One of the biggest things which we have seen when it comes to people with disabilities is a
distinct lack of a social life. It’s an interesting concept because it is not due to a lack of social
connections – a lot of people with a disability have a vibrant and wholesome social circle. The
problem begins with socializing itself – a lot of clubs, bars and other social settings are nowhere
near as accessible as they should be, to the detriment of disabled people everywhere.
When you think about it, it makes a worrying amount of sense that modern social settings aren’t
made for disabled people – how many clubs and bars have you been to in the last few weeks
which are cramped and designed for people to carefully wind their way through? It’s not exactly
a wide, accommodating space for a mobility aid, to say nothing of all the bars and clubs which
are on multiple levels and have a lot of steps. Plus, what do you do with the typical club setting
which is often dark, loud, full of people and overloaded with flashing lights? It’s not exactly a
welcoming space for someone who does have a disability.
As disability support providers, we’re fully aware of the challenges which are faced by people in
the social scene, and we think that it’s ridiculous that this is still going on in 2023. There are
countless spaces and ways that you can design an accessible and friendly club and bar for
people, but so many institutions refuse to make changes, citing a lack of need or financial costs.
However, we would argue that the real loss in this situation would be the disabled community
refusing to support the social and hospitality industries completely.
If you are going to run a bar or a club, then you must cater to the people who wish to use your
facilities. It is as simple as that. This means that if you are going to cater for disabled people,
you must make changes to the way your bar is designed and make it more accessible for
everybody. We have to create an inclusive society, or those who are incapable of navigating a
space will feel excluded and this will create a massive shift in the way the community at large
views these types of places.
We feel that it is very important for anybody who is thinking about making changes to a bar or
social setting to look carefully at how they can create meaningful change within the community.
You would be wise to consult with people who have disabilities to find out what can be done to
make it more inclusive from their perspective. After all, they have a wealth of wisdom to offer if
we are inclined to listen. It is only through collaboration with disabled people that real change
can be implemented. After all, we owe it to these people to work towards a more inclusive
society.