Planning a day out if you are a person with a disability or have a disabled companion can feel like a full-time task, exhausting in itself before you even get out of the door.
According to research for the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain, more than half of people with a disability, or their carers, spend between 2 and 5 hours planning a day out. The majority of this research (92 per cent) is conducted online.
When it’s an outdoor venue anxiety levels can be even higher, but there are options and help at hand.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) located near Wakefield is just a few minutes from J38 of the M1. Since opening in 1977, the visitor attraction has strived to offer access to art, no matter what your physical, emotional or economic circumstances.
As a registered charity and accredited museum, YSP has 500 acres of beautiful parkland with outdoor and covered gallery spaces, a restaurant, cafés and gift shops. As part of its accessibility work, it won the 2023 Tourist Attraction of the Year Award for Yorkshire and the Cultural Attraction Award.
YSP has an ongoing commitment to making its buildings, programmes, and experiences as accessible and inclusive as possible to all visitors.
WHAT YSP HAS TO OFFER:
- A Changing Places toilet within the Park
- 4 x off-road mobility scooters which are free to hire
- Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas and galleries
- Free entry for essential companions/carers and MAX Card holders Regular BSL interpreted gallery tours with a d/Deaf facilitator
- Ear defenders (in both child and adult sizes) available to borrow from the Information Desk
- YSP’s Quiet Room in the Visitor Centre, is a calm space for anyone who needs to take a bit of time out
- There are books and sensory materials available, and a screen displaying films of YSP’s current exhibitions. This screen doesn’t have sound and can be turned off completely if required.
- Priority parking for Blue Badge holders is available in the main car park next to the Visitor Centre and at The Weston restaurant car park
ENJOYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS
YSP has four off-road mobility scooters, which are available to hire free of charge during a visit, they recommend getting in touch to reserve one before you visit. A member of the team will show you how to use the scooter and suggest tips on where to go.
Scooters can travel on most outdoor surfaces, but the team will advise if there are any areas which are unsuitable due to weather and seasonal conditions or suggest the best routes. Manual wheelchairs are available to borrow for visiting inside the galleries.
There’s also a handy accessibility detailed guide that you can download prior to a visit: Download our detailed Accessibility Guide.
EATING INSIDE OR OUTDOORS
YSP’s cafés and restaurant have flexible seating, with loose tables and chairs, both indoors and outdoors and help will be on hand to assist in finding a suitable place to sit. Benches are dotted throughout the outdoor areas if you need to take a break during your visit.
The majority of these are located in the areas near the Underground Gallery, Bothy Gallery, Visitor Centre, and lakeside paths. Seating can also be found in all the galleries, Visitor Centre concourse and cafés. Outside, there are picnic benches near the YSP Learning building and the Visitor Centre. These have fixed seating but also include some wheelchair-accessible benches.
Visitors can get in touch if they have any specific queries about accessibility or would like more information to support a visit. ysp.org.uk
Images courtesy of YSP
