Willemijn: We reached more than 90 different countries with the livestreams, something we never expected.
Marleen: Accessibility is really about welcoming everyone. The digital domain is actually a tool to make accessibility possible.
Anic in voice-over: This is Culture Shift, a podcast by DEN, the driving force behind digital transformation in the cultural sector. I am Anic van Damme, and in this series, I dive into the world of digital transformation. Because if there is one thing we cannot ignore, it is the growing importance of digital to make the sector future-proof. By keeping up with digital developments, you can reach your audience now and in the future.
Digital transformation, as the term suggests, requires a change, a shift within your organization and in the sector as a whole. Fortunately, there are already many museums, theaters, and music venues showing what is possible. In this podcast, I visit these organizations and ask them about their successes and pitfalls. Additionally, I speak with various experts who can tell me all about the role of digital in culture. How do you reach a broader audience? And how can digital help you make an impact? You’ll hear it all in Culture Shift!
In this episode, we will talk about digital accessibility. Accessibility, diversity, and inclusion are increasingly discussed in society. Digital transformation can be a beautiful way to reach and engage even more people with your organization. We will soon delve into what this means for cultural organizations, but let’s start with the basics. What exactly do accessibility, diversity, and inclusion entail?
Marleen: Diversity is actually a fact. It’s about recognizing that we are a diverse society made up of different people, so diversity is a state of being.
Anic in voice-over: Here you hear Marleen Hartjes. Marleen is a specialist in accessibility and an advisor for various museums and cultural institutions. She knows everything about this theme.
Marleen: Accessibility is about removing visible and invisible barriers. Inclusion is about actively including those different people. You could say inclusion is a verb, actively involving people and paying particular attention to groups of people who are not usually part of the core audience, those who are often not represented.
Anic: And how do these two relate to each other?
Marleen: Yes, accessibility is really a prerequisite for inclusion. If an organization, a building, or anything else is not accessible, you cannot truly be inclusive.
Anic in voice-over: So it starts with accessibility, which means removing visible and invisible barriers that prevent people from participating.
Marleen: When people think of accessibility, they often think of individuals in wheelchairs and quickly associate it with the absence of a ramp at a staircase. Those are physical barriers. People in wheelchairs are quite recognizable in that sense, but 25% of the Dutch population has some form of disability, and only a small portion of them are in wheelchairs. Many have, for example, acquired brain injuries, a language processing disorder, or difficulty reading, which creates challenges when visiting cultural institutions.
Anic in voice-over: Disabilities are very diverse, which means the barriers people experience are also very diverse.
Marleen: When we talk about cultural organizations, it’s very much about the core of who you are. For example, if you’re a museum, you want the essence of the museum to be conveyed, perhaps through an exhibition. If someone cannot physically enter the museum, cannot hear the guide because they are deaf, cannot read the texts, or simply does not feel represented or safe, these are all invisible barriers. And then you could say that your organization is inaccessible.
Anic in voice-over: Accessibility is about welcoming everyone, which is important for cultural organizations. It helps in attracting new audiences and retaining existing ones.
Marleen: The typical museum visitor is 60-plus, highly educated, white, able-bodied, cis-hetero, and female. However, these 60-plussers are aging, and a significant wave of older people with disabilities is approaching. If we want to retain our current audience, who are intrinsically motivated to visit, cultural institutions need to take steps now to keep their programs accessible to everyone. So it’s not just about attracting new audiences but also about retaining existing ones.
Anic in voice-over: There is plenty of reason to think about this, and one thing that can significantly help cultural organizations with accessibility is digital.
Marleen: The digital domain is a tool to enable accessibility but also acts as an entry point to access information or experiences from your cultural institution. It is part of your customer journey. How can we make this content available to our audience in the most interesting or rich way possible? Digital tools offer enormous possibilities.
Anic in voice-over: Fortunately, many great strides are already being made. For instance, you can use AR and VR glasses in your museum or livestream your performances so everyone can attend from anywhere. The latter is exactly what Nederlands Dans Theater has started doing.
