1 Enterprise Strategy
Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18 CEO’s Message 5
Our Mission 6 Who We Are 7
Our Customers 7
Our Employees 7
Our Accessibility Commitment 10
Data Profile 12 What is Disability? 13
Key statistics [footnote_1] 13
Social Policy Context 16 NSW Disability Reforms 17
United Nations Convention on the 17 Rights of Persons with Disabilities
National Disability Strategy 2010–20 (NDS) 17
History and Achievements 18 Highlights of the Access Strategic Plan 2013–15 19
Accessibility Vision 2018 22
Consultation Process 24
Review and Monitoring 28 Measurement of Progress 29 Contents Access Strategic Plan 2016–18 32 The Building 33
Performances and Experiences 33
Workplace 34
Community Leadership 34
Operations & Customer Service 35
3 2 Enterprise Strategy
Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
I am delighted to present the The Building; Performances & Experiences; Sydney Opera House’s Access Workplace; Strategic Plan 2016–18. Operations & Customer Service; and The plan outlines progress to date & our Community Leadership. strategy for further improving access & inclusion at the Sydney Opera House. It also I am confident that these improvements will fulfils the Sydney Opera House’s obligations enable us to achieve our key goal, which is under the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) to make the building, precinct & experiences & Disability Inclusion Act (2014). we offer more accessible to all people, appropriate to the Sydney Opera House’s Accessibility has been a key focus at the central role in the nation’s life & identity. Sydney Opera House in the past decade, through the development & implementation I would like to thank the many disability of three successive three-year accessibility organisations that continue to support our strategies. efforts, not least by providing us with a more sophisticated understanding of the challenges Our fourth strategic plan is particularly faced by people with disability in accessing timely, as it coincides with both a new era the arts. in the history of the building, the Sydney Opera House’s Decade of Renewal, & a period of government policy reform aimed at giving people with disability greater choice, independence & agency in pursuing access & inclusion. This new plan builds on the strong foundation achieved through its predecessors. It focuses on improving access across five key areas:
Louise Herron AM CEO
5 4 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
The Sydney Opera House embodies beauty, Through Sydney Opera House Presents, inspiration & the liberating power of art & the Sydney Opera House also offers its own ideas. It is a masterpiece that belongs to all programming, ranging from contemporary Australians. music & dance to talks & ideas events & shows for children & families. We will treasure & renew the Sydney Opera House for future generations of artists, The Sydney Opera House’s spectacular audiences & visitors. harbourside precinct also includes a wide range of restaurants & bars, as well as tours Everything we do will engage & inspire & retail offerings. people through its excellence, ambition & breadth. We will strengthen our central role Our Customers OUR in Australia’s life & identity. Sydney Opera House customers include: Who We Are The public, who attend events, visit the site, take guided tours & frequent the The Sydney Opera House is Australia’s restaurants, cafes & retail outlets. They premier tourist attraction & one of the world’s include domestic & international tourists, MISSION busiest performing arts centres. More than as well as local residents. eight million people visit the Sydney Opera House each year & more than 1.4 million Performing arts presenters & commercial attend a performance. partners, who present in & hire venues & deliver a range of services. They include A World Heritage-listed “masterpiece of performing arts companies, schools, human creative genius” that belongs to community groups, corporations, all Australians, the Sydney Opera House individuals, government departments, embarked on a Decade of Renewal at its 40th & operators of on-site food & beverage Anniversary in 2013 to prepare for future & retail outlets. Sydney Opera House belongs to everyone. generations of artists, audiences & visitors. As an organisation, our goal is to provide The Sydney Opera House has seven Our Employees barrier-free access, making the site, performance venues: Concert Hall; Joan The Sydney Opera House has more than building & the experiences they offer Sutherland Theatre (opera); Forecourt; 850 employees (364 full-time employees) accessible to all people. Drama Theatre; Playhouse; The Studio; & located in three sites. The diverse workforce Utzon Room. includes technical staff involved in staging, The Sydney Opera House is home to seven lighting & sound, theatre managers & ushers, flagship Australian companies: Opera tour guides, maintenance, security Australia, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, The & administrative staff, & management. Australian Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company, Of these, 15 staff members (2.5%) have Australian Chamber Orchestra, Bangarra identified as having a disability & four staff Dance Theatre & Bell Shakespeare. members (0.005%) required adjustment at work in the past 12 months.
