Is your wedding business truly accessible? With Lisa Heywood

When was the last time you reflected on how accessible your wedding business is? In today's episode I am chatting with Ceilidh caller Lisa Heywood about how she's ensuring her wedding business is making strides to being truly accessible to all. In today's episode Lisa shares her insights and challenges us all to think more about what we are doing to be truly inclusive.

Find out more about Lisa

Follow Lisa on Instagram

Lisa has also provided some great resources to help you:

10min video about the social model of Disability

Understanding Disability blog series

Disabled Eliza talking about planning a wedding as a wheelchair user 

Lucy Edwards talks about planning as a blind bride-to-be 

Celebrant Kathryn talks about planning her accessible wedding

Time stamps:

Starting the Conversation (00:00:00)

Becca discusses the importance of asking about access requirements on booking forms.

Introduction of Guests (00:00:25)

Becca introduces herself and Lisa, highlighting Lisa's expertise in accessible barn dances.

Lisa's Background (00:01:41)

Lisa shares her journey into the barn dance business, influenced by her family's ceilidh band.

Difference Between Barn Dances and Ceilidhs (00:02:35)

Lisa explains the distinctions and similarities between barn dances and ceilidhs.

What a Barn Dance Involves (00:03:32)

Lisa describes the setup and flow of a typical barn dance event.

Lisa's Day Job (00:04:58)

Lisa discusses her work with Drake Music, focusing on accessibility in the music industry.

Understanding Disability (00:06:20)

Lisa introduces the social model of disability, emphasizing societal barriers over individual impairments.

Defining Accessibility (00:07:51)

Lisa explains accessibility as the removal of barriers for disabled individuals to access services.

Making Wedding Businesses Accessible (00:09:27)

Lisa shares practical steps for wedding businesses to enhance accessibility.

Booking Form Questions (00:11:26)

Lisa discusses the importance of including access requirement questions on booking forms.

Starting the Conversation (00:12:43)

Lisa emphasizes the need for open communication about access needs with clients.

Overcoming Fears in Conversations (00:14:25)

Lisa advises on avoiding assumptions and using respectful language when discussing disability.

Language and Terminology (00:15:42)

Lisa provides guidance on using appropriate language regarding disability.

Avoiding Tokenism (00:18:06)

Becca shares an experience at a theme park, highlighting the pitfalls of superficial accessibility measures.

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