Community Focus - Shaping up to the future

As Shape celebrates its 30th birthday Steve Mannix looks at how far the disability and deaf arts sector has come, and points the way ahead.
Weve just celebrated our 30th birthday here at Shape (I wish I was celebrating mine but hey distant memories!), and weve found ourselves becoming slightly nostalgic, using phrases such as who would have thought it? or how times have changed, as we consider what the disability and deaf arts sector has achieved over the years. Stop me before I ramble on about my days as a new romantic or as a very bad punk, but weve all had to respond and adapt to the change around us.

Many of you will have heard about the introduction of the Disability Equality Duty, aimed at promoting disability equality across the public sector, which came into force in December 2006. Described under the terms of the final section of the Disability Discrimination Act, each public body was charged with producing a strategy detailing how they will involve, consult and promote the access and inclusion of disabled people in their work. Furthermore, they will then have to measure the impact of their work and report on the outcomes in consultation with disabled people the real barometer of change.

But what has this got to do with me and my organisation? I hear you cry? Well, for example if you are funded, or receive in-kind support from a local authority, you might be asked to participate in their scheme. If you havent already, this could be a golden opportunity for you to offer your services and creative knowledge on how to consult local disabled people or highlight the work of some of the groups you have been working with.

Also, you may have seen the consultation version of the Arts Council Englands (ACE) own Disability Equality Scheme in recent months. (you can find a copy at http://www.artscouncil.org.uk). ACE and other funding and strategic bodies have had to create comprehensive action plans for both internal and external policies and practices, and you are part of this process. The schemes are going to have a significant impact on all of our work. I would strongly recommend that you and your staff do some research locally and regionally now so that you dont get left behind.

Many of the regeneration agencies have created schemes that address key issues of discrimination and barriers to inclusion in areas such as the built environment, employment, training, and business development. All of these offer wonderful opportunities for us in the arts how about proposing some commissions of public art by disabled artists? Or offering a new model of training and professional development? Many of these agencies have prioritised the work of the creative industries. Disabled and deaf artists are increasingly leading the field in web design and digital media. How about working in partnership with them to produce new work?

If you are funded by any of these public bodies you will no doubt have to start to report on your own work around access and inclusion. In some circumstances additional funds have become available. But, as with Corporate Social Responsibility for the corporate sector, equality schemes are going to offer us in the arts an opportunity to show what we are good at ideas, bringing people together, realising ambition. This is a real opportunity to have a new dialogue about funding. What can you offer your funder as part of your agreement for next year? Space? Advice on accessible marketing that has worked for you? A creative programme or festival to highlight work by disabled and deaf artists?

So, back to where I started, how times have changed. Being the ripe old age of 30 aint so bad but nothing is sacred anymore. Everybody is at it this access thing is all around us just make sure that you dont miss the party.