Meet The Team: Scarlett Heselwood
Hi, I’m Scarlett, and I’m a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board at Different Breed.
What’s your role at Different Breed, and how does it make live events more inclusive?
I am part of the Lived Experience Advisory Board, and have been since October 2024. As someone disabled since birth and an avid gig goer, levelling the playing field for fans like myself is something I’m very passionate about.
By contributing to business decisions and choices made with my understanding of what it is to be disabled, and how changes can impact someone in practical terms, I ensure that Different Breed maintains its status of being a ‘disability first’ enterprise.
Which part of Craig’s vision speaks to you, and how does it shape your day-to-day?
Having a platform that is fully customisable and accessible to a huge variety of people is what attracted me to work with Craig. I share in his passion for problem solving and making life easier for both businesses and fans, and enjoy his working process in constantly looking to improve or streamline his work. Being able to assist with and guide that makes me feel like I am making a valuable contribution to what the future of accessibility will be.
What recent project or partnership taught you something new about accessibility?
Craig and I have been discussing implementation of a light-mode theme for the platform. I have albinism, which makes me extremely photophobic, so anything bright and white is borderline useless to me.
What I did not know, however, was that people with astigmatism find light mode pages more useful sometimes! While I do also have astigmatism, I forgot that my albinism plays into it, and never considered how astigmatism could have such a different impact for others. This just proved to me that accessibility is a field where you can never stop learning, and it is a field centred on understanding other perspectives.
If every venue did one thing tomorrow to improve access, what would it be and why?
More comprehensive staff training on disabilities and health conditions. While disabled customers do make up a smaller percentage of attendees to an event or show, so many issues and misunderstandings could be mitigated if all staff were trained to a higher standard than currently required. The prevailing belief that accessibility training is just a tick box exercise for legal requirements needs to be done away with.
Which feature or workflow are you most proud of, and what problem does it solve for disabled fans?
I am most proud of our visual guide feature, which allows organisations to provide a stepby-step visual pathway from entrance to where they need to be inside a space, like an access platform or accessible seating.
This is so important for anyone with a disability, as visiting somewhere unfamiliar often provokes a huge amount of stress due to the unpredictability and a potential lack of trust in what a venue says they offer compared to reality.
Being able to show someone exactly what they will need to do and where to go on arrival lessens that anxiety, and means that it is one less thing to worry about. The focus can be enjoying the event they are attending, rather than the build-up and preparation for it.
Favourite gig: what made it unforgettable?
I go to a lot of shows each year, so it’s hard to say! I think one of the most impressive shows I’ve seen to this day was Gary Numan at Wembley Arena in 2022. The sound and visuals were so impressive and full, with an absolutely outstanding setlist.
I remember googling in the middle of the show to see if there was another venue I could go and see him again in on that tour! Getting to see all the hits that I grew up listening to thanks to my dad — who was a huge Numan fan — was also like a full circle moment of passing his love of the music on to me.
What’s the best accessibility innovation you’ve seen at an event you’ve attended?
I believe GiveVision are quite literally changing the game when it comes to improving accessibility for visually impaired fans. Although their area of focus is in the sporting world, I will never forget how exciting it was to be able to try out their technology at a Crystal Palace football match.
Even though I was sat towards the back of the stands, I was able to follow the entire game. Previously, stadium shows and events have been inaccessible to me because my distance vision is so poor. Even with front row seats or getting as close as possible, I cannot properly see what is happening on a pitch or stage.
Who would you drop everything to see live, and what’s your dream venue?
I drop everything and travel all across the UK and Europe to see Northlane, an Australian electronic-metal band. Their shows are flawless, high energy, and an all-round great time no matter where they’re playing. If you can’t reach me or I say I’m ‘traveling’, there’s a very real chance that I’m going somewhere to see them!
However, my dream show is hopefully one day to see Sleep Token at the Royal Albert Hall. I’ve followed Sleep Token since shortly after their debut EP, and have seen every step of their stratospheric rise to fame. They are more than ready for a spot at Royal Albert Hall with a full orchestra. Besides that, the venue is deeply committed to improving accessibility, so I know that myself and many others would be accommodated and understood there!
Do you have any hobbies outside of live events?
I’m a big gamer, and this year I’ve spent a worrying amount of time playing (or replaying) various Pokémon games this year, and been working my way through Hollow Knight and Silksong this summer. I’m also a huge fan of James Cameron’s Avatar films, and incredibly excited for the third film to release this December. The fan community is so friendly and welcoming, so when a new film releases we all get to come together and nerd out.
Lightning round: big gig or small venue?, access pet peeve? and one tip for first-time attendees?
Small venue.
Not providing information up front, or enough information to understand what the venue is like.
Ask questions, because staff normally do want to help!