The venue Expand You might be in a fortunate position and able to pick a venue for your exhibition. However, we're aware that sometimes this isn't the case. The guidance below offers suggestions for improvements to access even when you don't have a choice about where you're working. How should I choose a venue? Before you get into the specifics of your exhibition, there are some important things to consider about the place you're working in that can have a huge impact on the success of your access provision. It might be helpful to consider: Where is it? Is it accessible by various forms of transport? Is it step-free? How will people enter the space? What access provisions are already in place? And what can be changed to improve access for your audiences? Does the venue have disability awareness? Physical accessibility in the venue Step one - step-free! Where possible, we encourage people to opt for venues with step-free access. This not only benefits wheelchair users, but also welcomes people who might be bringing children in prams or people with low mobility. Remember: Even small steps into a space are not step-free. Be sure to check your venue for small steps and uneven ground. If there is a ramp, does it comply with current regulations? Ideally the entire venue is step-free and has the same entrance for all visitors, rather than an alternative step-free entrance that brings you to the exhibition via an alternative route. Lifts and doors - what should I consider? Lifts - especially if your exhibition is split over more than one floor in a building Is there a lift available? And is it reliable? Can the lift be independently operated? Or does it need a member of staff to be used? How big is the lift? Can it comfortably fit in a wheelchair with additional space? Can the lift be used during an emergency evacuation? Doors and entrances Are heavy doors automated? Or can they be propped open? Be aware of any fire doors and emergency procedures. Does the entrance require you to use an intercom? Try and offer an alternative way to enter for hearing impaired people such as a number to text for entry. Is the accessible entrance round the back or hidden away? Make sure this is clearly signposted. Ideally all visitors will have access to the same entrance and visitor journey through the space. Think about seating! Having seating available in your exhibition is a great way to encourage people to stay and enjoy what you have created. Some venues might already have seating built-in or available to move around the space. Check whats available! But what seating is recommended and what can you do when there isn't anything at the venue already? Can you design seating as part of the exhibition? Does some seating offer cushions and back support? Is there another venue you might be able to borrow seating from? Rather than buying brand new? Can seating be moved around the space or are they stuck in place? Consider how wheelchair users might experience work if there is fixed seating blocking their experience. You might want to consider arranging benches in front of video works slightly off-centre to allow more inclusive space for wheelchair users to view the work. Is there enough space to move around? If you're filling up your exhibition space with lots of work and installations, remember to consider the journey people take through the space. Can a wheelchair fit or other mobility aids fit? Are there areas where it can get particularly crowded? We recommend taking a tape measure with you and ensuring large wheelchairs are able to comfortably navigate through the space. Ideally, once your exhibition is installed, there should be at least 1.3m between objects on the floor like sculptures, plinths, and furniture. It makes for a more relaxed experience, and with more space, the artworks are more protected! What might impact the senses? As well as physical access in the space, its important to remember different elements that can affect the senses. This is particularly important to consider for neurodivergent audiences and migraineurs who can experience barriers in spaces with strong lights, smells and sounds. If you're looking to specifically cater to these impairment groups, you can check out our additional resources What is Neurodiversity? and Make Inclusive Arts Events For Migraineurs Is your venue in a busy location? Does the nearby noise bleed into the space? You might be able to offer ear defenders or noise cancelling headphones for people as they enter. What lighting is available in the space and can it be changed? You might want a particular lighting style for the work, but having options is great if you're able to alter this. Is there a quiet space available? Quiet spaces - also known as rest spaces - are a great way to offer a place to recharge, decompress and process the exhibition. Having the opportunity to rest in the venue creates a more inclusive environment for visitors, particularly those with chronic fatigue. Some venues might have a space suitable and readily available. If you are curious about creating a quiet space on a low-budget and on the move, Unlimited have created a brilliant guide with top tips. Check out their detailed resource on their website. What toilet facilities should be available? As well as being step-free, we suggest opting for a venue that has their own accessible toilet. If you don't have direct access to one, we recommend checking out the local area in case there is one nearby you can signpost people towards. Accessible toilets are more than meets the eye – they need to accommodate the wheelchair user, a portable hoist and a PA, with a red alarm cord working, reaching the floor, and next to the toilet. In the 2024 Euan's Guide Survey, 77% of respondents have avoided going somewhere because they couldn’t find information about an accessible toilet. You can read the full survey results on their website. Have you heard of Changing Places toilets? These are larger accessible toilets with additional hoists and facilities