Accessibility Award 2015

Podiums are important for accessibility at venues and festivals, but it may as well be the attitude and good information that creates a good experience for young people with disabilities. The Bevica Foundation's Accessibility Award is awarded once a year and is given to an individual or organisation that makes a special effort for people with mobility disabilities. This year the award goes to Volue — live music for everyone.

Chairman of the Board Torben Svanberg of the Bevica Foundation welcomes the fact that “Volue is rethinking accessibility. It's not just about whether you can access the venue or the festival. The project addresses all corners of live music, whether it is the concert experience or the meeting with the staff and volunteers, or whether you can get the necessary information you need before visiting a venue or festival. We think this is very interesting and not least important for a good overall experience.” Volue's approach to accessibility has aroused great interest, both among young people with disabilities and in the live music community.

Volue started in 2014 after a study found that many young people with disabilities often or very often have to cancel attending live concerts due to accessibility challenges. Conversely, many venues and festivals have asked for more knowledge on how to make them more accessible to guests with special needs.” We are very proud to receive this year's Accessibility Award. This shows that the project hits a very special area of accessibility for people with disabilities, which has not been much focus on in the past. It is really important for us to be able to create better music experiences for young people with disabilities, and we feel that Volue can do that,” says Mads Brix Baulund, chairman of the Association of Young People with Disabilities and part of the steering committee behind Volue.

Volue will spend the price on even more venues and festivals becoming available to guests with special needs. The project will equip the not yet involved venues and festivals to create better conditions for guests with special needs. The aim of the project is for the venues and festivals involved to compete to win the Accessibility Award 2016.

“We think it is our duty to create an even better framework for the venues and festivals that have not yet been involved in the project. And at the same time, create even more focus on an area that has typically not been spent much time in the past. With our project, we now have the opportunity to upgrade the live music environment so that they feel well dressed, while giving them a carrot to set their own venue or festival for the Accessibility Award 2016”, explains Mads Brix Baulund, President of SUMH.

VOLUE- live music for everyone

Volue helps Danish venues and festivals to develop a disability policy and improve access and opportunities for audiences with disabilities. Volue works from a quality framework based on the basic idea that accessibility for audiences with disabilities is not just about technical solutions and physical design. To a large extent, it is also a question of communication and information up to and including the audience, as well as the development of personnel procedures.

Volue is supported by Fonden Roskilde Festival, Muskelvindsfonden and Realdania.