Disability Arts Online is delighted to announce that it will be launching a brand-new website on 7 June, as part of its Grants for the Arts project, Viewfinder. The website will feature both new functionality and design, including a much-needed rebrand. 

Shape Arts and Artsadmin have been awarded £1.8m by Arts Council England to deliver the third Unlimited programme from 2016 until 2020.

From the 21-25 June, Intoart will present a pop-up exhibition in Fitzrovia, central London, to fundraise for their ongoing studio programme that provides much-needed access to art education and exhibition opportunities for learning-disabled and autistic artists.

Following on from the success of last year’s sold-out event which saw 105 young people perform to an audience of 400 at the Liverpool Everyman, Young DaDaFest has now expanded to feature a music-focused event in the Music Room at the Liverpool Philharmonic, a performance event at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and a fringe event “SandFest” at Liverpool John Moore’s University.

The European cultural project Un-Label launches in Cologne. From May 2015 through April 2017 seminars, both artistic and inclusive workshops and a multidisciplinary dance-theatre production is going to be developed with and for a diverse range of disabled people. 

Hijinx have announced a line-up of inclusive and disability artists from Wales, the UK, Europe and beyond who will come to perform at the Hijinx Unity Festival in Cardiff from 27th June – 3rd July.

Southbank Centre has announced the first shows to be presented as part of Unlimited Festival 2016, a six-day festival showcasing the artistic vision of disabled artists.

Unique film, dance, performance and comedy commissions draw on museum collections to explore our problematic attitudes towards difference.

After drawing attention to the quality and diversity of disability music making in 2015, Colston Hall’s Fast Forward is back on Friday 3rd June, this time with a contemporary twist featuring cutting edge music and circus performances from The British Paraorchestra and Extraordinary Bodies.

HOUSE and Outside In have announced Home Away From Home, a newly commissioned set of paintings by artist Thompson Hall, to be shown at the Regency Town House. The exhibition, part of HOUSE – Brighton’s visual arts festival – will be open from 30 April -29 May 2016.

The exam board AQA’s new specification for GCSE Dance, which was accredited last week, includes a focus on promoting excellence in dance to disabled and non-disabled young people. AQA signalled its intension by selecting Artificial Things by Stopgap Dance Company as one of six compulsory works to be studied by GCSE students. 

Young disabled conductor/composer, James Rose who conducts using a head-baton developed in partnership with Drake Music, has been awarded Arts Council Funding to do a Conducting Development Week at The Royal Academy of Music this Spring The project will be documented and edited into a short film scheduled for release on YouTube in August this year.

See Hear, the TV programme focussing on the Deaf community received special recognition at the Royal Television Society West of England Awards which took place at the Bristol Old Vic on Sunday 6th March. 

Heart n Soul’s innovative digital music making project SoundLab explores ways of using technology to encourage people with learning disabilities to create sound and music experiences. 

A one-night festival showcasing solo performers with learning disabilities will take place at The Patrick Centre at Birmingham Hippodrome 10 March.

Disability Arts Online (DAO) is pleased to announce its latest Viewfinder commission, a collaboration with the SPILL Festival of Performance (SPILL) which will encompass a curated collection of SPILL’s video archive, a new video work and written reflections on the process. 

Shape Open patron Yinka Shonibare MBE announced artist Kate Murdoch as the Open’s fourth winner for her sculpture entitled, 'Bad Head Day'.
 

This darkly comic new work combines an unflinching examination of our attitudes to youth, ageing and death, with an often hilarious and moving encounter between three generations of women.

Last year Disability Arts Cymru (DAC) launched its first Annual Poetry Competition. Each of the poems was written in response to a piece of artwork from DAC's Annual Touring Exhibition 2015. The winning poems are accompanied by the artworks that inspired them in an e-book, which is now being made freely available to the public.

Unlimited, the commissioning programme that supports disabled artists develop ambitious and high quality work, today announced an Ambitions of Excellence Award of £759,949 from Arts Council England to build a three-year international programme. The award is also match-funded by the British Council.

England’s largest learning-disabled theatre company, Mind the Gap have announced a new tour of CONTAINED, a vibrant, compelling and personal new project.