7 Accessible Babies Proms 9 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
The Sydney Opera House is Access audits to determine access committed to the following requirements for all areas & key initiatives; accessibility guiding principles: Consultation with people with disability for all key initiatives; Access solutions promote the principles of The latest technologies should be social equity & inclusion, while reinforcing considered to provide flexible, multi- positive community attitudes about people sensory access solutions (both interpretive with disability; & physical); and Access issues are addressed early in the Access solutions must comply with OUR planning stage of new initiatives; the Sydney Opera House’s heritage Preference is given to access solutions that requirements. achieve integrated & independent access (e.g. people with disability use the same ACCESSIBILITY access routes as people without disability); Initiatives comply with relevant disability COMMITMENT access standards & legislation;
← Vivid LIVE: Lighting of the Sails, audio-described tour 11 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
What is Disability? Key statistics [footnote_1] The Disability Discrimination Act (1992) 1 in 5 Australians (more than 4 million defines disability as ‘any impairment, people) has some form of disability; abnormality, or loss of function, of any part of 43% of people over the age of 55 have one the body or mind’. This includes: or more disabilities; Physical; 2.2 million Australians of working age (15– Intellectual; 64) have a disability; People with disability Psychiatric; are twice as likely to be in the bottom 20% of gross household incomes. Sensory; DATA 3.4 million (15%) of Australians have a Neurological; physical disability; Learning disability; 1 in 6 Australians experiences hearing loss. Physical disfigurement; or There are about 30,000 Deaf Auslan users; PROFILE Immunological (the presence of organisms Vision Australia estimates there are 357,000 causing disease in the body). people in Australia who are blind or have low vision ; 45% of the population will experience a mental health disorder at some point. People aged between 15 & 64 years with disability have both lower participation (53%) & higher unemployment rates (9.4%) than people without disability (83% & 4.9% respectively). Graduates with disability take longer to gain fulltime employment than other graduates [footnote 2]. The likelihood of living with disability increases with age; 31% of 55 to 64 year olds live with disability. Almost nine in ten people aged 90 & over (88%) have a disability. More than a third (39%) of complaints lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission are against businesses & are related to disability.
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Disability, Ageing & Carers 2012, except where stated. 2 Graduate Careers Australia, GradStats, 2011. 13 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
“ Ensuring that the Sydney Opera House is accessible to all is an essential part of Renewal. It is vital that everyone feels welcome & is able to engage with the Sydney Opera House as deeply & in as many ways as they wish. ”
← Bella in the House Program 15 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
The Sydney Opera House’s Access participating fully. This focus on mainstream service access means that all levels of Strategic Plan 2016–18 aligns with government, as well as other parts of the NSW, national & international community, have a role to play in giving effect social-policy & legislative to the convention. frameworks that include: National Disability Strategy 2010–20 (NDS) Supporting people with disability has been NSW Disability Reforms recognised as a key policy priority through NSW is undergoing a period of major reform the National Disability Strategy & subsequent SOCIAL to improve inclusion for people with disability. National Disability Insurance Scheme. The Disability Inclusion Act (2014) & the Developed by the Commonwealth, States, Disability Inclusion Regulation (2014) came Territories & local governments in partnership, into effect on 3 December 2014. Part 2 the NDS 2010–2020 sets out a national plan POLICY of the Act requires NSW Government for Australians with disability, their families & departments, local councils & other public carers, in support of the commitment made to authorities (as set out in the regulation), to the UNCRPD. develop & implement Disability Inclusion The NDS is designed to guide public policy Action Plans. CONTEXT across Australia & to bring about change Disability Inclusion Action Plans itemise in all mainstream services & programs. The actions to be taken to ensure that people NDS sets out six priority areas that reflect with disability can participate fully in the the broad scope of the UNCRPD. The NDS local community. The plans must contain NSW Implementation Plan 2012–14 was the strategies to support people with disability. NSW Government’s initial two-year strategy They detail how people with disability were to promote NDS principles. These principles consulted & how the plan supports the have been aligned with the objects of the State Disability Inclusion Plan. Disability Inclusion Act (2014) & Disability Inclusion Plans. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Other relevant legislation & guidelines informing the development of the Sydney The United Nations Convention on the Rights Opera House’s Access Strategic Plan include: of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) was ratified by Australia in 2008. It acknowledges Commonwealth Disability Discrimination that people with disability have the same Act 1993 (DDA); human rights as those without disability. NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (ADA); This commits participating governments to NSW Government Sector Employment ensure these rights can be exercised & that Act 2013; barriers to exercising such rights are removed. Implementing a rights-based approach under Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) the convention requires governments to Standards & Australian Standards for address not only the provision of specialist Design of Access & Mobility 1428.1–4; and services to people with disability, but also the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web provision of mainstream services. These are Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). to be provided in a way that does not directly or indirectly prevent people with disability 17 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
