Not that I'm a celebrity-seeker or anything, or that Three Colours Blue is one of my favourite films. No, of course those weren't the reasons I went to see Juliette Binoche at the National on Sunday in in-i (yes, she is just as extraordinary in the flesh). Oh, by the way, could anyone explain how she managed to be put high against the wall by Akram Khan as if hanging from a coat-hook without any apparent means of support?
Anyway. This blog is supposed to be about issues relating to spinal cord injury, not my favourite actors... First visit to National post accident and it's pretty accessible, as it should be, having had many millions from the lottery to improve facilities. (I say this with a certain tone because I used to work in the arts, specifically the lottery funding side, and access was a top priority). I was disappointed by the weight (and lack of automation) of the doors, as well as the apparent dearth of lower information points. But what surprised me most was the secret parking. There's a car park underneath the National, very convenient, though Apcoa so pretty expensive. No information anywhere in the car park itself about costs for blue badge holders. But luckily I had checked on the National's website and discovered that if I took my car-park ticket, blue badge and theatre ticket to the information desk, they'd refund the cost. Why don't they tell you this on any of the signs in the car park? How many people bother to check online before they go? It's a great offer, but isn't access partly about making people aware that you're accessible?