SICK! Lab is a collaborative exploration of identity and trauma that will take place in Manchester 9 – 12 March 2016. The four-day programme will include performances, presentations and discussions bringing together artists and experts from many fields.

In February Southbank Centre launches a new weekend festival for 2016, Changing Minds, looking closely at the topic of mental health through a packed programme of performance, music, comedy, design, talks and panel discussions. As the debate surrounding equal treatment for mental health grows in profile, the festival probes taboo subjects and explores the role of the arts in understanding and healing. 

Castlefield Gallery has announced Inside Out, curated in collaboration with David Maclagan artist, academic and writer; including new and existing work by artists from the UK, South Africa, France, Iran and the USA. Some of these artists for a variety of reasons are thought to be Outsider artists, whilst others may be seen to share methods of approaching their subject matter with this now established part of artistic study.

As part of January 2016’s Independent Venue Week, leading music charity Attitude is Everything has announced The Gloves Are On tour.

York-based inclusive arts charity Accessible Arts & Media are celebrating Christmas this year with a festive fundraising video featuring the fabulous Hands & Voices singing and signing choir performing one of their favourite Christmas songs: I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas.

Shape Arts’ annual open exhibition will be hosted by its patron, Yinka Shonibare MBE, at his Guest Projects space in Hackney, London, from 4 February 2016.

A new conference will take place on 9-10 March 2016 aiming to encourage fresh thinking on how to work with young people with learning disabilities (ypwld).

Mainstream arts organisations have “a mountain to climb” to ensure they have an acceptable proportion of disabled directors, artists and staff, according to leading disability arts figures. Disability News Service's John Pring reports from Arts Council England's conference in Birmingham on 7 December. 

A short film by Freewheelers Theatre Company, based in Leatherhead, was screened at the UN Headquarters in New York last week as part of the UN Enable Film Festival.

Celebrated choreographer Wayne McGregor CBE and his company Random Dance has won a national award by deafblind charity Sense in the category of ‘Art Partnership of the Year’.

Graeae Theatre and the Central Illustration Agency have announced a new exhibition, Reframing the Myth, which will take place at the Guardian's exhibition space in February 2016.

The Opulent Mobility project is a groundbreaking collaborative effort to re-imagine mobility, disability and access. Wheelchairs, walkers, prosthetics, crutches and other assistive technology devices are part of our lives, but they’ve been left in the dust when it comes to custom design innovation and personalization. There are hundreds of thousands of designs for glasses, chairs and technology of other kinds. Why not assistive technology?

On Monday 7th December 2015 Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chair of Arts Council England delivered a speech that followed up on the one he made a year ago outlining the Arts Council’s commitment to the Creative Case for Diversity at a special event held in Birmingham. 

Bristol’s Colston Hall has been shortlisted as a finalist for a South West Tourism Award in the Access and Inclusivity category and will now go on to compete in the national Visit England Awards on behalf of the South West. 

Magpie Dance, a dance organisation for learning-disabled people has won top place in the Business Awards for their home town.

Disability Arts Online (DAO) is delighted to announce that filmmakers/curators Lisa Mattocks and Sandra Alland have been selected to work with SICK! Festival as part of a Viewfinder commission to explore the artistic practice of artists engaged with the festival.

An Oscar winning director and leading figures from the British film industry have presented awards to six learning disabled film makers as part of the Oska Bright Film Festival.

The successful recipient of the 2015/16 Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary, hosted by The New Art Gallery Walsall, is digital and video artist Caglar Kimyoncu.

The Oska Bright Film Festival will host a wide range of screenings and talks including music videos, comedy shorts, animations, drama and documentary films. Running from 9-11 November at the Brighton Corn Exchange the festival is run by a team of learning-disabled film-makers keen to promote the work of learning disabled people, behind and in front of the camera.

Stagetext, the leading captioning charity for the creative arts, is celebrating its 15 year anniversary with the launch of the first ever Captioning Awareness Week, from 9-15 November.

In partnership with Battersea Arts Centre and Arts Council England, the BBC is bringing live theatre back to Television Centre for Live from Television Centre. Jessica Thom aka Touretteshero will be performing a special rendition, Broadcast from Biscuit Land alongside four other 'genre-busting' theatre pieces live on BBC Four.

