Disability Strategy Project Team
Meeting Disability Arts
Date
Agenda item
Presented by
Author
Attachments
30th November 2004
Meeting Disability Arts
Julie McNamara
Julie McNamara
Summary
This paper represents a call for a cultural shift within the Arts
Council from the current framework of assistance and support
to disabled led arts companies and artists towards one of
equality and independence. I am recommending crucial
initiatives in the context of the development of financially
independent, autonomous disabled-led arts companies.
Background
The Social Model of Disability
Throughout this paper I will refer to socio-political understandings of
disability, in accordance with researchers who regard the experience
of disability as: ‘determined by the social, material and cultural world
in which people find themselves’ (Barnes 1990; Morris 1991; Swain
et al, 1993; Oliver 1996).
“One of the most powerful critiques made of the relationship between
the provider of services and the receiver of services has come from
the disability movement. Rooted in an analysis of social relations of
power and inequality, the critique is primarily directed at care
provision in health and welfare services, but is equally applicable to
other Government services with which disabled people engage. This
critique asserts that disabled people have been denigrated,
medicalised, patronized, isolated and rendered dependent. In
particular the medicalisation of disability has associated disabled
people with sickness and pathology in comparison to ablebodiedness as health and normality. This has resulted in the social
construction of disability as deviant, vulnerable and dependent,
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resulting in a focus on the impairment rather than the person.”
(Pillinger 2004)
The Disabled People’s Movement rejects medically based
interpretations of disability and favours a Social Model. i.e. Disability
is a social construct that disenfranchises people with impairments.
The disenfranchisement of people with impairments is the result of
prejudicial actions and discriminatory practices and environments.
‘People with impairments are disabled by an oppressive society.’
(Goodley & Moore 2002).
This paper presents a framework for improving the quality and
service delivery of regularly funded, disabled-led arts
companies in the UK.
What is Disability Arts?
Since the launch of London Disability Arts Forum in 1986, disabled
people have been insisting on the right to: ‘A cultural expression of
our lives…our own culture’ (Vic Finkelstein ’87, DAIL anthology ‘92)
Disability Arts began as something of a revolution in the UK. Within
the context of a society beginning to work towards the inclusion of
people set apart as different or separate, disabled people began to
make a stir, demanding a platform for our own cultural expression
where we had previously been prevented from participating in the
cultural life of this country.
Cultural revolutions begin collectively, with the community, or groups
within communities. They are not dictated by a few leading lights,
imposing aesthetics and definitions from their pedestals. Disability
Arts began first of all with the acknowledgement that disabled people
were effectively disenfranchised, regardless of individual impairments
or conditions. We were all set apart from the community and
discriminated against. We therefore had to identify as ‘disabled’
people in acknowledgement of our social positioning. People with a
wide cross section of impairments began to identify as disabled
people, expressing our separate identities and acknowledging the
political and cultural reality of our lives. Disability Arts then, is artwork
that is created by disabled artists which has at its core the
individual’s expressive response to a dis-abling world.
‘The generation of a vibrant disability culture is central to confronting
the social exclusion of disabled people.’ (Barnes and Mercer 2001)
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Arts Council England has made some valiant moves towards
embracing cultural diversity. 2003 was ACE’s Year to promote and
highlight the work of culturally diverse artists. Unfortunately ACE’s
definition and understanding of cultural diversity does not include
disability arts culture. That is unfortunate as the rest of Europe had
identified 2003 as European Year of disabled People. This could
have been the prime opportunity to put some serious funding into
Disability Arts and include the culture of disabled people. It is only
with financial resources that current skills gaps can be addressed
and core business functions shored up to safeguard the future of
Disability Arts in the UK.
It would also have been an opportunity to ensure that both culturally
diverse companies and disabled-led companies were working in
partnership. Too many Black and minority ethnic disabled artists are
excluded by being forced to identify with one camp or the other,
denying the multi-faceted nature of human identity and experience.
In the past ten years Disability Arts has had a growing impact on
mainstream arts, both in delivery and content. At last regularly
funded arts organizations are required to create and deliver a
Disability strategy, ensuring that arts organizations nationwide are
beginning to work towards inclusion.
There are now four national Disability Arts festivals showcasing the
work of disabled talent in the arts.
 The Oska Bright Festival of Learning disabled artists is in its
first year, launching in Brighton in November.
 Xposure Festival is in its fourth year of success (although its
parent, the London festival of Disability Arts existed two years
beforehand).
 DaDa Festival, Liverpool is about to launch a fifth time with a
magnificent programme of events.
 LDAF’s Disability Film Festival will launch its sixth event at
NFT in December, screening 60 films and promoting the work
of over 300 disabled artists in film.
Each festival has become a significant event in the Disability Arts
calendar, promoting outstanding work across all art forms. They have
earned their positions as trail-blazers attracting sufficient funds to
ensure their future development. The only festival that remains
unfunded and continues to slip through the net in potential funding
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streams is LDAF’s Disability Film Festival. Arts Council England does
not fund film. The Film Council does not fund exhibitions. But here
we have an event of national significance attracting international
interest. Because LDAF has placed accessibility as a high priority,
without losing the aesthetics of the medium, the Disability Film
Festival has become a ‘model of good practice’ used throughout the
world. The Festival Director and Artistic Director of LDAF have been
invited in ambassadorial roles in several countries, representing
Disability Arts UK abroad.
Because of the advances in technology, growing populations of
disabled artists use Digital Arts and the Moving Image to explore
their work. This constitutes a significant percentage of disabled
artists. LDAF and The Oska Bright Festival represent the most
significant two showcases for work by disabled filmmakers in the UK.
These festivals should be funded and their development secured in
the same way as the other national Disability Arts Festivals in the
UK. The Oska Bright Festival has not yet launched its first event but
has already achieved significant ticket sales. Meanwhile, LDAF’s 6th
Disability Film Festival is featured as the main highlight of the
National Film Theatre’s Autumn programme. It has been listed in
Time Out’s Guide of Festivals to ‘Watch out for’. But it remains
shabbily lacking in national funding.
Current funding strategies in the arts reinforce the culture of
dependence and exclusion. I wish to raise the question of public duty
associated with the provision of good quality arts services. Certain
rights, principles and values should underpin and shape future arts
funding strategies with regard to disabled-led arts organizations. The
recommendations I am making reflect the twin principles of equality
and social inclusion.
Apart from recommendations of financial resources for specific
events, I am suggesting quality improvement initiatives within
disabled-led arts companies that will impact on the culture of
Disability Arts nationally.
I recommend strategic management initiatives where disabled arts
managers are mentored in skills-gap areas to improve service
delivery. These initiatives are crucial in the context of the
development of financially independent, autonomous disabled-led
arts companies.
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Project Team discussion
Why is it that disabled-led companies are still failing to attract the
kind of funds their non-disabled counterparts are achieving from Arts
Council England?
How do we address the skills gaps within the Disability Arts
movement?
How do we address the institutional racism inherent within Disability
Arts nationally?
Where can we go as disabled artists and Disability Arts Managers to
train in core business and organizational development skills?
Why are disabled-led companies so far behind in Marketing and
Publicity strategies?
Targets
Targets for the Arts Council to achieve:
1. Resources to safeguard the future of disabled-led companies.
This means Financial and human resources i.e. expertise in
skills –gap areas to shore up core business functions.
2. Establish an Arts Officer post with co-ordination role of all
disabled-led arts companies until parity with non-disabled
comparable companies has been achieved. The officer would
oversee:
 Full skills and Training Needs Audit of disabled Arts Managers
nationwide.
 On the job training / mentoring of disabled Managers within
the arts.
 Target and train suitable Black and minority ethnic disabled
artists for management positions.
 Core funding for the four national Disability Arts Festivals e.g.
Festival Director of LDAF’s Disability Film Festival and the
training elements of the event.
Targets for mainstream arts organisations to achieve
 Work towards full inclusion of the estimated 15% of
disabled people in society.
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
Ensure that Black and minority ethnic disabled artists
are not overlooked when targeting excluded groups.
Marketing and publicity should be targeted.