to support disabled people with additional needs. With a radar key you have access to these toilets - but we recommend checking the website before venturing out and about! At the time of publishing (2025), there are 2,606 registered Changing Places toilets across the UK. Find your nearest one on their website. What about assistance dogs? Its important to make sure you can also welcome assistance dogs into the space. Assistance dogs can be a vital support for disabled people, and being able to welcome in your four-legged visitors too makes for an even better experience. Make sure you have water bowels available Is there somewhere nearby where dogs can relieve themselves? Make sure your staff are aware of this in case someone asks What assistive technology is available on site? Check at the venue in case they offer assistive tools and have the technology on hand. This can be an expensive cost, particularly if you're looking to hire such equipment - but if its already available, why not make use of it! Hearing loops - ensure they are clearly signposted in the venue Audio guides - some museums and galleries have their own handsets preprogrammed with audio guides and descriptions If you don't have these tools available, you might consider creating QR codes for visitors to scan and access content in a way they prefer on their own devices. You could also borrow some headphones and an MP3 player from a friend and load up your audio tour! Where is the venue? How can people find the exhibition? We've spoken a lot about access once you're at the venue, but don't forget that the journey to your exhibition is just as important! Being able to have information on hand and readily available so people can plan their journey is really helpful. Consider the following: How easy is it to find the venue? What information can you share for visitors planning their journey? Is it close to public transport? Are there secure places to lock a bicycle? How visible is the venue from the street? Do you need clear signage to guide people? It might also be useful to mention quieter times to visit your exhibition, particularly if its in a busy area or travel connections can get congested. Staff and volunteers at the venue In addition to ensuring your venue is accessible, make sure you are aware of who will be on hand to manage the venue and invigilate the exhibition. Are there staff on hand at the venue who are familiar with emergency evacuation procedures? Does your team have disability awareness? How might you be able to remove attitudinal barriers in the venue? Looking for Disability Equality Training for your team? Check out all our training and auditing services available or drop us an email at [email protected]
Presenting work Expand If you're happy with the venue for your exhibition, it's time to start planning the ways you will show artwork - and how you can do this accessibly. You might be exhibiting ready-made work, in which case a lot of the work you can do to improve accessibility is about providing multiple options for engagement with the art, like captions, audio description, or tactile models. If you're running an open call or commissioning new work, you can begin to integrate access as a creative tool and think about how your curatorial choices may be informed by your plan to increase accessibility. For example, you might integrate creative captions to a video work, or commission a sculpture that is designed to be touched. Technical guidelines Much of planning an exhibition comes down to what fits where. This is a good moment to take a pause and consider how you can think about accessibility as a factor in these decisions. There are some guidelines that offer practical steer. If you're hanging work on the wall - this might be a 2D painting in a frame or a sculpture composed of multiple parts - aim to position it so that the centre of the artwork is 135cm off of the floor. In a similar way, you might be constructing plinths to display artwork. If you have control over the size of plinths you're using, try to make them no taller than 80cm. Of course, you might only have ready-made plinths available. We'd always recommend choosing the plinths - or any free-standing platform for showing work, like tables or stools - that are as close to 80cm in height as possible. The only time you should opt for a shorter platform is if the work itself is very tall. If you're accompanying an artwork on the wall with a label - this might tell people who made it, what it's called, or what it's made from - we suggest hanging or sticking these at 110cm from the floor. As important as it is to hang artwork at an accessible height, you've also got to consider the layout of the room or space you're exhibiting within. If you've got floor work and furniture like benches or chairs, you need to plan carefully to make sure there's enough room for people to move about the space, particularly wheelchair users. With this in mind, you should factor in 1.3m between objects on the floor to make sure people can comfortably navigate the exhibition without putting themselves or the artworks at risk. Audio description Offering the audience audio descriptions of your artwork can be a great tool for making the exhibition more accessible for visually impaired audiences. But you'll also find that audio description is a popular method of engagement for a much wider audience, too. It can make people think about elements or themes within an artwork that they might have missed otherwise. There's lots of great advice for how to write audio descriptions. We'd recommend Turf Project's Audio Description Tips for Artists resource. It's always worth road-testing your descriptions with others - particularly visually impaired people who can help you improve. We would always advise paying people for their time if you ask them to consult on improving accessibility. Another way you can use audio description to increase the accessibility of your exhibition is to offer tracks that describe the environment or