The Sydney Opera House’s first Access Highlights of the Access Strategic Plan Strategic Plan (2007–09) focused on 2013–15 helping people with disability navigate the Launched inaugural Access Program of precinct & venues via large-scale building events & experiences in 2014; 2015 program improvements, as well as introducing a launched by the NSW Minister of Ageing range of access amenities. For example, & Disability. the first public lift was opened in 2009, providing independent access to most Programmed Oddysea, an immersive areas of the site for the first time, including sensory theatre experience designed all Western Foyers theatre venues. specifically for young people with profound & complex disability – a first for an HISTORY The second strategic plan (2010–12) Australian performing arts centre. focused on making the experiences offered by the Sydney Opera House more Expanded Access Program to include a accessible through touch tours, audio- discount $5 ticket program for people AND description, captioning & sign-language- experiencing social or economic interpreted performances. Dedicated disadvantage, offered through the Balnaves autism-friendly performances allowed Foundation Open House Program. patrons & visitors with disability to Introduced the Starting with Art at the participate in mainstream performances House & Bella in the House programs of ACHIEVEMENTS for the first time. excursions for students with disability, in The third strategic plan (2013–15) collaboration with the Art Gallery of NSW established the first annual Access & Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Program, with bespoke sensory Introduced free audio-described tours of performances & workshops for people the Lighting of the Sails, the centrepiece with complex & profound disability. The of the Vivid LIVE festival. Access Program also broadened its remit to help people facing social & economic Provided the first autism-friendly disadvantage attend Sydney Opera House performance of a musical, The King & I, in performances through the Balnaves collaboration with Opera Australia & Giant Foundation Open House Program. During Steps. this phase, planning for the next stage of Introduced regular Accessible Babies accessible building upgrades as part of the Proms series & free Sing & Play sessions, in Sydney Opera House’s Decade of Renewal collaboration with the Lifestart organisation also began with development of the & the Royal Institute of Deaf & Blind Accessibility Master Plan. Children (RIDBC).
18 19 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
Partnered with Accessible Arts NSW & Completed the Sydney Opera House Live-streamed the first signing choir the MCA to provide an annual accredited Accessibility Master Plan, which includes performing Handel’s Messiah in Auslan, Professional Development Day for special concept designs to inform building-renewal in collaboration with Accessible Arts & needs teachers titled: Dance, Theatre accessibility upgrades. Sydney Philharmonic Choirs. The live- & Visual Art: Engaging Students with Partnered with Vision Australia to provide stream included both audio-description Disability. accredited audio-description training to & live captioning. Continued to help emerging artists with Sydney Opera House staff. A new Sesame lift was installed in disability to showcase their work at the Provided online closed-captioning for Bennelong restaurant, providing Sydney Opera House. The Can You See Sydney Opera House Presents talks & ideas mainstream access to the lower dining level Me? Theatre Company, an initiative of shows & live-captioning of the Sydney for the first time. Cerebral Palsy Alliance, gave sold-out Opera House’s digital education program Introduced a quarterly online access performances in The Studio in 2014 & 2015. for students who are Deaf or those who e-newsletter, What’s On in Access, Offered people with Parkinson’s disease & have hearing loss. informing audiences of accessible NSW school students a once-in-a-lifetime Introduced final-year university students experiences, performances & programs. opportunity to dance at the Sydney Opera with disability to the Stepping Into paid Access Program received $60,000 from House as part of a series of workshops internship program. Students joined the Sydney Opera House donors since launch. hosted in conjunction with New York’s Sydney Opera House’s human resources, Won a prestigious NSW Government Green acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group, as finance, building development & workplace part of its global Dance for PD program. Globe award, reflecting the Sydney Opera health & safety teams. House’s social sustainability leadership, including our accessibility programs. ←
Accessible Babies Proms ← Access Program Launch 2015 21 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
The Access Strategic Plan The Access Program will continue to broaden its scope to facilitate: (2016–18) builds on the Access for those facing social & financial foundation established by disadvantage; and three successive plans. Health & well-being benefits for new sections of the community, such as Many access initiatives have become part of people with Parkinson’s disease, through business as usual as a result of those earlier performing arts experiences. plans. Yet work remains to remove remaining barriers to full inclusion. These have been Workplace: We will continue to create ACCESSIBILITY identified through customer feedback & an inclusive workplace culture & provide stakeholder consultation. employment opportunities for people with disability. The Access Program has also begun to attract thousands more people with disability to Operations & Customer Service: We will VISION Sydney Opera House each year. To support enhance customer services for people with our efforts to attract & sustain these new disability, making the Sydney Opera House a audiences, it is crucial that we provide an more welcoming & navigable place. accessible & inclusive environment, physically, Community Leadership: We will continue to 2018 operationally & in terms of customer service. provide leadership in the area of accessibility, The latest plan focuses on improving access looking at new ways to share both our in the following five areas: knowledge & resources across the arts & disability sector. The Building: The Sydney Opera House’s Stage 1 Building Renewal program represents an opportunity to address a number of remaining physical-access barriers. Performances & Experiences: The Access Program will continue to explore ways to enhance sensorial access to Sydney Opera House performances & experiences.
