Easybeatz Byford transcript

Ray: What APM did for us was open our eyes. Without APM, we'd still be where we were six months ago without knowing this whole sector exists. So yeah, it's been very, very positive. I was approached by APM communities late last year, and the simple question was, ‘would you like to host an inclusive event here?’ So the answer from us was an immediate ‘yes’. We are part of the community and that means the entire community. We want everybody to attend here, so that includes people with disability.

Jimmy: Easybeatz is a great inclusive event. Where there's dancing, that's socialising. It's an inclusive space, and it is a safe space. It’s just a really great occasion to get out of the house and enjoy people's company in a really great environment. The tools and support the APM provided the club included setting up a working group, and that working group sort at ground level people with disabilities to help really make the event successful. We also helped with educating the staff to be how to how to communicate and be more confident in their roles. We've also the armband to build on things such as a chillout zone, which is mainly bean bag, sensory items and headphones just for individuals that may need a little bit of a chill out zone or low sensory area, and then additionally, we've also helped be able to start the process of customised employment, which is essentially looking at creating roles for people with disabilities.

Ray: APM allowed us to ask questions. For me, my main fear, and that's what it was, a fear, was are we going to do the wrong thing? Are we going to say the wrong things, the wrong words, the wrong terminology? And we're in hospitality, so we're used to dealing with people. But APM gave us the confidence to do it with people that are living with a disability. Since then we've put in automatic doors. We plan to install additional lock rod bays. We're hosting more in all inclusive events like barefoot bowls in a couple of weeks. The Easybeatz initiative was just the start of it for us. We had over 100 people register for the event, plus their support workers. To see the smiles on the people's faces that were in attendance, to see the enjoyment that this event brings was something to behold.

Jimmy: So becoming more inclusive is a really beneficial thing for organisations, for businesses, and also for the community as a whole. Time and time again, we've seen increased participation numbers increased financial gain for the business, increased people actually attending, and especially people with disabilities attending. So as a whole, I would say that if you are more inclusive, you helping out in the community, helping out your business, you’re also helping out people with disabilities as well, which is something that I think is something we all want to be doing.