Accessibility

Welcome

We welcome all people over 18 regardless of background, disability, race, religion, gender or sexuality. Discrimination on any grounds will not be tolerated at our events.

Arrangements can be made to meet a crew member(s) before the event – please message us to discuss your needs.

We are aware that unfortunately our space is not accessible to all. We are committed to making this space easier to exist in for disabled and neurodivergent people by accommodating in whatever ways we can – if there is something we haven't considered yet, please let us know, as we would love to implement it if possible. As a kinky event which rents our space, our venue options are severely limited, and whilst not accessible, Dance Studio Leeds have been a long standing partner who supports us in what we do. That being said, we are keeping an eye out for a more accessible space we could use - if you have any suggestions please let us know!

Tying and being tied

There are many misconceptions about who can tie and be tied. You might have heard or even been outright told that fat people can't be tied or suspended, or that being disabled means you can't participate. That is not true. Most people can tie and be tied, and we will do our best to support your journey in whatever way we can. Our workshops will suggest ways to adapt ties to the body of the person in rope, so that the tie works best for them. We can also suggest ways to adapt your tying style to suit your needs, and if we can't fully help, we should be able to put you in touch with someone who can.

If tying in a pair is not accessible to you, you may wish to consider whether self-tying or tying in a group of three of more might be more appropriate for your situation.

Most of our crew is disabled and/or neurodivergent, and we are lucky to know a wide range of people who engage in rope, including blind riggers, rope bottoms with severe sensory issues and people who tie with their toes. That being said, we are not medical professionals, and your doctor will be better positioned to advise on what activities are safe for you and your body.

Getting here

We host our events at The Dance Studio Leeds (DSL), Mabgate Mills, Macaulay Street, Leeds LS9 7SW.

From Leeds Train Station

The venue is approximately 1.1 mile, or 23 min walk away from the Leeds train station with an overall uphill elevation of 52ft and downhill elevation of 62ft. Please note that the uphill elevation is mostly concentrated along a single 300ft interval.

Parking

There are parking spaces inside the courtyard as well as free street parking right outside. There are no dedicated disabled parking spaces and all are filled on a first come, first served basis, but some of the spaces inside the courtyard come with extra free space on one side of them.

There are no dedicated bicycle parking spaces.

Public Transport

The bus stopping nearest is the 42, with bus stops on Lincoln Green Road 1-2 min walk away from the venue depending which direction you're coming from. The area is also serviced by other buses, with bus stops 7-10 min walk away at average speed. You can use Citymapper or Google Maps to find out more. Bus fares vary by operator. First Bus is the most common operator and tickets purchased through their app are fixed price. A single from anywhere in the city to the venue area costs £2.50 and a day ticket is £6 (no return tickets are available). Single tickets purchased on the bus might be cheaper depending on the distance travelled. Card and cash are accepted on buses, and you can tap on and tap off with card.

Getting inside

There are two entrances: the main entrance from the Mabgate Mills courtyard, and the entrance with a chair-style stair lift on Macaulay Street.

If you could benefit from assistance using either entrance, be it carrying your bags and/or mobility aids, helping you transfer to and from the chair lift, or anything else, we would be more than happy to help. Please either get in touch in advance to arrange to meet us outside, or if you are arriving with other people send them to find us for assistance. We are considering whether it would be useful to have an event phone you could ring to get our attention on the day and would welcome your feedback!

DSL staff are also happy to offer assistance and can be contacted on +441132421550.

For the main entrance

The courtyard is down a moderate slope. Inside the courtyard, the entrance is on the same side you have entered, through the fourth door from the left. The door has the Dance Studio Leeds sign on it and is open.

The entrance from the courtyard is up one step. There is a metal railing in front of the manual door, meaning that you need to get past the railing to open the door and get inside. Cars are often parked very close to the entrance, obstructing access.

After going through the door, there are 5 steps, a landing, and then 14 more steps. There is a handrail along one side of the stairs.

For the entrance with a stair-lift

The door is directly to the left of the entry to the courtyard. It cannot be opened from the outside, you will need someone to open it from the inside. You can either arrange with us in advance, contact DSL on +441132421550, or send someone who came with you through the main entrance.

The door is up a step, followed by a small landing and then five stairs. There is a chair-style stair lift available. There is a handrail on the right hand side, but as it is installed behind the stair lift it's not possible to get very close to it. There is no handrail on the left hand side.

The stairs enter directly into Studio 5. DSL have promised to try to keep S5 empty for 30mins before our event start time and 30mins after our finish time to facilitate the use of the stair lift by our attendees, but we will make sure you can use it even if there is a class in S5.

We use two different studios, S1 and S3. For studio-specific information please see their individual guides.

Seating

The event takes place on mats on the floor, but you are welcome to sit on a chair throughout instead. There's usually folding chairs in the room - if these are not present please speak to a crew member and we will find one for you.

In S1 there is also a sofa – if this is taken and you need to sit down due to disability, please mention it to a crew member and we will make space for you without further questions.