This means recruiting at every level - top tier
management level, within the workforce, throughout
events, commissions and annual arts programmes, as
well as developing new audiences.
Targets for disability arts organisations to achieve
 Ensure the sustainability of core business functions. All
companies should have an up-to-date 3-year business
plan reviewed annually.

Co-opt non-disabled experts into the management tier
where skills are missing amongst disabled people in the
arts.

Dedicate funds, training, research and development for
publicity and marketing. This is the weakest area of
expertise in disabled-led companies nationwide.

Target and train Black and minority ethnic disabled artists
in potential Management positions.

Liaise with Disability Arts Forums throughout the UK to
ensure full consultation, skills sharing and cross fertilization
of ideas. E.g. Film or Visual arts exhibitions could be
toured nationally with co-operation.

DAIL Magazine should become a nationwide publication
and national resource, funded and creatively fed by the
network of disabled-led arts companies. This work should
be done in partnership with DAO, Disability Arts On-line.
Recommendations
(i) Proper investment in terms of time and resources to
ensure that disabled artists and disabled-led arts
companies are trained in business skills to meet with their
non-disabled counterparts.
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(ii) Diagnosis of training needs within disabled-led arts
companies throughout the UK.
(iii) The development of workplace learning and training
strategies as well as individual learning plans for disabled
arts managers. This should include task-specific or jobrelated training, transferable skills training and personal
development training. Where possible formal or informal
training should lead to a recognized vocational
qualification.
(iv) Work training plans should be developed with full
participation of disabled arts employees to ensure choice
and autonomy.
(v) This should be viewed as an integral part of an overall
strategy shaping the future development of Disability Arts,
the employment of disabled artists and equal opportunities
for disabled people.
Quality service improvements can be measured through regular
monitoring and evaluation with a particular emphasis on
documenting:
 Sustainability of core business functions
 Progression routes for professional disabled artists
 Cultural partnerships
 Innovation and experimentation
 Project management and coordination
 Participation of new target audiences
Further sources of information
Publications:
‘Disability Arts & Culture’ (Vic Finkelstein DAIL Anthology 1987).
‘The Cabbage Syndrome: The Social Construction of Dependence’
(C.Barnes 1990).
‘Pride against Prejudice: Transforming Attitudes to Disability’
(J.Morris 1991).
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‘Disabling Barriers – Enabling Environments’ (Swain et al 1993).
‘Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice’ (M.Oliver 1996).
‘Disability Arts Against Exclusion’ (Goodley & Moore 2002).
‘Disability Culture: Assimilation or Inclusion?’ (Barnes and Mercer
2001 In GL Albrecht, K.D. Seelman & M. Bury (eds) Handbook of
Disability Studies. Sage).
‘Disability and the Quality of Services: Irish and European
Perspectives’ (Dr. Jane Pillinger 2004)
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Meeting Disability Arts
Julie McNamara
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30.08.04 & up-dated 30.10.04
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