Willemijn: We began livestreaming performances during the pandemic because we weren’t allowed to perform for audiences. We also charged for tickets, and we continue to do so to this day.
Anic in voice-over: You’re hearing Willemijn Maas, director of Nederlands Dans Theater, or NDT. It is one of the most renowned dance companies worldwide. As Willemijn mentioned, NDT started streaming performances in 2020. At that time, it was a necessity.
Willemijn: The main goal was to continue meeting our audience and performing. This was important for the dancers to keep performing and for the audience to maintain contact with us and stay engaged.
Anic in voice-over: But they quickly realized that streaming performances is a great idea regardless.
Willemijn: NDT is a touring company, both in the Netherlands and worldwide. But when we say worldwide, we mean about ten countries. However, with the livestreams, we reached more than 90 different countries. We received a lot of feedback from around the world, including from people who had never had the opportunity to see NDT before and now suddenly had access. Sometimes entire dance schools watched together, and we received many positive reactions. We never expected this.
Anic in voice-over: By streaming, they suddenly reached many more people. NDT became more accessible. And it’s not just about reaching people abroad; you also reach more people within our borders.
Willemijn: There are always people who have difficulty going to the theater, whether due to physical limitations or financial constraints. Streaming allows you to reach an audience you otherwise wouldn’t, and that’s very valuable.
Anic in voice-over: For Willemijn, the use of digital tools has a significant advantage: they can make more people happy with their beautiful performances. Marleen sees that streaming and recording your performances offer even more benefits.
Marleen: One of the most beautiful aspects is that you’re not only removing barriers for a specific audience but also preserving the experience for the future. We often think of culture as a very time-based phenomenon, something you can only see on a specific evening or during a three-month exhibition. Through recordings, for example, you can extend that experience and even create an archive for the future. I see it as an enrichment. Augmented reality, for example, is a great way to offer depth in a second layer.
Anic: Can you name an example you’ve seen?
Marleen: I can name one I’ve worked on: Smartify. Smartify is one of the most well-known museum apps globally. It is an augmented reality app that turns an artwork into a QR code. In this second layer, when you scan an artwork, you can add information, such as details about the artist or an audio tour. This second layer, augmented reality, can be incredibly useful from an accessibility standpoint. For example, for people who are deaf and depend on sign language, you can offer your audio tour in sign language through augmented reality.
Anic in voice-over: Using digital tools to enhance accessibility sounds like a great idea. NDT chose digital streaming to bring their performances to even more people. Of course, this involves a lot of considerations. How did NDT approach this, and what should you keep in mind?
Willemijn: You need to be able to stream reliably so that people can literally see it. It has to look good because simply recording with one camera, as we usually do for studying purposes, isn’t enough. We wanted it to be an artistic product. One of our team members, who normally handles the camera, decided to take on the role of director. We found a camera crew with four cameras, and she directed it. Our web developer, who usually hosts our website, quickly worked on how to embed it into the website. So, we had a few external technicians, camera operators, and our own staff. Of course, you also need the cooperation of a choreographer. They need to be on board and may even need to adapt their performance to some extent.
Anic in voice-over: NDT took a thorough approach and managed to deliver beautiful performances. Choreographers, dancers, and staff were eager to collaborate. On the wall in the office where we’re recording, there’s a beautiful image of a performance that Willemijn is very proud of.
Willemijn: For example, the performance you see there involved a camera on stage, directed by Hofesh Shechter. He immediately wanted to include a camera on stage, which almost became a choreography in itself. We asked a former dancer to handle the camera so they could move with the choreography. I thought that was almost worth filming as well. We didn’t do that, but it was very well done.
Anic: Amazing! As a viewer, you become part of the performance, experiencing it from a perspective you wouldn’t normally have.
Willemijn: Exactly. We learned a lot from this. Some people still enjoy watching the live performance in the theater, but they also appreciate the online version afterward because it offers close-ups and angles you can’t see from the audience. In the theater, you essentially have a single-camera view.