Facilities

There are three gender neutral toilets and one disabled toilet, which are shared by everyone using DSL. From the main entrance, those are through the leftmost door after coming up the stairs, down a long corridor. Two are directly ahead, one more and the disabled toilet are further along down one step. DSL have promised to provide a ramp but this will be a removable ramp not a permanent one.

Each bathroom contains a toilet, a small sink, a bin, a wall mounted mirror and a paper towel dispenser. There is usually a basket with reusable towels outside the bathrooms. The bathrooms are quite small and narrow.

The disabled toilet is spacious and contains a toilet, a sink, a bin, grab rails, and a pull-cord emergency alarm. The toilet is about 5cm higher in floor level than the corridor, and the angled threshold is quite steep.

There are no Changing Places toilets in the vicinity. The nearest one is at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UP.

Food and drink

We are an alcohol free event – beyond that you are welcome to bring any food and drink you may like with you. We provide a selection of free tea, coffee, biscuits and snacks. This includes caffeine-free options, and dairy-free, vegan and gluten free alternatives. Our Sunday events are quite long, so you might want to consider bringing a more substantial snack or a meal with you.

Please refer to the guidance on individual studio spaces for information on kitchenettes. There is a larger kitchen which our attendees can use located within the Dance Studio. It contains a sink, kettle, microwave, fridge, toaster, an electric boiling water dispenser, mugs and plastic cups and a selection of cutlery. There are two sofas and a coffee table and a counter with high bar chairs in the room. The kitchen is located straight ahead through a narrow corridor as you come up the main entrance stairs.

Quiet spaces

We rent a single room from the Dance Studio so we cannot guarantee a quiet space. The studio is generally quite quiet during classes, but can get busy between classes as people are coming and leaving. Some spaces which can be quiet and secluded between classes are:

• The reception area (to the right as you come up the main entrance stairs, there is a sofa and some bar chairs and tables). Please note that DSL staff might be there, manning the front desk, and people might be passing through.
• The kitchen area (as you come in up the main entrance stairs, straight ahead of you through the corridor. There are tables and chairs as well as kitchen facilities as listed under the food and drink section.) Please note people might be passing through or using the kitchen facilities.

COVID-19

We ask that all of our attendees are vaccinated against COVID-19 (unless medically exempt) AND take an LFT on the day of the event, with a negative result. We will check this on the door. We have LFTs you can use, please arrive 15 minutes before stated start time to do so.

We welcome the use of respirators and face masks, but they are not compulsory.

We have an air purifier present at some of our events but not all – please get in touch for more details.

Carers

If you require a carer to attend with you, they are welcome at no extra cost. We require no documentation or identification to prove their status.

Access for D/deaf, hard of hearing and sound sensitive people

If you have an interpreter who you'd like to come with you, they are welcome at no extra cost. We do not currently know any BSL interpreters who are confident at interpreting a rope workshop, but if you know one and would like our support with cost please get in touch.

ROH – workshop events

If we are running a 101 workshop we have two different classes running alongside each other in the same room in the first half or the day, so depending on the numbers attending this can get noisy although we do try to manage volume levels.

RopeSpace – play events

There is atmospheric music playing in the background and conversation is kept to a very low noise level. Please speak to a crew member if you would like the music volume adjusted or the music changed.

Access for Blind, visually impaired and light-sensitive people

Large parts of our workshops are based on demonstration, but please speak to us if you would benefit from everything being described in detail and we can ensure to do so.

Please refer to the guidance on individual studio spaces for information on light levels and types.

Access for Autistic, mentally ill and otherwise neurodivergent people

Please refer to the guidance on individual studio spaces for information on light, noise and quiet spaces, as well as the noise guidance above.

Please feel free to bring and use anything which might make your experience with us more accessible and enjoyable. This includes but is not limited to stim toys, sensory tools and augmented or alternative communication devices like iPads and letter boards. We welcome the use of safety/particulate masks.

You're welcome to be yourself within our space and you're not expected to sit through demonstrations if you find that difficult. You can move about and leave and come back as you wish, though please be aware that we will have limited capacity to recap any parts which you have missed. There are two breaks throughout the day, roughly 15min each.

We do however need to protect all of our attendees, so please familiarise yourself with our event etiquette before attending and adhere to it at all times.

We are unlikely to be touching on commonly delicate subjects, but if you feel like you might require a content warning for something specific please do get in touch. Please refer to our event listings for the content of our workshops and message us for further details.

Other access information

Sockets are available if you need to charge your electronic devices.

As we are sharing the space with other groups, we cannot provide signage above what's already in the venue (studios, kitchens and toilets are signposted, but the signs are not high contrast).

If you need any additional information, or have any questions or concerns please DM us or email us at ropeofficehours@gmail.com and we will respond as soon as we can. We are also more than happy to make any adjustments we realistically can so please do get in touch if there is anything we can do to make your time with us easier, or possible for that matter.

If you feel like there is something that is not included in this guide but should be, please message us and we will work on adding that information.

This writing was put together by ROH crew with help from Ellen Murray's Accessibility guide and disabled attendees.

Last updated 24/02/2026