Edinburgh Science Festival – for young and old!
5
5
Date of visit: April 2025
I am a carer or friend of a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment, accessing toilets, moving around and understanding.
I use or have experience of: autism, disabled toilet, hidden impairment, learning disability, mobility scooter, pmld (profound and multiple learning disabilities), powerchair, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Excellent
The Euan’s Guide team was invited to the launch of the 2025 Science Festival “Spaceship Earth” at the City Art Centre, which is opposite Waverley Train Station. A smooth entrance (people were on hand to open the doors - but they are power assisted doors) – and even floors to access each level – you can see where the venue has made modifications to help people in wheel/power chairs. We had an enjoyable evening and as part of Edinburgh Science’s “Lates” night we got to enjoy the activities normally reserved for kids of varying ages. The venue has a spacious and modern feel inside, although it is still a 125 year old building.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
There is a long sloping ramp on ground floor allowing access to gift shop and accessible toilets – also leads through to Mimi’s Bakehouse café next door. Spacious lift to each floor. There are also escalators to each floor (and stairs available too).
Parking & Transport
Good
Our team walked to the venue. No disabled parking outside venue (only loading bays – hopefully useful space for picking up/dropping off but we can’t be sure). There are taxi ranks nearby on East Market Street. Waverley Train station is conveniently located opposite the City Art Centre and there are lifts for access to take you from platforms to Market Street entrance. There are safety lights to cross to get across the road
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
There was an accessible loo on the ground floor (with a Euan’s Guide Red Cord Card on the emergency pull cord!) and another on a level further up (see photo). The loos were tidy, grab rails in place, low sink. We thought the sanitary bin could have been moved near the sink to allow for a bit more transfer space.
Staff
Excellent
The Edinburgh Science staff during the Festival were great – very welcoming and helpful with directions to activities on each floor. The Science Communicators were friendly and made science activities for children just as much fun and informative for us grown-ups. The activities felt very accessible and at a good range of heights for youngsters and/or wheelchair users. We enjoyed hands-on and immersive activities – it was like being a real-world scientist – testing blood at the scene of a crime; digging for dinosaurs; building bever dams; and testing wind turbines we’d made ourselves (love a bit of colouring in). We also got to dress up like lab technicians and made slime to throw against the wall. We also liked seeing the sensory area and the inclusion of BSL around the activities.
