Making Sure Your Venue Is Accessible

Last updated 2026-08-27 · 7 min read

"Wheelchair accessible" is one of the least reliable claims in venue hire. It can mean a fully step-free building with an accessible toilet, or it can mean there is a ramp at the front door and three steps to the function room. The only way to know is to ask about each part of the journey separately.

Ask about the whole journey, not the building

A guest's experience is a sequence: park, get to the entrance, get into the building, get to the room, use the toilet, get to the bar and the food, and get out again in an emergency. A venue is only as accessible as the weakest link.

Rather than "are you accessible?", work through it:

• Parking. Are there designated accessible bays? How many, how far from the entrance, and is the surface even? Gravel is a real barrier.
• Drop-off. Can a car pull up directly at the door?
• The entrance. Step-free, or a ramp? Is the ramp permanent or fetched on request? How wide is the door, and is it heavy?
• Route to the room. Any steps between the entrance and the function room? This is where "accessible" venues most often fail.
• Lifts. If the room is upstairs, is there a lift, is it big enough for a wheelchair, and what happens if it fails?
• The toilet. Is there an accessible toilet, on the same floor as the room, and is it kept unlocked or does someone need to be found?
• Bar and buffet. Can a seated guest reach the bar and serve themselves at the buffet?
• Evacuation. How would someone who cannot use stairs leave in an emergency? A venue that has thought about this is a venue that has thought about the rest.

Beyond wheelchairs

Mobility is the access need people plan for. Several others are more common and get less attention.

Limited mobility without a wheelchair

Far more common, particularly at parties with older guests. What matters: distance from car to room, handrails on any steps, chairs with arms that are easy to get out of, and somewhere to sit at every point - including near the bar and the buffet queue.

Hearing

Hard rooms with high ceilings and no soft furnishing make conversation very difficult for anyone with hearing loss, and hearing aids amplify background noise as much as speech.

Ask whether the venue has a hearing loop, particularly if there will be speeches. Keep background music low during the parts of the evening meant for talking, and set aside a quieter area away from the speakers. If there are speeches, use a microphone even in a room where you think you could be heard.

Vision

Even lighting without dark patches, clear routes without obstacles, and contrast on steps. Tell guests in advance about anything unexpected - a change of level, an unusual layout. Offer to have someone meet them at the entrance.

Sensory and neurodivergent guests

Increasingly recognised and easy to accommodate. A quieter room or corner people can retreat to makes a real difference - at children's parties especially. Avoid strobe lighting, or warn people clearly if there will be any. Let guests know the running order in advance so nothing is a surprise.

Assistance dogs

Legally permitted almost everywhere, including food premises, but tell the venue in advance so they can plan a space and water.

What UK law requires

Under the Equality Act 2010, venues providing services to the public have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. That includes physical features, but also how they do things - for instance, bringing a portable ramp, reserving a table near the door, or providing information in a different format.

"Reasonable" does what a lot of work here. A listed building may not be able to install a lift. But it can usually offer a ground-floor room, and a venue that will not discuss alternatives at all is one to be wary of.

Practically, the law matters less than the conversation. A venue that engages properly with the question will usually find a way; one that is defensive about it will not.

Venue types, roughly ranked

Asking guests

Put an open question on the invitation: "Please let me know if you have any access requirements so we can make sure everything works for you."

Open phrasing is better than a checkbox, because it catches things you would not have listed - someone who cannot stand for long, someone who needs to sit near an exit, someone who needs to be away from a speaker.

Then follow through. If a guest tells you they use a wheelchair, send them the practical details in advance: where to park, which entrance, where the accessible toilet is. Being told beforehand is worth much more than being helped on arrival.

On the day

• Reserve seating for guests who need it - near the entrance, away from the speakers, with space for a wheelchair at the table rather than at the end of a row.
• Check the accessible toilet is unlocked and not being used for storage. This happens surprisingly often.
• Keep routes clear. Bags, coats, buggies and chairs migrate into walkways during a party.
• Offer to bring food from a buffet rather than assuming someone will ask.
• Brief whoever is on the door so arriving guests do not have to explain themselves.

The most common failure

Not a missing ramp - a venue that answered "yes" to a question that was too vague. "Are you accessible?" invites an optimistic answer. "Is there a step anywhere between the car park and the function room?" does not.

Ask narrow questions, ask for photographs, and where it matters, visit. Ten minutes on site tells you more than any amount of correspondence.