At Tilting the Lens, our mission is to build an equitable and accessible world through collective education. For the Disability Pride Month edition of our webinar series, we were joined by Kerry Evans, Disability Liaison Officer at Wrexham AFC and star of episode 3 of the Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
Hosted by Tilting the Lens CEO, Sinéad Burke the two discuss Kerry’s intrinsic involvement at Wrexham AFC, disability inclusion at Wrexham and in football more broadly, and the changes that Wrexham has made to create an accessible and equitable environment for fans and players.
We hope this dialogue will help expand and educate practices surrounding accessibility, disability, and equity in football, sport, and within society. This session was supported by BSL (British Sign Language) and ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation, live captioning, and visual descriptions to ensure the inclusion of as many people as possible.
Kerry’s recommended resources for creating an accessible and inclusive experience for all football fans:
Centre for Access to Football in Europe
The Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE) actively explores every element of the match day experience from all accessibility angles, from making the ticketing system accessible to Disabled fans to providing audio-descriptive-commentary for Blind and low-vision fans. Their support of the Disability Access Officer role across more than 50 countries means that a focus on inclusion is increasingly central to sports organisations worldwide.
Link to the Centre for Access to Football in Europe’s website
Level Playing Field
Level Playing Field is a registered charity in England and Wales, and acts as a campaigning and advisory organisation to its membership and other parties across all sports. You can find information on Disabled fans facilities at clubs and stadia, along with useful disability and access reports, guides, good practice documents and general disabled supporter information.
Link to Level Playing Field’s website
Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds ‘Green Guide’
The SGSA is the UK Government’s advisor on safety at sports grounds and a world leader in safety. They provide independent, expert advice on making football in England and Wales a safe and enjoyable experience for spectators. The Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (also known as the Green Guide) is recognised around the world as best practice for the design and planning, and the safety management and operation of sport grounds. Its aim is to assist in the assessment of safe capacity of a sports ground.
Link to Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds ‘Green Guide’