Anic in voice-over: An online recording can certainly add value. There are many possibilities, but there are also significant challenges when implementing digital solutions. For example, you need to think about the rights to use the material and the contracts you have with artists. How does this digital thinking influence your organization?
Willemijn: When we talk about digitization, it’s about more than just digitizing your art form. Many processes, whether HR, finance, or your entire database, are being digitized and automated. What surprised me is the sheer amount of extra work it brings. It’s a constant struggle with time, and this is a common issue across the sector. The pressure on the sector is high, and the workload is significant. The risk of overburdening people, especially because they are very enthusiastic, is always present.
Anic: How do you handle that?
Willemijn: I try to pay as much attention to it as possible. We closely monitor overtime and ensure it is compensated, preferably as soon as possible. We also focus on prioritizing tasks on different teams and regularly reassess priorities.
Anic in voice-over: You also need specific expertise. Willemijn has an important tip for acquiring this expertise.
Willemijn: Don’t hire specialists in-house, because their knowledge will quickly become outdated. Things evolve rapidly, and even though we might seem large, we’re ultimately talking about a few people. Specialists, whether camera operators or digital technicians, should be hired externally.
Anic in voice-over: With digital, you can increase your accessibility and reach. The audience reached often values specific offerings in the online environment enough to pay for them. This can become an element of a new business model, part of the digital transformation process. Nederlands Dans Theater decided to charge a small fee for their performances.
Willemijn: We were all pioneering, so we somewhat arbitrarily set a price of fifteen euros. Initially, some organizations charged five or even two euros, but we thought fifteen euros was reasonable for what we offer. Normally, a ticket costs between 35 and 45 euros. Often, people watch with a group, and this has never been a barrier. It has now become almost a standard price, even though people were initially hesitant. But we’ve done this from day one, and it has never been an obstacle.
Anic in voice-over: So, as an organization, you don’t always have to offer your digital content for free. People are willing to pay for an online form of culture. NDT has had positive experiences and has decided to further expand online streaming in the future.
Willemijn: We are now working on further professionalizing our digital platform. I think we need to come up with a new proposition to make it cost-effective. For that, you need a certain volume. We’re now saying it’s interesting to see the live performance in the theater but also to watch it online because it offers a different experience. Or if you live far from a theater, are less mobile, or can’t afford a 45-euro ticket. Over the past year, we’ve invested a lot of time, money, and energy into developing the platform, focusing on the technical aspects. Now, we hope to use follow-up funding to invest in audience development and community building.
Anic in voice-over: NDT is trying to further professionalize digital streaming, and they’re not doing it alone.
Willemijn: We collaborated with ITA and Holland Festival. All three of us are internationally active organizations with experience in digital streaming. We thought it would be great to combine our experiences. On the one hand, to pool technical knowledge, and on the other, to explore the possibility of developing a joint audience reach—a digital theater, so to speak. Currently, we each do it on our own sites, but if we create a separate brand, we could present a Dutch product internationally. We could cross-promote and make it more sustainable.
Anic: What is the status of this platform now? Can people already use it?
Willemijn: The platform is functional, but we each still embed it on our own sites. We’re waiting for follow-up funding to develop it further. We aim to explore two streams: creating a separate brand for international companies and making the technology available to anyone interested. Those are the two directions we want to take in the next phase of this project.
Anic in voice-over: The platform is already online, and I’m curious to see how it looks. Willemijn grabs her laptop and types in digitaaltheater.ndt.nl. She plays one of the most recent performances.
Willemijn: Here, you can easily see that you can make the screen full-size. You can cast it to your TV. The idea is to add more features, such as allowing people to interact and participate in Q&A sessions directly on the platform. Currently, it redirects to another website for Q&A, but we want to embed it here. This version works well for showcasing performances, with good support. It’s basic but functional, and the support is solid. It was tested with employees’ grandmothers to ensure usability.
Anic in voice-over: Testing with your target audience is very wise, especially if you want to become more accessible to people with disabilities you’re not immediately familiar with.
