Image credit: Red Queen Book Launch
ACCESSIBILITY
Meat Market Accessibility
Meat Market is committed to providing welcoming, inclusive, and accessible venue spaces for all events and visitors.
Our services and facilities are designed to make your experience at Meat Market easy to navigate, comfortable and enjoyable.
Event spaces within Meat Market include the Blackwood Box, Cobblestone Pavilion, Stables, Meeting Room and Garden. All these spaces have multiple access options, with entrances selected at the discretion of event organisers.
To view the accessibility options for each space, download our mobility map below.
We encourage hirers to consider the sensory needs of visitors and reach out to the Presenter Services Coordinator to discuss how best to accommodate these needs. Beyond offering a low-sensory room. Consider providing options like sensory-friendly seating areas, earplugs, and quiet spaces for those who may need a break.
Relaxed performances, where lights and sound levels are adjusted, can make a significant difference. Additionally, providing sensory guides for your events, visual schedules for attendees, and having staff trained to assist those with sensory sensitivities can make the venue more inclusive and welcoming for all.
What to expect when visiting Meat Market
All venue spaces at Meat Market are accessible and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant. While our spaces meet DDA standards, there are some areas within the venue that can be bumpy due to the uneven surface of the cobblestone floors.
Detailed accessibility information about our venue spaces is outlined below:
- Where the entrance to any building or space at Meat Market is not accessible, an alternative entry with wheelchair-friendly access is available.
- All spaces within the building feature DDA compliant bathrooms.
- All event organisers and hirers are encouraged to provide gender neutral bathrooms for attendees; however, the decision to provide them is at their own discretion.
- Service dogs are always welcome in all our venues.
- Disabled street parking spaces are available surrounding our venue.
If you have further access requirements or any questions, please contact the team at Meat Market who can provide personalised information regarding accessibility in our spaces. Contact us here or call us on (03) 9329 9966.
Kensington Town Hall Accessibility
All Kensington Town Hall hire spaces and facilities are designed to make your visiting experience welcoming, accessible, and simple to navigate.
Bookable spaces within Kensington Town Hall include the Main Hall, Supper Room, Rehearsal Room, Presentation Room, Creative Hub and Studio. Access to the main building is via a ramp and stairs. All spaces located on the first floor are accessible by the lift located on the ground floor near the front entrance.
Accessible toilets and shower facilities are available on the ground floor.
For more information about accessibility at Kensington Town Hall please contact us on 03 9372 5315.
Access Symbols
Check the ‘Accessibility’ section of each event page for ratings and access services.
Assistance Animal
Guide dogs and assistance animals are welcome at Meat Market and Kensington Town Hall.
Assistive Listening
Assistive listening system available to help amplify or enhance the sound quality of an event. There is no additional charge for this service, simply ask theatre staff for assistance on arrival.
Audio Description
Audio describers provide live verbal descriptions of actions, costumes, scenery and other visual elements of talks, events and performance between gaps in the dialogue via personal headsets.
Aural Rating 50%
Contains both sound and visual components, but sight is not essential to be able to engage with the event.
Aural Rating 75%
Mainly sound-based with visuals only incidental to the work, so blind or low vision audiences can have close to the full experience of the event.
Aural Rating 100%
Entirely sound-based with no visual elements and can be fully experienced by blind or low vision audiences.
Auslan Interpreting
An interpreter stands to one side of the stage or speaker and live translates the text and dialogue into Auslan.
Closed Captioning
Captions are displayed on a screen enabling the audience to read what is being said. Closed Captioning can be activated or deactivated by the viewer.
Companion Card
Selected events support the Companion Card program. You can book your companion ticket online when purchasing tickets to a show.
Open Captioning
For these events, Open Captioning is always in view and cannot be turned off.
Quiet Space Available
A space to facilitate the calming or alerting of senses as needed. Quiet spaces are used to avoid or recover from sensory overload or to provide sensory input to meet a sensory need.
Relaxed Performances
Relaxed Performances focus on adapting sensory elements like lighting and sound, making a show more accessible for a range of audiences. These are judgement-free zones and there is a relaxed attitude to audiences – everyone is free to respond, move, speak, or self-soothe in whatever way they need to enjoy and experience a performance.
Tactile Tours
This allows patrons who are blind or have low vision and their companions to explore the set, props and costumes prior to the performance.
Visual Rating 50%
May have music or sounds in the background, or may be partly open captioned or scripts and descriptions are given to the audience before the event on request.
Visual Rating 75%
Fully open captioned providing access to spoken word but no background music or sounds.
Visual Rating 100%
No music or dialogue or all dialogue is open captioned.
Wheelchair Accessible
Physical accessibility varies from event to event, and if a show includes the symbol, this indicates the performance is fully wheelchair accessible. If there is no wheelchair symbol, access may be partial – get in touch if you’d like more information.