exhibition layout as well as the works themselves. We did this for Abi Palmer's Slime Mother exhibition in 2024, check it out to get a feel for what you could do yourself. Once you've got your audio descriptions recorded, here's what we recommend: Compile your audio description tracks and upload them somewhere publicly accessible, like SoundCloud. This will allow you to structure the 'playlist' or 'album' in an order that makes sense: consider the sequence that people would encounter the works in the space, and follow that. It will also mean you can integrate any additional descriptions, such as describing the room that houses the exhibition, or a reading of your curatorial text. Plan and test the ways your audience can access the audio description. We would recommend having some basic MP3 players and headphones pre-loaded with your audio description tracks available for people on-site. Many people would prefer to use their own smartphone and headphones, or the ones you have available might be busy. To account for this, we recommend adding QR codes to your wall labels - you should clearly label them as linked to your audio description - allowing people to navigate there themselves. If people can't make it to the exhibition in person, consider making the audio descriptions available online for anyone to listen to. British Sign Language Over 150,000 people in the UK use British Sign Language (BSL). BSL is a different language to English, with a different structure. For many deaf people, BSL is their first language. This means that sometimes, captions and text might not be sufficient if you're aiming to make your exhibition accessible to everyone. We suggest providing BSL interpretation wherever you have text or spoken English play a significant role in your exhibition. This might include: A BSL translation of your curatorial or wall texts, as well as BSL catalogue Providing a BSL version of moving image works that contain spoken dialogue. If you're commissioning new moving image work, you might even consider integrating this into the artwork itself. Hiring BSL interpreters for your events and programmes. If you have an opening event or a panel discussion alongside your exhibition, we'd suggest finding a BSL interpreter so BSL users can enjoy what you're offering. We know that BSL interpretation can be expensive. It's also hard to secure interpreters at the last minute. It's always important to plan for time and budget to cater for this. If you're still writing a funding application, for example, make sure you include BSL provision within your budget. If you've got an interpreter and they're recording videos for the exhibition, the next step is figuring out the best way for audiences to find and engage with this material. With pre-recorded BSL, this might be in-vision, where the interpreter is green-screened into another video, or a stand-alone video that accompanies a piece of text, we use YouTube to host and organise content. You can create playlists that mirror the order of artworks in the exhibition, for example, offering a kind of BSL tour of the show. Where you have BSL translations of texts about the artworks, you might consider using QR codes on your wall labels. Make sure you clearly signal what the code is for, perhaps with a BSL icon. This will allow people to use their own smartphones or devices to access the material. You can also organise in-person BSL tours of your exhibition. This is where you invite BSL users to join a BSL interpreter as they walk them through the exhibition, discussing each artwork. Digital content and moving image work Captions: One of the easiest things you can do to make video material more accessible is use captions. We would always recommend writing the captions yourself over using an automated or AI generated service, because these tend to be inaccurate. At the very least, you should thoroughly check auto-generated captions for any obvious mistakes. We would suggest that the captions are burnt-in to the 'main' version of your artwork or video content, particularly if you're playing it on a TV or projector within the space. This means everyone has the same experience and nobody needs to request captions be turned on. If you're interested in writing creative captions or growing your confidence for captioning non-spoken audio, like sound effects or ambient music, check out the work of organisations like Carefuffle, who specialise in this field. Audio descriptions: Audio describing moving image artwork can feel daunting. Particularly if the film is long or fast-paced. As a starting point, you can browse our Audio Described Films playlist on YouTube to listen to how we've done it ourselves in the past. The best way to provide an audio described film is to have the descriptions playing alongside the film's own audio - two tracks, playing simultaneously, without overlapping spoken dialogue. This might not always be possible, though, particularly if the film has rapid conversations and not enough time to fit in descriptions. Texts and writing Interpretation is a key part of any exhibition. From the curatorial text to how you describe the artworks, communicating the themes and ideas behind your show is an important step towards creating a meaningful experience for your audience. It is also an area where a little extra time and consideration can go a long way in improving accessibility. If you keep reading, you'll find advice about things like fonts, sizes, and graphic design in the Communications and Marketing segment of this resource. Here, we'll discuss how to make the content of your written interpretation accessible. Reading Levels: The tone and language you use to describe your exhibition and the artworks is important. We'd advise aiming for a Reading Level of 8 on the Flesch-Kincaid Scale, which is the average reading age of a 13 year old. You can check this in Microsoft Word by enabling the Readability Statistics, or you can copy and paste your text into one of many free online reading level