Time to Act: How lack of knowledge in the cultural sector creates barriers for disabled artists and audiences presents the preliminary findings from On the Move’s ongoing research for the British Council as part of Europe Beyond Access.
This major new study is based on a review of literature, a large-scale open survey, and a series of interviews. It spans 40 countries and looks at the barriers that disabled people experience when accessing the arts.
How many programmers are actively seeking work by disabled artists? Do cultural venues have adequate engagement strategies to reach disabled people in their communities? Are disabled artists involved in the commissioning process?
Time to Act poses these questions in order to assess the knowledge (and lack of knowledge) amongst performing arts managers across Europe. Core preliminary research findings are presented in the following areas:
- The depth of knowledge around the creative work and practices of professional disabled artists.
- How to make cultural programmes accessible to disabled artists.
- How to make cultural programmes accessible to disabled audiences.
To mark the launch of the report the British Council and On the Move hosted a webinar which brought together invited arts professionals, representatives of cultural ministries, arts councils and policymakers from across Europe.
In late 2021, a longer report will be published with more material from the online survey and further interviews. In the meantime, one of the authors of the report, Jordi Baltà Portolés, has also written an article available in English and Spanish, with a summary of the report’s findings.
Image: Fine Lines by Roser López Espinosa. Commissioned by Skånes Dansteater through Europe Beyond Access. Photo by Tilo Stengel.
