Grassmarket Community Project

get2gether

22 Aug 2022

Befuddling Buffy

3

3

Date of visit: August 2022

I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment and understanding.

Overall Rating

Average

Couldn't find the place for a while. It wasn't very well signposted. I got a taxi who dropped me off at Cowgate and told me it was up a lane. I went up the lane and there was lots of people with 'Just The Tonic' tops on who told me I'd gone the wrong way. Google maps and where the venue was supposed to be didn't match up. The entrance to the venue was off a cobbled street and not clearly a venue! It was a tiny venue. I could hear the staff talking and saying 'a wheelchair user' is coming. My ticket said 'wheelchair user' on it even though I am not a wheelchair user. When I said this to a member of staff he brushed me off and told me 'yeah, yeah, queueing starts in 5 minutes'. I asked a different member of staff if there was somewhere I could put my scooter and she said 'I don't know'. They then started queueing people and they were surprised when they saw that it said 'wheelchair user' on my ticket even though I had told them this 5 minutes before. It was really cramped, there were maybe 45 people cramped into this tiny room. It felt really claustrophobic. I kept changing seats because I felt claustrophobic, and eventually they put me at the back. The show was sorta hit or miss. I liked the Buffy 'stats' but I didn't quite understand the jokes and when the guy pulled out a trombone I left because it was too loud for me.

Disabled Access In and Around

Bad

There was a stretch of cobbles so it wouldn't have been great for wheelchairs. There were tables like in a cafeteria so close to the door, so it was a squeeze just to get into the venue and wouldn't have been enough space for somebody in a wheelchair. No signage, and nowhere in the foyer to take a seat.

Parking & Transport

Bad

You can't park very close to the venue and I didn't see any buses nearby other than a tour bus. Even the taxi driver found it difficult to get through and wasn't willing to get any closer to the venue.

Accessible Toilets

Bad

I didn't see one. I saw toilets but didn't notice any accessible ones.

Staff

Bad

The first guy I spoke to was really nice. But the other members of staff I spoke to didn't seem to know what was going on and dismissed me when I was asking questions. They were more interested in talking to each other.

Additional Information

It didn't feel very Covid-safe because everyone was cramped into a non-ventilated room.