checkers. Writing in plain, easily understandable language makes what you're trying to say much more accessible to a wide pool of people, whether they identify as disabled or not. It also strengthens the curation of your exhibition, because you will gain confidence and insight by distilling your ideas. Glossaries: Sometimes, particularly if you are working with conceptual art or artworks informed by science, for example, there will be phrases or words that you can't simplify as easily. Or you might need to include complex ideas or language because they are important to the artwork. When this is the case, we recommend offering a glossary, or list of definitions, so that people can engage more easily with the big ideas you feel are important. Easy Reads: No matter how understandable your writing is, it's always worth providing an Easy Read format as well. Easy Reads are designed for learning disabled people and those who have difficulty understanding standard information. They can also be useful to help young children understand your exhibition. Easy Read guides use short sentences and images, usually in as a PDF. If checking with the Flesch-Kincaid scale, Easy Read material should score no higher than level 3. It's best practice to use photographic images in place of graphic illustrations or cartoons. However, you should always check the copyright of photos you plan to use for your work. If possible, run your Easy Ready information by a learning disabled person, to see how effective it is. We would always encourage you to pay disabled people when you employ them as accessibility consultants. Similar to an Easy Read guide, you might consider writing a Social Story for your exhibition or events programme. Social stories look similar to Easy Reads, but they provide more information, such as how long an event might last, how somebody might travel to the venue, and who the people involved in the project are. Check out Oily Cart's Social Story for When the World Turns for an idea of what you could do. Tactile and sensory engagement Tactile artwork and models: Offering tactile or sensory methods of interacting with or understanding your exhibition can make it more accessible to lots of people, particularly if they are visually impaired or blind. This might mean exhibiting art that are designed to be touched, or work that involves the other senses, like smell or taste. It is worth remembering however that strong scents can be an access barrier to some neurodivergent people, so if smell is an important part of your offering, make sure you inform people in advance. Consider creating additional tactile models where people are not allowed to touch the original. This can be a professionally made replica or you could DIY it, particularly if the artwork uses textures or materials that are easily sourced. Think about ways to allow people to physically feel the texture and composition of an artwork. If it is a painting, you could provide a small sample that replicates the textures of the work. Tactile wayfinding: Guiding people around your exhibition - whether it's between artworks, or to find facilities like the bathroom - is an important consideration in the planning process. Signage is useful for telling people where things are or what to expect, but to really improve the accessibility of your wayfinding, we recommend installing tactile floor surfaces or guides to help people navigate. Tactile strips can be laid on the floor to create a pathway to follow or they can surround floor-based works and sculptures on plinths to tell people who can't see the object that they need to take care. You might even consider integrating tactile wayfinding as part of your exhibition design. Content warnings Trigger warnings or content notes tell people what they can expect to find in an artwork or in a space. Common uses for them include: Warning for flashing lights or images You should use a warning if an artwork or installation contains flashing images or lights. Ideally, you would plan a way for people to avoid them - either by showing the work in a space they can pass-by, or by allowing visitors to press play on a video rather than having it playing on a loop. Try to present artworks that contain three flashes or below per second, as this is widely considered within safe limits. Always include a warning if the rate is faster. Sensitive content or adult themes should be flagged to visitors before they engage with an artwork. If a moving image work or film contains material or ideas people may find distressing, include a content warning at the start of the film. If you are playing sensitive material on a loop, consider how you might warn people before they enter the space. If the warning is only at the start of the film, there is a risk that people will miss it if they enter part way through. If you are dealing with sensitive material and want to be prepared for visitors in distress, think about the resources and training you might need in place. A quiet space for people to feel calm can be useful, as can having information to hand should they need to find support you can't offer.
