Designer Jackie Brown has teamed up with Audience Systems to develop an “Easy Access” chair.

Designed with the help of staff and patrons at the Royal Albert Hall, the chair’s arms can be flipped up, the seat swivelled and the chair height raised or lowered, even when occupied.

This is said to facilitate easy transfer into the chair, as well as help to overcome restricted views. For comfort, the chair incorporates thick, high quality foams and a foot rest; it is also built from the most resilient components for safety and durability.

Based on feedback from staff at the Albert Hall, the chair is finished with locking castors to allow it to be repositioned wherever needed in the auditorium.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) has challenged entertainment venues, conference centres and arenas to provide their disabled visitors with an experience as valuable as that enjoyed by the rest of the audience.

The DDA Code of Practice requires entertainment venues to provide a choice of accessible seating with different vantage points, taking particular notice of sightlines, unless it is 'impossible or unreasonably difficult' for the venue to do so.

The code of practice also states that ‘it should be ensured that disabled people are not segregated into special areas’. Providing a portable seat means the disabled visitor can be accommodated in a choice of locations.

Once the design had been completed and the prototype built by Audience Systems, it was installed in the Royal Albert Hall for four months, with those using it invited to submit feedback.

As a result of their comments, the design was tweaked and a final prototype produced. Three are now in production for the Albert Hall.