Making it easier to see
Making sensory theatre more accessible
Access and inclusion is very important to us. And lots of young audiences that we meet don’t always have access to high-quality creative experiences. So it’s our ambition to understand all the different ways people join in at DIY and make sure nobody is left out.
Something we’ve been thinking about lately is: what can we do so children and young people with visual impairments see, enjoy, and engage with our work as fully as possible?
That’s why we’ve teamed up with Positive Eye to help us make our newest performance (‘You’ve Got a Friend’) more accessible for visually impaired audiences. And why we’re excited to share this journey with you.
Exploring friendship, excluding nobody
‘You’ve Got a Friend’ is an 18-month project about friendship, what it feels like to be an outsider, and how we welcome those who are excluded. The end result will be an inclusive, immersive performance for young sensory learners with learning disabilities.
Funded by Youth Music’s Trailblazer Programme, the project gives DIY members space to try new approaches and make work that more fully includes sensory audiences – including those with visual impairments. Here’s how we’re doing it:
Learning from the experts
During February and March, DIY members will work with musician Sarah Atter and music technology specialist David McFarlane to explore how songs and music can help tell stories.
On Tuesday 27 January 2026, we welcomed Gwyn McCormack from Positive Eye. Gwyn is an award-winning educator and creator of Marvin’s Story Time Show, an inclusive storytelling programme for children with visual impairments.
Gwyn led a training session for DIY staff and Core Company members all about “making it easier to see.”
“Making it easier to see”
The session started with an introduction to Marvin’s Story Time Show. Gwyn showed us how colourful stories, props, and songs can change the way children experience performances. And it’s often small, thoughtful choices that make the biggest difference.
After a break, Gwyn introduced us to the range of resources and approaches that underpin her work. We explored questions like: how can we help children focus? How can we make our spaces more inclusive? How can movement, sound, and our bodies become part of the stage?
Sensory props designed for visually impaired audiences
Discovering what works
The session was playful and full of energy. Staff loved working together as a team and learning practical new approaches they could use straight away.
They also gave lots of useful critical feedback for future training. They thought it would have been great to have more time and space for discussion, more chances to be ‘hands-on’ with the props, and more time for a structured Q&A session.
Core Company members enjoyed the physical and visual elements like 2D puppets, movement, colourful props, and high-energy storytelling. Charlotte said it was meaningful to learn new storytelling skills:
“I knew a little bit about storytelling but Gwyn went into more detail..you can have puppets but instead of having fixed puppets where you just hold them, like literally you can move around with puppets. She even said if like someone’s in a bed you can put it over the head of the bed so they can even enjoy it”
Charlotte
The session highlighted that accessibility isn’t just ‘what’ we do. It’s about being clear about ‘why’ we’re doing it and making thoughtful adjustments that help everyone see or feel the story. This could include:
- Using dark backgrounds to create high visual contrast
- Using bright costumes and props
- Using countdowns and rhythmic chants to build recognition and anticipation
- Adding sound to go along with gestures
- Keeping movement slow, minimal, and BIG
- Making sure the stage isn’t cluttered.
From ideas to reality
Gwyn will return in March for a more hands-on session – and members already have lots of ideas they want to try out. They want to experiment with puppets, torches, and ‘revealing’ sensory props from pockets/aprons. They’re also thinking about making facial expressions easier to focus on by using make-up or glasses.
“I think it is a good idea to have another workshop with Gwyn…I don’t think all the information has kind of like landed for me as of yet. ”
“[Gwyn] could show us how to make a cardboard puppets but instead of making it glittery we could use other objects what people can feel.”
Charlotte
Sharing good practice
These ideas will shape how we continue to develop ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ and how we adapt it for Special Schools. We’ll be building relationships with a core group of local Special Schools to make a shared ‘Model of Good Practice’.
Together with teaching staff, we’ll explore how schools and artists can co-create inclusive spaces that support everyone. This includes overcoming challenges already identified by Core Company that can make sensory performances less impactful:
- Small performance spaces that prevent movement
- Noisy performance spaces, making it harder for performers and audience members to focus
- Large audience numbers that prevent meaningful one-to-one experiences.
We’ll investigate questions like:
- How can school staff help learners get the most out of our shows – including learners with visual impairments?
- How can DIY and partner schools work together to create spaces that support DIY’s work with sensory audiences?
- What expectations should DIY artists have of school staff – and vice versa?
Researcher Dr. Ros Hawley will evaluate the project and help us produce a ‘Good Practice Guide’ and other practical resources that DIY and other organisations can use. In early 2027 partner schools will host ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ performances and workshops, so we can pilot this Model of Good Practice.
It’s a really exciting time at DIY, and we can’t wait to keep learning along with our members, partners, and artists.
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Cathy recording soundbites for ‘You’ve Got a Friend’