresses the needs of everyone.
Andrew Miller, a white middle-aged man in a wheelchair wears a purple suit attending the BAFTAs.
Andrew Miller is the UK Arts Access Champion for All In.
The potential of All In is evidenced by Hynt, Wales’ very own access scheme for the arts. Delivered by Creu Cymru since 2015, Hynt offers a consistent approach to ticket booking across 41 different cultural venues. The Hynt Impact Report reveals how the scheme generated an additional 144,000 attendances over the last decade, half of which were full price tickets. Most importantly, Hynt has provided nearly 30,000 disabled people with better access to creativity and culture.
With the success of Hynt, the time is now right for a UK-wide extension. Hynt has provided crucial data for Arts Council England who are working alongside Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, and Creative Scotland to develop a scheme that can bring a consistent approach to access across the whole of the UK. All In will advocate for accessibility without barriers and borders, and set the standard for world class creativity and culture.
A black woman with a learning disability admires a grand theatre.
Photos by Karol Wyszynski
For us, the ambition is clear. We want to help the sector make the changes to welcome even more disabled people through their doors and provide an even greater quality of customer service. By introducing the first UK-wide accessibility standards for creativity and culture, All In can provide training and guidance to make sure that we’re all in this together. This sets the stage for the sector to fully open its doors to the 16 million disabled people living in the UK*.
In autumn 2024, we will pilot All In ahead of a national roll-out. This is a key part of development that will provide us with detailed feedback. It’s important we take the time to test All In and make sure it works. The very last thing we want is to create more barriers.
In the months ahead we will announce our chosen developer for the UK’s first accessibility standards for creativity and culture, how and where we are going to pilot All In, the rate card for subscribed organisations, and the public launch date. We’ll announce all updates on our website, via social media, and by email.
We are still early in our journey but whether you’re a disabled person, working in the industry, or both, we want you to join us. Because, when we’re All In, everyone’s welcome.”