← Dance for PD Community Class Utzon Room 22 23 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
Key internal & external stakeholder These stakeholders represented a range of disability & user groups & were asked to share consultations have informed our their thoughts & experiences about four key Access Strategic Plan. questions: What do you see as the main challenges The consultation identified remaining access in visiting the Sydney Opera House? barriers & explored current trends & best practice in the area of access & inclusion. What do you currently like about the Sydney Opera House & why do you visit? We sincerely thank the following representatives for their participation in the What additional accessibility measures CONSULTATION consultation process & their ongoing support would you like to see at the Sydney Opera for improving access: House & what matters most to you? Dr Jane Bringolf Can you identify locations or buildings, Liveable Communities, COTA either locally or overseas that are leaders PROCESS in accessibility? Melissa McCarthy Director, Education Services, RIDBC The Sydney Opera House will continue to foster strong relationships & work Greg Killen collaboratively with our partners in the Senior Policy & Advocacy Officer, Spinal Cord disability sector throughout the life of Injuries Australia this plan. Sancha Donald CEO, Accessible Arts Carl Southern Teacher, St Edmunds Alex Jones Auslan Stage Left Vanessa Lucas Music Therapist, Giant Steps School Joanna Agius Deaf Arts Officer, Accessible Arts NSW Nea Cahill Project Officer, Strategic Initiatives, Arts NSW Christian Carter Sydney Opera House patron Jennifer Moon Guide Dogs NSW Sam Hardy Sydney Opera House patron
24 25 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18 “ The Access Program has also begun to attract thousands more people with disability each year... it is crucial that we provide an accessible & inclusive environment, physically, operationally & in terms of customer service. ” ←
Vivid LIVE: Lighting of the Sails,
audio-described tour ←
RJ Mitte and Benjamin Law 27 Sydney Opera House Access Strategic Plan 2016–18
The Access Strategic Plan will Measurement of Progress be monitored & implemented The plan’s success will be assessed against qualitative & quantitative measures, including: by the Sydney Opera House’s Annual increases in the number of people Accessibility Manager, working with disability attending accessibility with various portfolios across performances, tours, events & using other access services, measured against baseline the organisation. measurements taken in 2015; Feedback from patrons, visitors & disability Annual decreases in the number of REVIEW organisations will be sought throughout the disability access-related complaints; life of the plan, as the views of people with Positive feedback on the quality of access disability will help determine the success of events & experiences at the Sydney Opera the plan’s initiatives. House from post-event customer surveys & AND The Sydney Opera House’s Chief Executive disability organisations; Officer will ensure that progress towards the Annual increases in the number of patrons plan’s goals is reviewed & reported. & disability organisations subscribing to the The plan will be available on What’s On in Access e-newsletter; and MONITORING sydneyoperahouse.com, including an audio- Increased media coverage of accessibility file version. Hard copies, including copies in initiatives in both mainstream & disability- alternate formats (Braille, large print & easy specific media. English) can be requested from: The plan will be registered with the Australian Jenny Spinak Disability Rights Commission & achievements Accessibility Manager, will be noted in the Sydney Opera House’s Sydney Opera House, GPO Box 4274, Annual Report. Sydney, NSW 2001 Australia Telephone: 61 2 9250 7175 Facsimile: 61 2 9250 7135 Email: [email protected]
28 29 Oddysea sensory theatre 31 Sydney Opera House The Building Strategies Access Strategic Plan 2016–18 Implement accessibility improvements (as identified in GOAL: The Sydney Opera House the Accessibility Master Plan) as part of new Stage 1 is an accessible building & site. Renewal projects, including the Concert Hall upgrade; new Creative Learning Centre; Function Centre; Theatre & Events offices & Foyers & Lobbies. This include access upgrades to wheelchair seating options; food & beverage & toilet amenities; accessible passages linking southern & northern foyer areas; lifts linking box offices to foyer areas; as well as linking northern foyers with upper levels. Improvements may either be implemented simultaneously or staged over time. Ensure new upgrades & refurbishments are, at a minimum, compliant with relevant access standards & codes, while aiming to achieve best practice in accessible design, subject to heritage & Utzon Design Principle ACCESS considerations. Ensure accessibility is considered as a key customer requirement during the design phase of any relevant STRATEGIC new building project.
