Location: Remote (with potential for occasional in-person meetings in Sheffield, if feasible)
Start date: w/c 14th October 2024
End date: Friday 1st November 2024
Fee: £1,500 total
Closing date for applications: Tuesday 1st October 2024
Interviews: w/c 7th October 2024
Job Description
We are seeking a freelance Accessibility Consultant to assist in editing an events accessibility policy, and to create a set of conditions to inform the design of a venue audit. This will then be used by the Festival of Debate as a foundation of event design and venue selection for the Festival.
Festival of Debate
Founded in 2015 by Opus Independents, Festival of Debate creates opportunities to bring people together to share new ideas and lived experience that can help shape our understanding of the world.
Each year the festival hosts more than 60 events in April and May, delivered with a range of partners including grassroots campaign groups, voluntary and community groups, universities and think tanks.
The annual programme includes discussions, Q&As, artistic responses, keynote speeches, performances and plays that explore politics, economics and society. Events are hosted across a range of venues and events spaces in Sheffield.
Responsibilities & Outputs
Collaborate with our team to improve our existing events accessibility policy
Help us define a set of minimum access requirements for in-person and online Opus events
Develop a set of conditions and criteria to contribute to a venue audit.
Provide expert knowledge and advice on best practices for inclusivity in physical and online event spaces including but not limited to:
Guidance on the division of accessibility responsibilities between us (as a multi-venue festival/external promoter) and venues, and how we communicate these clearly with venues.
Advice on effective ways to present accessibility information on our website and print materials.
Recommend whether to offer sensory details for our events (e.g. what attendees can expect to hear, see, etc.)
Highlight areas for further work or development to improve event accessibility in the future.
Experience & Skills
Personal experience of disability.
Experience working in the events industry, particularly in roles focused on accessibility or inclusivity.
Demonstrated knowledge of accessibility standards, regulations, and best practices, including physical accessibility, e.g. buildings, as well as wider accessibility experience, e.g. relaxed events, accommodating wider needs than just physical access.
Understanding and application of the social model of disability.
Experience of working in partnerships and with communities.
Creative and practical approach.
Strong attention to detail.
We do not require you to hold a degree level (or equivalent) qualification for this role – relevant personal and professional experience is acceptable. Please demonstrate this in your statement.
To Apply
Please send a copy of your CV and a statement or short audio/video recording outlining why you are well suited to this role to hello@festivalofdebate.com by 9am on Friday 27th September 2024. Maximum 300 words written or 2 minutes of recorded audio/video.
Interviews will take place during the week commencing 7th October 2024.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, feel free to contact hello@festivalofdebate.com.
About Opus
Opus is a not-for-profit social enterprise based in Sheffield, established in 2008. Our projects include Now Then Magazine, Festival of Debate, Opus Distribution and UBI Lab Network.
Opus works to contribute upstream solutions to complex system problems. We do this through strategic partnerships, engaging arts and culture, research, identifying leverage points, and co-creation. We incubate and deploy services, projects, platforms, decentralised networks and movements proportionate to the challenges ahead.
Opus is multidisciplinary, cross-sector and adaptive, working across hyper-local, regional, national and international contexts. We work with citizens, communities, neighbourhoods, business, voluntary groups, cities, campaigns, research institutions, infrastructure organisations and governments to address the entangled ecological, social, economic, political and cultural crisis we collectively face.
We recognise that this is a long-term and systemic approach to social change. There are no easy fixes and few quick wins, so we spend our time and energy creating the space – whether that’s a platform, a network or something else – for new ideas to emerge and develop.
Opus reaches more than 150,000 people a year through live events, broadcasting and publishing in Sheffield and beyond.
Diversity & Equal Opportunities
Diversity in our workforce is a priority for Opus. As well as the clear moral imperative of properly reflecting our city’s make-up, diversity in our team improves how we work, how we ‘frame’ problems and their possible solutions, and how we interact with stakeholders and audiences.
We particularly encourage applications from a group that is under-represented. This includes, but is not limited to, Black, Asian and racialised candidates, disabled people, those who identify as LGBTQI+ and individuals from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
Please complete our Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form.
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