Events programming Expand Are you planning to have a private view or additional events during your exhibition? Don't forget to consider way to increase accessibility when planning your programme. You might be hosting a panel discussion, organising a BSL tour of the show or setting up a private view to celebrate the opening - if you can embed access into these events, you are making your exhibition more accessible to disabled people. Do visitors need a ticket? If your venue has a specific capacity or you want to manage the flow of visitors, you might be considering ticketing your event. This might also be a useful way to help track audience figures for any reporting you might have to do for funding. Here are a few tips on managing capacity with access in mind: If your private view is ticketed or guest list only, make it clear that if someone needs to bring an access assistant or support worker they can do so, free of charge Test out the booking system in advance to check for accessibility features Make sure there is a clear way to get in touch with you if a visitor needs to book their ticket in another way, such as via email or phone Everyone wants their private view to be busy, but it’s important to manage capacity – be aware of any maximum capacity figures and how to avoid overcrowded areas or bottlenecks throughout the space Staggering entry times or offering a 'quieter private view' with lowered capacity before the busier event can make your event more inclusive I want to document my event, how best can I do this? Photography can be a great way to capture and document your work. Whether you have hired a photographer or you're documenting an event yourself, make sure you have considered ways to keep this accessible and welcoming for visitors. If you're using flash photography, clearly signpost that you will do so - as well as publishing warnings about this on any marketing and comms. Visitors who are photosensitive need to be made aware that there might be flash in the space You might want to consider a sticker system for visitors who do not want to be photographed. Visitors can wear stickers to flag to photographers that they do not want to be captured in photographs - this can also be useful when editing any images after the event! Do I need more seating? Having additional seats and stools on hand during a live event is great for ensuring your visitors can relax and enjoy the programme. Even if you are organising just a casual opening, we recommend having some seats available for people to use if they need it. High / ‘poseur’ tables and bar stools aren’t accessible for many disabled people – opt for regular height tables and chairs instead If you’re holding an event with a seated audience, also remember to leave plenty of space for wheelchair users Serving refreshments at your event You might be considering serving drinks or food at your event. Be mindful of who you are catering for and what options you could put in place to be more inclusive. Have ingredients and allergens available to relay to visitors should they ask. If you are serving nuts, ensure visitors are aware of this Have multiple options available for glasses / drinking receptacles, and make sure you have straws available for anyone who requires one Remember to offer non-alcoholic drinks (not just tap water!) The bar needs to be accessible too. Make sure it’s not too high for wheelchair users or people of short stature (as many bars are) – no higher than 80cm Printed text and captions at events Will there be introductory speeches or a panel discussion? It's worth considering offering multiple formats for events and announcements, particularly if you already have a script ready of what is going to be said. Large Print: We recommend printing out speeches, lyrics/scripts (if you have music or performances) and any useful exhibition information that can be handed out if needed. Printing in 18pt or above is recommended for large print publications. Have a few printed and ready to hand out - make sure to avoid laminating them as a shiny surface can be inaccessible. Live Palantypist: Ideally if you have the budget we recommend booking in a palantypist to live-caption your event. They type out what is spoken on a specialised keyboard which is then presented on a screen for audience members. This service is much more accurate that auto-generated AI captions and provided by a trained individual. Captioning: Offering auto-generated captions for a spoken event can be beneficial for hearing impaired audiences. Services such as Otter.ai or built in zoom captioning can be used when you don't have access to live captioning. They useful for testing out access tools for expanding accessibility and can be used as a starting transcript for any recordings you might want to publish online. Be aware that these online digital tools have a lower level of accuracy than live palantypists. Considering planning an exhibition tour? Exhibitions tours are a great way to explore the work in another way and offer alternative accessible ways to access the show. You might be considering offering a curator's tour or a guided walk through the exhibition - consider what types of tours you could offer and how to reach more audiences with your work. Some tours you might be interested in organising are: Audio Description Tours: this is usually a guided tour of the exhibition led by a curator or organiser, including live Audio Description of the works provided by an organisation such as VocalEyes, specifically for visually impaired audiences Meet and greets: Offering a more intimate setting for visitors, meet and greets usually have a lower capacity and an opportunity to speak directly with the team involved in the exhibition. Through this format, visitors can ask questions, learn more insight into the exhibition and perhaps meet some of the artists and creatives featured in the show. Tactile Tours: Tailored specifically for visually impaired audiences, tactile tours offer an opportunity to explore the exhibition with tactile objects. There might be elements of the show that are already allowed to be touched and handled, but you might also create replicas and tactile versions specifically designed with visually impaired people in mind. This might also be paired with live audio descriptions. BSL Tours: We've already mentioned BSL tours in this resource, but offering a BSL tour as part of your programme is a great way to be inclusive for D/deaf audiences. Be mindful you might need to book more than one BSL interpreter. Its also very useful to share exhibition information with the interpreters in good time ahead of the tour so that any specific terminology or important names can be double checked. Digital Tours: If you are considering creating an online tour that people can access from their home, think about how to document the space and the artworks for digital viewing. Consider how you will