Disability: My struggle to plan an accessible Christmas party

A total of 24% of the UK population has a disability, which is more than 16m people. Official figures from 2021 showed that two-thirds of disabled people (66%) were unable to access bars, clubs, and cafes.

“Lack of accessibility is a huge problem,” said Elin Williams from Disability Wales.

“Not only in terms of locations and buildings themselves but also the environments within the building, so lack of accessible toilets, flashing lights that have an impact on some people, and also a lack of rooms where people can go to have a little break if the situation is too high, and so on.

“Unfortunately, accessibility is not at the top of people’s priority list, so it is not often taken into account, which means that all disabled people are left behind and feel like they don’t belong, if locations are not accessible.”

The charity’s main message is that “a lot more work is needed to create a society that is more inclusive for disabled people.”

The hope for many is that nightclub companies will listen to the needs of disabled people and change their locations to include everyone.