P L A N Performances Strategies and Experiences
GOAL: The Sydney Opera Expand awareness & support for the Sydney Opera 2016–18 House offers an innovative House’s Access Program through staging an annual launch Access Program that allows event for key industry, government, sponsor & donor people with a diverse range of stakeholders. abilities to engage & benefit Make our festival experiences autism-friendly. from all that the Sydney Opera Continue to scope quality sensory theatre experiences House has to offer. for audiences with profound & complex disability. The goals of the Access Strategic Plan Increase the number of accessible performances, will be achieved through the following including captioned, audio-described & sign language- interpreted performances. strategies, to be implemented over the next three years. Expand the subscriber base of What’s On in Access, the Access Program’s online quarterly newsletter. Explore & facilitate new collaborations between the Sydney Opera House, its resident companies & community groups to provide access to educational arts experiences for people with disability. Include key access information for non-designated accessible performances whenever feasible. The aim is to clearly indicate the suitability of regular performances for patrons with disability. 32 33 Workplace Strategies Operations & Strategies
Establish an annual three-month internship opportunity Customer Service GOAL: The Sydney Opera House for a young graduate with disability to work for the Access is an inclusive workplace that Program, & provide meaningful work experience as a path GOAL: The Sydney Opera House Update the Sydney Opera House Customer Access Guide advances the skills, experiences to further employment. delivers ‘seamless’ accessibility to include additional accessibility features & facilities, & employment of people with experiences through integrated including information on: disability, & also enables staff Create opportunities to place people with intellectual customer service & event without disability to increase disability into successful & satisfying roles within the Seating options in foyers; operations. This will foster their understanding of the organisation through engagement with a supported- Recommended viewing areas in the venues for people inclusion & promote individual access needs of people with employment service. This includes scoping an appropriate with different access requirements; choice by providing the disability & how they can best position within the organisation & developing a business First-aid facilities; support needed for people with support their engagement with case to establish a new paid position. Bennelong restaurant; disability to access the Sydney Parking; and the Sydney Opera House. Encourage candidates with disability to apply for Opera House independently. Shuttle bus & taxi access arrangements. Sydney Opera House jobs by advertising employment opportunities through Enabled Employment, a labour Provide additional accessibility information onsite, hire company for people with disability. including temporary signage informing patrons of accessible paths of travel between staff assistance points Offer customer-facing staff training to facilitate events, & access amenities. performances & tours within the Access Program. This includes: Accessibility Manager to facilitate annual accessible customer service training for all Front of House, Theatre Audio-description training; Managers & Host Team staff. Introductory Auslan (Australian sign-language); and Facilitating Bella in the House & Starting with Art at Ensure the Sydney Opera House website complies with the House tours for students with disability. WCAG 2.0 AA, including the seat selection process. Investigate alternative access solutions for any areas or functions of the website that cannot reasonably be made AA-compliant. Community Leadership Strategies Develop processes & provide staff training to ensure customer material provided in PDF format on the Sydney Expand the scale & scope of the Sydney Opera House’s GOAL: The Sydney Opera Opera House website is accessible to customers with Access Strategic Plan & Program, & work with the Sydney House champions & promotes vision impairments who use screen-reading technology. Opera House’s Philanthropy & Partnerships teams to improved access to the arts further diversify & increase funding to this end. Scope the development of an app that provides wayfinding for all. information to assist visitors with disability. Deploy audio- Share Sydney Opera House resources with smaller arts description, captioning & Auslan interpretation to convey organisations & festivals by developing a resource hire access information in accessible formats. package that includes autism-friendly performance resources & equipment, as well as sharing Sydney Opera Install a permanent captioning system in the Playhouse & House audio-describers & audio-description equipment. replace the old captioning screens in the Drama Theatre, thereby ensuring live-theatre captioning is visible to more Provide supported venue rental for local arts & disability audience members. organisations. Trial additional options for live-theatre captioning, Support disability organisation fund-raising efforts including through hand-held devices. through the donation of performance tickets & other forms of prizes. Install new hearing loops in all Western Foyers venues. Use International Day of People with Disability to Improve services & facilities for patrons with disability showcase the contributions made by people with by providing: disability by programming an annual event at the Additional accessible seating options in foyers; Sydney Opera House. A companion card booking line; An adult changing places facility in the Western Foyers; and Braille/large-print menus in all food & beverage outlets. 35 Keep in touch Sydney Opera House Bennelong Point Sydney NSW 2000 Australia T 61 2 9250 7111 sydneyoperahouse.com