share this online and what access provisions might be in place such as captions and audio description. Can you provide a quiet space? Private views can get overwhelming and stressful. If you have access to a quiet space or separate area with comfortable seating, consider using it as a rest space with less noise Did you have a space available for this during the entire exhibition? Make sure this is available for people during events too - you might need to check it can be opened outside of standard opening hours If you don't have access to a quiet space, consider moving some seating or even the bar outside if this is a possibility so that guests can congregate there Who will staff the event? Having staff or volunteers on hand to support your event is incredibly helpful when there is a lot to manage! Welcoming people to the space is especially important when it might be more busy and people are looking for navigation. We've gathered some useful tips on what to remember for your next event: Is there a clear way to identify staff? This is useful for anyone wanting to ask a question or find something specific. It doesn't have to be a formal uniform, but perhaps a badge or bright t-shirt Ensuring staff have DET training or awareness, and that they know of basic emergency procedures. You can learn more about DET training on our website. Remind your team to check the toilets throughout the event, particularly red emergency cords in disabled toilets. In the Euan's Guide Annual Servay 2024, 73% of respondents have come across an accessible toilet that they’ve been unable to use Have on hand a couple of local taxi numbers, particularly those who offer wheelchair accessible taxis - you could also share this information ahead of the event in case anyone wants to book ahead Organising a hybrid event? Are any of the planned events able to be live-streamed or recorded for watching after the event? Make sure you can embed access into any content you will be sharing online. Plan in access for this, such as live (captioning, BSL) or during post production for online sharing - and make sure you advertise this! If you’re organising any artist talks, discussions or ‘in conversation’ events, remember to provide access at these too – book BSL interpreters and a palantypist / live captioning (which also gives you the added bonus of being able to get a transcript of what was said afterwards). Stagetext provide a palantypist / live captioning service Online AI captioning services can be useful to have, especially if you can't afford a palantypist this time around. We have produced a resource on AI tools to support your work which include services such as Otter.ai for live captions. They aren't as accurate but can be a useful starting point when considering access at events and sharing online.
Communications and marketing Expand Accessibility doesn't stop once you've finished planning and installing your exhibition. It's important that you design and publish accessible communications and marketing, too. After all, you want to reach a wide audience to get people interested in your project, and when you include disabled people, your audience grows. It's hard to separate accessible communications from the other areas of planning, because the advice below will also be relevant for things like wall texts, exhibition websites, and catalogues. We'd encourage you to bear this guidance in mind across all your exhibition planning! Important things to remember throughout When writing texts, whether it's a curatorial text, a wall text, an exhibition guide, or even a script to read out at your opening event, the tone, language, and legibility of your words will impact their accessibility. We'd advise aiming for a Reading Level of 8 on the Flesch-Kincaid Scale, which is the average reading age of a 13 year old. We spoke more about this in the Presenting Work section of this resource. However well you plan, there might be questions you haven't thought of or situations you couldn't foresee. When people feel comfortable to ask you for help, it will make them more confident that their visit will be accessible for them. Make sure you have an open and easily accessible line of communication between you and your audience. You can advertise an email address, a phone number, or a social media account that allows people to get in touch with questions they might have. If you are working part-time or your staff capacity is limited, make sure you clearly list working hours and anticipated response times where you can, so people know how long they should wait to hear from you. The more options for communication you can provide, the better. What works for one person may not be accessible for another. Transparency is key. There are some things which are out of our control, despite your best efforts to make your exhibition accessible. Where you can foresee barriers to access, however small, communicate these in advance. Don't omit information that might impact someone's visit. This will only lead to disappointment all round. For example, if you have no choice but to work out of a venue that is not step-free, inform people of this on your exhibition listing. Get specific. How many steps are there on the journey? If there are ramps, what degree of incline can people expect? This information affords disabled people agency and choice. When there are holes in your provision of access, the best thing you can do is be honest and transparent about it. Try your best to make your core content and information accessible. Steer away from access that feels tacked on or that makes people feel as though they aren't experiencing the 'main' or intended event. Consider using 18pt font for all of your communications, rather than creating separate Large Print guides, for example. Best practice in graphic design If you're designing visuals for your exhibition, there are some key steps to take to make your work accessible: Fonts: We'd always advise people use sans-serif fonts to aid in accessibility. The more complex