Partnering with Teatro Accesible to make accessibility a priority across the cultural sector

A trip to the theatre begins long before the curtain goes up. It starts with browsing the programme online, buying tickets and sometimes downloading a PDF of the show programme. If any of these steps can't be completed using a screen reader or keyboard, some people may never make it to the performance, even if audio description is available on the night.

That's why we signed a partnership agreement with Teatro Accesible, Aptent's cultural accessibility initiative, in August. Their work focuses on making performing arts, museums and events more accessible through services such as captioning, audio description, sign language interpretation and assistive listening systems. We bring our expertise in digital accessibility.

By joining forces, we can help theatres, production companies and event organisers address accessibility both on stage and online as part of a single project, rather than having to deal with each area separately. And we do this by listening to the people who rely on these accessibility services every day, because they know better than anyone where the barriers lie.

What's coming up in the next few months

We'll start by sharing our expertise with the cultural sector through practical sessions, specialist articles and other awareness-raising activities:

• We'll lead the first session, focusing on digital accessibility for theatres and Teatro Accesible's partner organisations.
• In November, Teatro Accesible will host a session on sensory accessibility for our clients and the organisations we work with.
• We'll also develop content for both organisations' communication channels, sharing insights and resources to help cultural professionals better understand the different aspects of accessibility.

If you work in a theatre, museum or production company and want to find out how accessible your website is for someone using a screen reader, get in touch. We'd be happy to take a look together.