Attitude Is Everything CEO Suzanne Bull has been appointed as sector champion for the music industry to drive forward the Government’s ambition to tackle the issues faced by disabled people as consumers.
Bull (pictured) is one of 11 sector champions, representing a range of different sectors and businesses, to be appointed to amplify the voices of disabled customers and employees within their own industries, increasing accountability and challenging inequality. They will also be able to highlight specific changes and improvements that will make a difference.
“I’m delighted to be the Disability Champion for the music industry because I believe that everyone should have the right to enjoy the arts - only 3.6 million of the UK’s 11m disabled adults attended a live music event last year," said Bull, who was awarded an MBE in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for Services to music, the arts and disabled people.
"Fear of discrimination can deter deaf and disabled people from attending music events, but without their participation change won’t occur," she added. “I’ll be making a solid business case for accessibility and will be sharing best practice and innovative ideas, many of which don’t only just focus on physical access, and demonstrate that ways of working can be adopted by other industries with a high degree of success.”
The minister for disabled people, work and health, Penny Mordaunt, said: “As a public advocate for accessibility, Suzanne Bull MBE will help businesses realise the value of disabled consumers and the importance of catering to every customer’s needs. These industries must become fully inclusive. Not being able to access the high street, products and services, transport or simply to access a loo jars with our national values: it must change.”
"The new sector champions will drive improvements to the accessibility and quality of services and facilities in their sector, helping to showcase best practice and show other businesses the merit of making disabled customers a priority."
As CEO of deaf and disabled access charity Attitude For Everything, Bull has implemented the Attitude is Everything Charter of Best Practice, an award which gives practical ways venues and festivals can make changes, with three stages to the awards. She has also introduced Mystery Shopping, where deaf and disabled volunteers go out to test the access and staff behaviour at live music events and give feedback about their experiences.
Attitude is Everything recently announced that the Paul Hamlyn Foundation has awarded the charity £279,000 from their Arts Access and Participation: More and Better fund. Starting in April 2017, its new programme - Breaking the Sound Barriers - will enable Attitude Is Everything to make a greater impact on improving access to live music.
