Barnaby, the enthusiastic manager of the Thespian Theatre, was preparing for a grand reopening after extensive accessibility renovations. The theatre’s website, showcasing the season’s line-up and booking information, was his pride and joy. However, a comment from a friend, who struggled to book tickets with his visual impairment, sparked a realisation: the website wasn’t accessible to everyone. This marked the beginning of Barnaby’s journey into the world of digital accessibility for theatres. A journey that would transform the Thespian’s online presence and ethos: Barnaby was determined to pioneer accessible theatre websites.

Understanding digital accessibility: beyond compliance

Digital accessibility ensures that websites, applications, and online content are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. This isn’t just a box-ticking exercise or a legal requirement; it’s about providing equal access to information and services, fundamentally recognising that everyone deserves the opportunity to engage with arts and culture. In Barnaby’s case, he wanted to look further into theatre websites and make sure that his was accessible for everyone.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are internationally recognised standards for web accessibility. They provide a set of recommendations for making web content more accessible to a wide range of people, including those with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. It’s about creating a digital environment where everyone feels welcome and included.

Practical steps to create accessible theatre websites: a comprehensive guide

Making an accessible theatre website involves several key considerations, requiring an holistic approach to web design and content creation. Here is a breakdown of the main considerations:

Accessible design

Design should go beyond aesthetics to focus on usability for all. Accessible design includes using sufficient colour contrast between text and background to aid visibility; clear fonts that are easy to read; and layouts that are logical and predictable.

Alternative text

Crucially, every non-decorative image must have alternative text. This is so screen readers can accurately convey the image content to users. Thus, those who can’t see the image through impairment or lack of smartphone bandwidth, can understand the purpose of the image within the context of the page.

Keyboard navigation

People with motor impairments particularly can find it difficult to use a mouse. Even people who have a temporarily broken arm might find it difficult. So, ensuring that all website functions can be achieved on a keyboard benefits a range of different users. Keyboard navigation should include theatre-specific functions, such as browsing show listings and completing ticket purchases.

Clear and simple language

Bearing in mind those with some cognitive impairments, non-native English speakers, and people in a hurry, it’s important to using plain language and avoiding jargon. Use simple sentences, without complex sentence structures, and make your content easier for everyone to understand.

Form accessibility

Making online forms accessible and easy-to-use is an artform in itself. However, if you’re going to make your ticket booking system work for everyone, you’ll need to pay attention to your forms. Forms need to be clear, properly labelled, easy to fill out, easy to navigate, and provide reasonable feedback in a timely manner. Error messages must be easy to understand, in plain English, and avoid jargon.

Multimedia accessibility

Provide captions for videos and transcripts for audio content to ensure that individuals with hearing impairments can access and enjoy multimedia content.

Consistent structure

Creating a consistent structure to your web pages is fundamentally important. For example, ordering headings and labels correctly to create a logical page structure helps all users navigate the site efficiently. This is especially useful for both screen reader users, who rely on headings to understand content hierarchy, and skim-readers.

Testing with users

Also, testing your website directly involving people with disabilities leads to invaluable direct feedback. It provides insights into real-world usability challenges and helps to identify improvements that might be missed during standard development processes. Often, actual testing with real people can lead to an unexpected moment of realisation.

WCAG for venues: benefits and best practices

Adhering to WCAG for venues isn’t just about compliance; it brings numerous benefits that extend beyond avoiding legal issues.

First, it expands your audience exponentially. By making your website accessible, you open your doors to a wider range of patrons, including the significant population of people with disabilities, their families, and friends. This inclusivity can significantly increase ticket sales, boost attendance at events, and enhance overall revenue. Consider the potential increase in patronage when accessibility is prioritised: it’s a market often overlooked.

Secondly, it enhances your reputation and strengthens your brand. In today’s world, audiences, and particularly younger demographics, increasingly value inclusivity and social responsibility. Demonstrating a genuine commitment to accessibility can boost your venue’s image, foster customer loyalty, and position your theatre as a forward-thinking and ethical organisation. People are more likely to support organisations that prioritise making their services available to everyone, regardless of their abilities.

Thirdly, it reduces legal risks and protects your organisation from potential litigation. In many regions, there are legal requirements and regulations regarding digital accessibility, and these are becoming more stringent. Ensuring your website meets WCAG standards can help you avoid potential lawsuits, penalties, and the negative publicity that often accompanies such disputes.

The business case for accessible theatre websites: beyond ethics

Beyond the ethical considerations, which are paramount, there’s a compelling business case for creating accessible theatre websites. People with disabilities represent a substantial market segment with significant spending power. By catering to their needs and providing a seamless online experience, theatres can tap into this often-underserved market, increase their profitability, and secure a competitive advantage.

Moreover, accessible websites tend to have better usability for everyone, not just those with disabilities. Clear navigation, simple language, logical structure, and intuitive design benefit all users, regardless of their abilities. A website designed with accessibility in mind is inherently a website designed for a better user experience overall. Universal usability has the potential for enormous business benefits, such as increased customer satisfaction, higher conversion rates (e.g., ticket sales), increased user retention, and repeat business.

Furthermore, investing in accessibility can drive innovation. The process of making a website accessible often leads to improvements in design and functionality that benefit all users. For example, implementing keyboard navigation can also improve the experience for power users who prefer to use keyboard shortcuts rather than keep reaching for their mouse.

Barnaby’s commitment to digital accessibility for theatres: a case study

Barnaby, inspired by his friend’s experience and armed with new knowledge and a renewed sense of purpose, embarked on a mission to transform the Thespian Theatre’s online presence. He understood that digital accessibility for theatres was not merely a technical challenge but a fundamental aspect of the theatre’s mission to serve the community.

He engaged web developers specialising in digital accessibility for theatres. Barnaby quickly recognised that expertise was crucial for achieving true accessibility. He also invested in comprehensive training for his staff, ensuring that everyone understood the importance of accessibility and was equipped to maintain an accessible online environment.

The web developers redesigned the theatre’s website from the ground up to meet WCAG standards, incorporating all the essential accessibility features. This included:

• Implementing robust colour contrast and flexible font sizing options;
• Providing detailed alternative text for all non-decorative images and multimedia;
• Ensuring full keyboard navigation and logical focus order;
• Simplifying website content and using plain language;
• Making all forms fully accessible with clear labels and error handling; and,
• Integrating captions and transcripts for all video and audio content.

The impact of these changes was immediate and profound. The Thespian Theatre received overwhelmingly positive feedback from patrons with disabilities, who expressed their sincere gratitude for being able to easily access and enjoy the theatre’s offerings online. Ticket sales increased noticeably, particularly among previously underserved audiences, and the theatre’s reputation as an inclusive and welcoming venue soared within the community and beyond.

Barnaby’s journey serves as a powerful reminder that digital accessibility for theatres is not just a responsibility. It’s also a significant opportunity to enhance the user experience, expand reach, and strengthen an organisation’s commitment to inclusivity. It’s about creating a welcoming digital experience for all, ensuring that everyone can share in the magic of theatre.

Are you ready to ensure your theatre websites are accessible?

Are you ready to take the next step in your theatre’s digital accessibility journey? If you need someone you can trust to navigate you through the realm of accessible web design, contact Redcentaur today.

Additional reading

The ultimate guide to building a buzz: essential strategies for a theatre website
A guide to developing and maintaining a theatre website
Is your website losing customers? Redcentaur web accessibility services