Accessibility Coordinator Flexible Volunteer

VOLUNTEER ROLE
Accessibility Coordinator
Ideal time commitment: 5-10 hours a week (this may increase the 2 months prior to show day)
Responsible to: Head of Events

Bi Pride UK’s mission is to create spaces where people who experience attraction beyond gender can be freely visible and celebrate themselves and their identities. It’s not enough to be ‘welcome’ at a Pride. We make up a very large proportion of the GRSD (Gender, Romantic and Sexual Diversity) community – many stats actually say we’re over half the community – and we deserve to be visible and celebrated in our own right.

There are many ways to make this happen, and we work in many ways to bring this change about:

• Outreach work with other Prides– our consultation work with local Prides and the UK Pride Organisers Network works in a tailored way to make sure that bi-inclusion is a top priority and is being done well
• Organising a high-profile annual Bi Pride event– from September 2019, Bi Pride UK made history with the largest ever gathering of bi people recorded. A performance stage, a panel stage, stall village, street food, and over 1,300 attendees. Next year we are aiming higher
• Building a strong online and virtual community– just as important as the rest of our work is making sure that people hear about it! People need to know what resources and spaces exist for them, and how they can connect with other people like them

The role:

After the success of last year’s event, the Bi Pride UK events team is expanding. Last year, the Bi Pride UK event sold out of online tickets, hosting over 1300 members of the public. This number rendered Bi Pride 2019 the biggest bi gathering in history!

Given current circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are now also exploring the world of online, live-streamed events to add this extra feature to our already very exciting annual gathering. Given the clear advantages that have come to light linked to live streaming in terms of accessibility and reach as well as other elements, it is worth noting that we will be utilising live streaming going forward to enhance and grow our annual live event. Therefore, from 2020, all Bi Pride UK events team members should expect some virtual tasks to also be incorporated within their role, depending on what their role is. We are looking for team members to be joining us long term and upon completion of Bi Pride 2020 to dive straight in to planning 2021 which we envision being our biggest and best event yet.

The Accessibility Coordinator for Bi Pride UK

Producing events that are accessible to all is paramount at Bi Pride UK. This role suits somebody that is passionate about making sure the events industry is fully accessible for all. The ideal candidate will be experienced in working with and implementing systems to meet all access requirements within a live events setting as well as online. The candidate may also already have established connections with service providers

• Develop clear and fully inclusive systems to make Bi Pride UK events as accessible as possible for all. This will involve tasks such as analysing all aspects of Bi Pride UK events to then ensure any venue or location used meets the requirements of people with disabilities and other accessibility requirements and that required measures such as BSL interpretation, audio-description, accessible toilets and other necessary accessible facilities are identified and provided.
• Establish relationships with organisations and charities that specialise in accessibility (such as Access for All UK and Attitude is Everything) and refer to them for guidance.
• Establish relationships with accessibility service providers
• Create the Bi Pride UK event accessibility guide which will be available on our website detailing what we have in place to ensure our events are accessible (and what we may not have in place yet and what we are doing about it)
• Propose an accessible ticket application process and eligibility criteria
• Answer email queries related to accessibility.
• Ensure accessible application options are available for artists, performers and speakers with access requirements
• Understand and adhere to allocated budgets

Why volunteer for a charity? Volunteering in your industry position is an excellent way to build up your skills and add another exciting project to your CV. Bi Pride UK are growing rapidly and quickly making a name for themselves in the GRSD environment as a historic charity. This is an excellent opportunity to grow professionally while making great change for a fantastic cause.

Volunteer specification:

• Interest and passion for tackling discrimination against and improving the visibility of people in the UK who experience attraction to more than one gender;
• An understanding of the needs of bi people and communities in the UK;
• Commitment to the aims and objectives of Bi Pride UK;
• A creative problem solver, always seeking solutions
• A team player who is ready to get stuck in with an awesome charity team
• Meticulous attention to detail;
• Ability to self-motivate when working remotely;
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Preferred for this role:

• Trained to work with people with disabilities and/or implementing access systems for people with access requirements
• Experience working with people with disabilities or working in accessibility provisioning, auditing or consultancy
• Knowledge of accessibility systems and planning as well as a knowledge of relevant requirements under the Equality Act 2010.
• Experience working with and adhering to strict budgets
• Experience in an events role

To apply, please email a CV and cover letter to head.volmgmt@biprideuk.org