Accessibility
We are doing what we can to make Spring Fling as accessible as possible. Find out more about everything from taking part as an artist or maker to physically entering the venues during the Open Studios weekend.
Taking Part
Spring Fling is a selected event, and chosen participants pay a fee to contribute to the considerable costs of running the weekend and associated activities. However, Upland offers a range of schemes and bursaries to widen participation as much as possible.
Financial aid – we offer a reduced fee through our Step Up Bursary. For the 2023 event this reduced participation fees for 16 participants from £250 to £150.
Free Participation – we offer a free place to those taking part through our CREATE and Emerge schemes.
Artists and makers from outwith our region can take part through various schemes: Springback, Neighbours and New Graduates. More info on these schemes can be found on p9 of our brochure.
Virtual Studios
The Virtual Studios aim to capture the feel of entering one of our artists’ spaces. We know that we will never truly be able to recreate this online, but we hope this facility can go some way to making the event more accessible.
You’ll find photos of the studios, tools, works in progress, information on how work is made, unique insights, videos etc.
We hope this means that no matter where you are in the world, you can enter the studios.
Visit the Virtual Studios by clicking this button below.
Travel
We have 100 studios spread across our extensive region, so travel is a key issue. We know that getting to studios is challenging for people who don’t drive – and public transport is patchy.
To help with this, each year we put on special bus tours to studios. This year we have 2 currently available, starting from Dumfries.
These tours are provided by community groups with wheelchair-accessible buses. If you would like to book a bus tour and will require wheelchair access, please contact us before booking – chris@weareupland.com
Find out about our bus tours and other ways to travel the region here…
Entering Studios
Most of the Studios are in private spaces. This means that most are not specifically set up with particular facilities for those using a wheelchair or with mobility concerns.
However… many studios are easily accessible.
In the brochure and on our Virtual Studios we have information about access to the studios.
This includes the availability of
- wheelchair accessibility
- accessible toilet
- accessible parking
Artists also give details of access issues – both challenges and special provisions.
Using the Website
On this website, we are doing what we can to make the visitor experience better.
We have added an ‘Accessibility tool’ button to the left hand side of the website. Look out for the icon with a person standing in a circle. If you click this, you will find the following options:
- Increase/decrease text size
- Change page to greyscale
- High contrast/negative contrast
- Light background
- Underline links
- Readable font
Areas for Improvement
Although we have introduced a range of measures and continue to educate staff, we know there will be more that we could do to improve the accessibility of Spring Fling Open Studios. Upland will continue to develop the event’s accessibility and inclusivity year on year.
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for how we can improve the event’s accessibility, please contact Joanna Jones – joanna@weareupland.com