Marleen: When discussing inclusion, it’s crucial to involve the target audience. This is especially important for accessibility. If you don’t have those contacts, placing an ad in a local newspaper can help. Alternatively, ask your own staff. I’ve noticed that many people are indirectly familiar with accessibility issues, whether through a parent in a wheelchair or a sibling who is blind or visually impaired.
Anic in voice-over: Digital accessibility isn’t just about making your performance or exhibition available online; it’s also about the readability of your website and other online content.
Marleen: Consider people who are visually impaired or blind. They rely on screen readers or accessibility options on their devices, which depend on well-written alt texts. Alt text is an option in every CMS where you add a one-sentence description to every image you upload.
Anic: So you describe the image, explaining what is shown?
Marleen: Yes, it’s about providing an objective description of what you see so that visually impaired users know what content is on the website. This is just one aspect. You also need to consider the readability of your text, both visually and linguistically. Is the contrast strong enough? Is the font size large enough, or is there an option to enlarge it?
Anic in voice-over: Thankfully, there are useful tools to help make your website more readable. One example is ReadSpeaker.
Marleen: ReadSpeaker is a plugin for your website that enhances accessibility. It can enlarge text, read it aloud, or translate it into about 80 languages.
Anic: Sounds like a handy tool for cultural institutions.
Marleen: Yes, it’s very useful. You can also customize it to match your branding, so it blends seamlessly into your website design.
Anic in voice-over: Additionally, it’s important to become more aware of the differences between people and how to address them.
Marleen: Keep in mind that the texts you write are often written at your own level. A large part of the population struggles with literacy, whether due to dyslexia or being non-native speakers. The language level often used in the cultural sector is too complex. You don’t have to dumb things down; it’s about finding simple ways to communicate so that more people can understand it.
Anic in voice-over: There are many steps you can take to make your online content more accessible, but what’s one thing everyone can start doing tomorrow?
Marleen: Start with your website by indicating where you are and aren’t accessible. For example, alongside directions to the museum, include information about accessibility options. If a part of the museum is not accessible, be upfront about it and offer alternatives, such as a video.
Anic: So it’s about managing expectations online?
Marleen: Exactly. Managing expectations is the first step. From there, you can tackle other aspects. But let’s start with managing expectations, as that’s something you can do today.
Anic in voice-over: This way, you can make a big difference for people without immediately investing a lot of time and money. Marleen emphasizes that improving accessibility doesn’t have to be expensive. You can start with small adjustments and then make larger changes as opportunities arise. This ensures your online content is readable, understandable, and accessible to everyone. And that’s incredibly important, especially when it comes to culture.
Marleen: Culture is for everyone. Culture defines who we are as humans. If we don’t have the opportunity to share culture, whether because we don’t feel represented or can’t access it, then we have a significant societal problem. Culture isn’t just for a small group of enthusiasts; it represents who we are as people. Accessibility should be a fundamental part of our actions across all departments. It’s not just the responsibility of one person or department; it’s an integral part of who we want to be and the responsibility we take to make that possible. It’s also about the choices we make to create accessible and inclusive work.
Anic in voice-over: At NDT, they continue to work on making culture accessible to everyone. They hope to make their platform available to other cultural organizations so that everyone can benefit from shared knowledge and experience. Willemijn is very happy they started early.
Willemijn: I think it has changed how we view our performances. We’ve discovered new ways to bring this art form to the audience, which is very appealing. It’s an additional asset. Most importantly, it has allowed us to reach people we otherwise never would have. Seeing someone from Afghanistan watching our performances is incredibly moving. So what has it brought us? It’s a way to bring this art form to people beautifully, with good camera work. And it has allowed us to reach people we otherwise never would have.
Anic in voice-over: Want to learn more about digital accessibility? Visit den.nl.
Also, listen to the other episodes in this podcast! In the next episode of Culture Shift, we’ll explore the impact cultural organizations can make and the role digital plays in that. Heleen Rouw, the director of Cinekid, will tell me all about it.
Read the transcripts of the other episodes
- The Audience of the Future
- New Creation and Experience
- What is Digital Transformation?
- Digital Accessibility and Inclusion
- Impact Thinking, Steering, and Measuring
