Accessibility

Accessibility

Pint of Science Australia is all about making science accessible. Part of that is equipping our speakers with skills in science communication, but also we address issues of accessibility to the best of our ability when selecting venues and delivering the events.

Pint of Science Australia outlines a set of guidelines for volunteers to ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of consideration when choosing venues, including the following highlights:

Location – access to public transport and travel distances for the audience. We don’t want anyone hopping behind the wheel after a drink, and long rideshares aren’t cheap, so we try to find venues near public transport hubs, as well as trying to spread them out over a city so there’s something near you. This becomes even more important if public transport is the only way you can get around.

Mobility – the idea of climbing up several flights of a staircase at the end of a workday may seem daunting, but for many of us it is just not reasonable. Wherever we can, we want to make sure that our venues have support for wheelchair or limited mobility access, including proper bathroom facilities. If we have to choose a venue that is a lacking here, we make it clear on our website so that there aren’t any nasty surprises.

Hearing – we want everyone in our community to experience and participate in the festival as much as possible. That means we favour venues that have a quieter space for a presentation and look for venues with hearing loops or directed sound systems to make it easier for those who need it. We are also establishing networks and partnerships with organisations to provide Auslan interpreters or captioning services at events to increase accessibility to the content.