Attitude is Everything recently announced the launch of the Creative Medway Venues and Events Accessibility Pledge. The tool allows creative sector venues and events to communicate accessibility provisions for disabled audiences, artists, performers, volunteers and professionals. It was produced in collaboration with members of Creative Medway’s Access & Inclusion Working Group – which Sam Rapp is a part of – as well as the Pledge and Resources Subgroup.
Harnessing lived experience and expertise
Sam Rapp – The Dyslexic Poet (Fun With Words Productions) – has been a vital part in the production of the Creative Medway Community Accessibility Pledge. She has shared her expertise on accessibility from her own lived experience, and her involvement in access and inclusivity, which spans greatly as a published writer, speaker and part-time lawyer dealing with amongst other disability advocacy work.
Sam raises awareness of neurodiversity at events across the country, as well as through performing her poetry as Sam Rapp (The Dyslexic poet), and writing plays. She has been involved in discussions at Parliament around access and has worked closely with British Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia Scotland and is a former Chair of Dyslexia House Association in Medway.
It was due to Sam’s extensive background in access work and disability advocacy that made her a crucial voice in the production of the pledge. She was elected as Co-chair for Creative People at Creative Medway.
“I wanted to ensure that inclusion and accessibility in the creative arts is for everyone to participate in. That’s why I got involved”.
After her tenure was up, she was keen to continue her input with inclusion within the Creative Medway team. This led to her contribution in producing the Creative Medway Community Accessibility Pledge with our Inclusive Communities Manager, Bee Grzegorzek.
The landscape of Medway
Sam expresses that from her own personal experience and those of her disabled friends, there’s a real need to improve the state of access in many community spaces in Medway. It has been difficult for disabled people to access venues and events due to poor signage, limited access for wheelchair users, and other barriers. “There hasn’t been accessibility and inclusion – it’s been an afterthought and hasn’t been considered properly until now”, Sam tells us.
She has been able to apply this knowledge and experience to the production of the pledge, and has especially been able to speak to creating and writing material that is accessible to dyslexic and other neurodivergent people.
Producing the pledge
“Years ago, there wasn’t any discussion about disability at all, and now we’re talking about it. We must thank all the previous campaigns that raised the bar in relation to awareness about disability.
There has been an ongoing initiative for inclusion at Creative Medway, which is the primary reason that the Inclusion Working Group was formed. The group has discussed how inclusion should look and what they’d like to do in the future to remain true to their stance on inclusivity at Creative Medway.
“This has been many years in the making from the Imposition of the Equality Act 2010 to what inclusion and accessibility really means for disabled people”, Sam explains.
With Bee’s involvement via Attitude is Everything and the support of many different experiences and proficiencies, the pledge began to form and evolve. Sam says that “We need a kite mark for accessibility and inclusion for businesses” and this was it.
How the pledge can further accessibility in Medway
“The pledge is a fantastic stepping stone. It’s an organic document that will grow and change. And I think the first thing to do is to raise the bar, raise the awareness that this is the start of accessibility.”
Sam highlighted the importance of small actions, such as clarity of access information online. She vouches that the pledge will also be able to support community organisations, events and venues in signing to commit to better access and inclusivity.
By committing to the pledge, community spaces are urged to assess their facilities for access and commit to changes. Sam expressed that this Community Pledge will “put a mark on Medway in terms of accessibility and inclusion” and that the importance of speaking about access and inclusion is essentially where it starts.