a font, the harder it is for people to read, whether they identify as disabled or not. Similarly, you should avoid using italicised, underlined, capitalised or strike-through text. You shouldn't be using font smaller than 12pt font. Really, we'd suggest you use 14pt font as a minimum. Large print is considered 18pt and above. Consider using 18pt throughout, to avoid the need for 'secondary' or 'adapted' visitor experiences should people have to request large print information. Making a hashtag for your event or exhibition? Make sure to write it (and encourage others as well) in Camel case. Here's an example of a hashtag written without Camel case: #shapeartsexhibition. Because the words run into each other, it is illegible both to viewers and screen reading software. Here's how it should be written: #ShapeArtsExhibition Contrast: If you're layering colours and text, the contrast between colours should be at least 25%. This is particularly important when the text is includes key information - people need to be able to read it. You can check the contrast between two colours using the Web Accessibility In Mind online tool. As a useful approach though, if you are worried the contrast is too low, change the colours. It can be simpler if you opt for single coloured backgrounds and texts, to avoid variations in contrast which may make parts of your text illegible. Avoid using text over images. This can be hard to read, especially when the image is complex or detailed and the font is overcomplicated. Make things as easy to read as possible. Printed materials: Avoid glossy print finishes, and instead opt for matte. This makes them easier to read. If you have a choice, go for heavier paper weights. This makes it easier to hold and makes double sided material easier to read, because it stops print from one side showing on the other. If you have limited materials and are reusing printed guides, for example, consider matte lamination to protect them and make them easier to clean. Consider producing a braille version of printed material, like exhibition guides. It's important that you advertise this to your visitors, so they know it's there if they want or need it. This isn't an exhaustive list, but should get you started in the right direction. For a full breakdown and detailed technical advice about accessible communications (both print and digital), check out Unlimited's Accessible Arts Marketing Guide, which is available in large print and audio formats too. Online content Alt texts and image descriptions: If you're sharing images online, whether to document or to advertise your exhibition, you should always include alt texts and image descriptions. They are similar, but with some important differences. Alt texts are embedded in html code. Screen readers use alt texts to follow the structure of a webpage as well as to inform users of the purpose of an image. Alt texts are usually shorter for this reason, and are often limited to 100 - 250 characters, depending on the software you are using. If you are an Arts Marketer, it might also be worth noting that alt texts are used in Search Engine Optimisation. By including them, you are not just improving the accessibility of your content, but also the visibility of it on search engines. We would recommend keeping alt texts to 280 characters max, or the length of a Tweet. Image descriptions on the other hand are often longer and more descriptive because they have the sole purpose of telling people about the visual content and are less often limited by character or word count. They are closer to an audio description than alt texts are. Image descriptions should be included in captions or body text, so everyone can read them. They are useful for visually impaired and blind people, but also popular more widely because they often tell people more about an image than looking at it would alone. We'd recommend writing both alt texts and image descriptions to cover all bases. For example, if you're posting about your exhibition on Instagram, use Instagram's own alt text feature to write your alt text, then include a longer image description in the caption or in your comments. There are more and more auto-generated alt text writers available. As a general rule of thumb, we'd advise against relying on these, though they may be useful as a starting point. For more information about the difference between alt texts and image descriptions, visit the Perkins School for the Blind resource. Captions: Any time you share videos with sound online, you should always use captions. This not only makes your content more accessible, but increases engagement across the board. You should caption both spoken language and the soundtrack of the video, which includes things like music, ambient noise, and sound effects. How you go about this depends on the software or app that you're using to edit and post your video. Most social media platforms nowadays have an auto-generate function for captions. These are useful, but you should always check automated captions for accuracy. We've found the best software for adding captions to social media content is CapCut, which has the most accurate automated caption writing and timing function. If you're sharing longer form content, like sharing moving image artworks from your exhibition online, captions will take longer. We recommend uploading a transcript along with your video to YouTube, which has a good in-built caption timing function. It can use your transcript to make accurate and well-timed captions. You should still check for errors though! The same rules apply for captions as with the best practice in graphic design and fonts - make sure they're legible. A black bar behind the text often solves any contrast problems you might encounter. Find out more about best practice when it comes to captions and subtitles from our friends at Stagetext. Other formats: In addition to captioning, there are several options you can provide your digital audience to ensure greater accessibility. For