The Unity club night returned last week for a “pre-pride” celebration after a long gap because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The event, traditionally held quarterly, was hosted between Shooshh night club and Carousels bar for adults with learning disabilities and their guests.
The club night has been unable to run since 2020 because of the vulnerability of many of those with learning disabilities. Many were among those who were “shielding” during the pandemic.
Unity joined with three other local learning disability organisations to bring people together – Grace Eyre, Carousel and Heartventure – on Wednesday (3 August).
Unity organiser Sam Simson said: “We have guests who travel from out of the area especially for these nights as there is nothing for them in other towns and cities.
“Accessibility is about more than just having ramps. It’s about thinking about the loudness of music, the flashing lights, having a quiet zone and the training of stewards in learning disability behaviours and creating a safe space.
“If more clubs and venues could see the atmosphere we create here and how successful it is, there might be more of these events across the city.”
The four charities also collaborated to have a bus in the Brighton pride parade on Saturday (6 August) to celebrate and promote LGBTQ+ pride in the learning disability community.
Unity night included DJs and performers from the learning disability community including a performance by Daniel Wakeford from The Undateables television series and local resident DJ Kez.
