How to make your dj booth accessible
For a long time, venues have been spending time and money making their venue accessible to those with disabilities. However, the DJ booth has often been an afterthought. There is a plight of DJ booths in London that are not accessible and we believe this should change. After all, workplaces should be accessible to all.
In this guide, we explain why DJ booths need to be accessible and how to achieve them. Hopefully, venue owners will take note!
What is a DJ booth?
A DJ booth is an area in which a DJ works. Commonly, it is a table or deck stand and often is the focal point of a venue or studio. Pictured here is the Idokodo DJ booth at London Sound Academy. This is a studio DJ booth and a good example of DJ booth design. with the use of stage blocks, it can work for DJs of different heights including those in wheelchairs.
Lighting in this teaching room can be adjusted to suit learners’ needs and the deck stand houses the latest Pioneer DJ technology. The latest DJ tech has bigger screens with more info displayed. This makes it easier for those with sight or hearing issues along with those who are neurodiverse or have less dexterity.
Here we have another DJ booth in a club or music festival setting.
Notice how this DJ booth has less room to manoeuvre and more restraints. This is one of the main factors that venue designers need to address when installing a DJ booth.
How to improve the accessibility of your venues DJ booth
If you want to improve the accessibility of your venue’s DJ booth this guide will help. Here are the main considerations you need to take into account when creating a layout for a DJ booth. Follow these steps and you will create a DJ booth that is accessible to all DJs.
Make sure that your DJ table or stand is either height adjustable or that you have suitable stable stage blocks or steps to help DJs reach the booth. Remember that DJs come in all shapes and sizes! Some shorter DJs or DJs in a wheelchair might struggle to reach the correct height.
Make sure that there is plenty of room to manoeuvre a wheelchair behind the decks. No one likes a cramped DJ booth anyway to make sure that there is enough room for a wheelchair in the DJ booth.
Make sure there is suitable lighting. Make sure that there are suitable sources of light so that DJs with sight impediments can properly see.
Make sure that you have accessible DJ equipment. Harness the power of advances in DJ technology to enable DJs of all backgrounds to perform. Bigger and more visual screens with more information make it possible even for deaf DJs to perform. Take for example DJ Kikazaru!
Make sure there is space to position laptops and additional equipment along with an adequate power supply and space sockets. Different DJs will bring different devices to their gigs. Some DJs might prefer to use their own equipment and this could be because of limited dexterity. This is especially the case for some disabled DJs.
Make sure the DJ booth is safe. It goes without saying but make sure your venue’s DJ booth is safe and follows the correct health and safety guidelines. Make sure DJs and punters don’t have drinks near the decks and make room for drinks elsewhere. In addition, make sure the electrics are pat-tested and plugs are not overloaded. You should be careful to avoid any trip hazards, fall hazards or obstacles.
Create good acoustics. One of the main factors that make a great DJ booth is its acoustics. DJ booths should have high-quality booth monitors that allow the DJ to adjust the volume in their space. These are essential for the job so it’s wise that venues invest in good monitors.
Keep your DJ equipment in good repair. Make sure that you keep your DJ equipment in working order. If something is broken it will hinder the DJs performance and ultimately reflect badly on the venue. It’s also important for disabled DJs who might have less dexterity to make sure everything is working.
Have a sound engineer. Top-end venues and bigger events will budget for a sound engineer but smaller venues should also consider having the option for DJs with special needs.
Make sure the DJ booth is clean. DJ booths are often left off the cleaning list! Make sure your cleaners know how to correctly clean and disinfect the DJ booth and DJ equipment without causing any damage, This is crucial to stop the spread of infection and for the DJs health.
Have water available and toilets in easy reach. If you want to make things comfortable make sure you have water available for the DJs and easy quick access to a washroom.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this blog giving tips on how to make your DJ booth accessible for all DJs. Please implement these changes at your venue and we can improve accessibility for DJs with particular needs.