No access, no public funding?

photo of Andrew Miller beside Jeremy Miller's Peterloo Memorial in Manchester
19 Sep 2019

Five years after first highlighting discriminatory attitudes in ArtsProfessional, the Government’s Disability Champion for Arts and Culture Andrew Miller reflects on progress towards inclusion.

The arts sector's dirty secret

A group of diverse people gathered in a circle on the floor
12 Sep 2019

A lack of diversity will persist unless unfair levels of pay are addressed, says Becky Chapman.

Telling new stories around disability

Photo of a woman in a wheelchair in the 'Being Human' gallery
05 Sep 2019

Medical museums can be deeply offensive to disabled visitors. Richard Sandell introduces a radical project that replaced prejudiced perspectives with rights and respect.

ACE awards £7m to develop arts leadership

A photo of three people holding megaphones
30 Aug 2019

The 18 successful bids include projects working with potential leaders from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and those with learning disabilities.

Who gets ACE funding? Diversity data reveals surprising trends

A photo of people at Pride event holding rainbow-coloured fans
08 Aug 2019

BME-led organisations were 60% more likely to fall at the first hurdle of Project Grants applications – while LGBT-led groups were 25% more likely to secure grants.

Tackling diversity in children's arts: what we've learned in a year

A man in a wheelchair performing for a group of young children
18 Jul 2019

Tara Lopez identifies three key themes that have emerged so far from the four-year Vital Spark initiative.

Thinking big about health

Photo of The Hub at Wellcome Collection
20 Jun 2019

The Hub at Wellcome Collection brings together academics and practitioners to tackle issues like rest and busyness, rare dementias and inclusive research, writes Harriet Martin.

Experimental instrument lab re-launched

Photo of John Kelly
13 Jun 2019

A new partnership hopes to bring disabled and non-disabled musicians together to create accessible instruments and remove barriers to participation.

Cultural attractions still fall short on accessibility, finds report

A photo of visitors in an art gallery, including a wheelchair user
31 May 2019

Only one in four of the top 100 venues are considered to be more than 90% accessible.

Improving the volunteer experience

A photo of a volunteer in the research room at The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre
30 May 2019

How can arts organisations best nurture a thriving and committed community of volunteers? Robin Hall shares her experience of gaining accreditation from the Investing in Volunteers standard.

Wheelchair users barred from online bookings

A photo of an empty theatre auditorium
24 May 2019

New research finds only 4% of bookings that included wheelchair access needs were made online, compared to 60% of all transactions.

Making the impossible possible

A photo of an Open Arts performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream
23 May 2019

Last month, weekly arts group participants with sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental illnesses came together to perform an adapted Shakespeare play in Belfast. Eileen Branagh explains the process of creative collaboration that allowed the cast to realise their ambitions.

Musicians 'fobbed off' on access requests

Lizzie Emeh
10 May 2019

Fear of negative reactions is deterring Deaf and disabled musicians from mentioning their access needs when talking to promoters, venues or festivals about performing opportunities.

An end to awkward questions

Photo of Taking Flight Theatre Company and Chapter’s production of Peeling by Kaite O’Reilly with an integrated cast, embedded BSL and creative captioning
04 Apr 2019

Wales' national arts access scheme for disabled people and their carers removes the need for uncomfortable eligibility conversations. Megan Merrett explains how.

MPs and arts organisations pledge to support disabled access

Photo of Graeae performer
25 Jan 2019

More than 100 people and organisations have signed The Cultural Inclusion Manifesto, making an urgent plea for strategic partnerships between Special Educational Needs organisations and cultural institutions.

Take action and let us in

Photo of Nicola Miles-Wildin rehearsing
24 Jan 2019

Limited opportunities are preventing the authentic voices of disabled directors and writers from being heard. The sector needs to stop talking and take action, says Nicola Miles-Wildin.

A vital contribution

School children laughing
29 Nov 2018

Vital Spark is a national initiative aiming to create more inclusive and diverse performances for children and young people. Tara Lopez tells the story.

Proper changing places

Photo of mobiloo outside circus tent
22 Nov 2018

To be completely accessible and inclusive, Circus Starr realised that it had to improve one of the least glamourous aspects of its set-up - its toilets. Sarah Hall tells the story.

NPOs failing on access basics, say disabled artists

A gallery tour including people sitting down and a wheelchair user
03 Oct 2018

A Leeds-based collective has named a lack of accessible toilets, snobbish staff and ‘mega-expensive’ coffee among continuing barriers to equality.

Disabled people more engaged with arts than ever, figures reveal

A group of people including a wheelchair user in an art gallery
07 Sep 2018

Data from the Government’s Taking Part survey also suggests that 2017/18 saw record levels of arts engagement in England as a whole, though changes to the questionnaire could be skewing the findings.

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