example, you might have an exhibition website with the curatorial text or information about the show. Consider recording and sharing an audio version of this information. You could also share your artwork audio descriptions online alongside any images you post. Similarly, you can upload BSL videos discussing the core content of your show, and you can post these on social media or on the exhibition website. Making this content public online reassures your audience that there will be access provision should they wish to visit your exhibition in person. Information is key If you have an exhibition website, a listing, or something like an Eventbrite page, try to include as much information about access as possible. This may require you to think about the order in which information is presented, and how you can break it down into readable and manageable sections. Don't be afraid to share information about what access you don't have, for example the venue may not have an accessible toilet. People need to know this in advance. However, you can suggest alternatives - does the nearest station have an accessible toilet you can direct people to? Does a nearby shop or venue? 62% of respondents to Euan's Guide's annual survey said that they will avoid going to a venue if it has not shared its disabled access information, because they presume it is inaccessible. Think about whether anything is likely to change throughout the course of the exhibition. Are there building works planned? Is there a large event happening locally that could impact travel? Providing this kind of information to people can be really helpful. Venue information If you've read The Venue portion of this resource, you'll be familiar with the importance of choosing accessible venues where possible, as well as how things like local transport and travel options factor into this decision. Now you've got your venue, part of what you want to communicate to your visitors is where you are and how to get there. This information might be housed on your website or exhibition listing. What should you consider? How can people get to your exhibition? What are the nearest transport links, like train stations, bus stops, or car parks? Try to include this in your listing, for example:"You can find us at The Venue. The nearest train station is London Kings Cross, which is accessible across many National Rail routes as well as the Victoria, Piccadilly, Northern, Circle, and Hammersmith & City London Underground lines." In addition to information about the accessibility of your venue, think about the accessibility of these transport routes. Are they step free? If not, can you offer alternative routes? For example: "London Kings Cross has step-free access to all platforms across all National Rail and London Underground lines. We recommend checking the Transport for London website in advance to ensure lifts are working before travelling." Beyond physical access, is there guidance you can offer about quieter times to travel? Particularly if you know that there is going to be a large event or disruption during the exhibition run. Many transport providers will offer this information online, for example:"London Kings Cross is quietest between 11am and 3pm. You can find out more about the quietest times to travel on the Transport for London website." If people are driving, let them know where the nearest disabled parking bays are, how many, and whether you foresee any problems with access to them during your exhibition, like roadworks. If your venue is difficult to find - perhaps it's nestled within a University Campus - there are a few things you can do to make this easier for all of your visitors. Consider producing a picture or video walkthrough from the nearest transport hub to your venue. You could do this in person, and film it on your phone, or you could use Google Maps Street View. Here's a Visual Guide we made for a venue we worked in in 2024. Remember to make your visual guide accessible. If it's a video, provide captions describing the journey. If you're using images, try to include image descriptions to help orientate people. You might consider making an audio only guide, describing the journey to your venue and any landmarks along the way that are tactile. You can provide additional location information, such as What3Words to help people find your exhibition. What can people expect in your venue? Once they know where you are and how to get there, you should provide information about what access people can expect within the venue itself. We covered a lot of this in The Venue part of this resource, but here's some advice about the sorts of things you should signpost in your communications: Is the venue step-free? If there are ramps, are they permanent or do they require a staff member to operate them? If there are steps, how many are there and where in the venue are they located? Is the door into the venue particularly heavy? Is it a fire door? Would a staff member need to be on hand to help open it? If it's likely that it could present a barrier to access, let people know. What accessible facilities are available? Are there accessible toilets in the venue? If not, where are the nearest ones? Where's the nearest Changing Places toilet? Are assistance dogs welcome? Will you provide a water bowl for them to hydrate? Advertise the access you've worked hard on. Are there MP3 players and headsets offering audio description? Have you planned a BSL or touch tour of the exhibition? Let people know in your listing! Are there quiet times to visit? If there are events, are they relaxed? Do you have a designated quiet space within the venue? At what times is it accessible? If you're ticketing events, do PAs, carers, and support workers need to buy or reserve a separate ticket? Can you offer them free tickets?
Additional resources Expand Is this the help you were looking for? Check out our other resources Commissioning Disabled Artists Access as a creative tool How can I develop and accessible project?