Song of Semmersuaq is a lyrical, solo piece written and performed with puppets by disabled artist, Sophie Partridge.

A major exhibition Art, Life, Activism which brings together acclaimed artists who make artwork informed by the politics of disability featuring sculpture, performance, film, drawing, and photography will be the inaugural show of University of Leicester's new gallery at the Attenborough Arts Centre, running from 18 November to 17 January 2016.

The wavelength project is an ongoing exploration into the effects of artificial and natural sound and light on the brain with wide implications across arts and science. Produced and led by artist Mark Ware in partnership with the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science and Kent Wildlife Trust the ongoing project aims to deliver a number of Arts Council England supported artistic outcomes.

Attitude is Everything, the charity that campaigns for improved access to live music for millions of Deaf and disabled fans, has been announced as the latest partner for Venues Day 2015.

Up to 10,000 people gathered to see a historic riverside building brought to life with a stunning digital projection by Teesside University’s Simon McKeown.

From 2- 4 October 2015, the BBC See Hear Weekend 2015 will celebrate all things in film and television related to sign language and the deaf community, led by BBC Bristol’s flagship programme See Hear. Join 'Doctor Who', 'Aardmann Animations' and Award-winning filmmaker, Bim Ajadi for a weekend of screenings and workshops at Watershed on Bristol’s Harbourside.

Sue Goodman, Step into Dance Programme and Artistic Director, discusses the refreshing openness of dancers with learning and physical impairments

In January, the Baluji Music Foundation (BMF) will be undertaking a research and development project in India. Baluji Shrivastav who is Musical Director of the Foundation, will be searching for and making music with blind musicians from Bangalore, Chennai, Andaman Islands, Assam and other regions of India, representing different, and rarely heard, folk music traditions.

Since November 2013 Simon Mckeown has been working with lead partners National Sculpture Factory and Create Ireland to develop ‘Cork Ignite’, which is premiering in Cork City centre on 18 September. As part of the process he has been working with partner disability organisations in Cork, such as Suisha Inclusive Arts at COPE Foundation and SoundOUT as well as individual members of the disabled community.

Bradford based actor Liam Bairstow, 28, has landed a role in the world’s longest running soap opera Coronation Street. Liam, who works with England’s largest learning-disabled theatre company Mind the Gap will be appearing in the ITV soap in the role of Cathy Matthew’s nephew, Alex Warner from September.

On 29 August 2012, the world watched as Deaf and disabled people quite literally took centre stage in the spectacular and potentially game-changing Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. We couldn't have been prouder of what our Artistic Director Jenny Sealey and her co-director Bradley Hemmings achieved,  and the cast of Reasons to be Cheerful performing Spasticus Autisticus to a worldwide audience of 2 billion people was an incredible statement.

Shape and The New Art Gallery Walsall are delighted to announce the four artists shortlisted for the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary.

Euan’s Guide, the disabled access review charity, held an award ceremony on 21 August to acknowledge a show and a venue for their outstanding efforts to include disabled audiences at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Lynn Manning athlete, poet, actor, playwright and founder of the Watts Village Theater Company, died last Monday aged 60, after a year-long fight against liver cancer. In 2005 Extant Theatre brought Manning to the UK and toured his one-man autobiographical play Weights, which told his story of being shot and blinded by a stranger in a bar. Extant CEO Maria Oshodi has kindly allowed Dao to reproduce her tribute to a man she remembers as a warrior, brother and friend

This year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe sees the first Unlimited exhibition, showing work by exceptional disabled artists at Summerhall’s Meadow Galleries from 5 August to 5 October. 

Poet and artist Vince Laws has created 'We All Bleed Red' for the church of St Peter & St Paul, in Oulton, Norfolk. He has previously received poetry commissions for LGBT History Month; has supported Kate Tempest as a performer, and is the creative drive behind some of Norwich's most happening happenings.

Disability Arts Online are today announcing the launch of Viewfinder, an 18-month commissioning, digital media and sector development programme funded by Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts, to be run in partnership with Wikimedia UK, Sick! Festival, SPILL Festival, Carousel, the New Wolsey Theatre, Culture 24 and Goldsmiths Disability Research Centre.

The Shape Arts Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary (ARMB), set up in memory of sculptor Adam Reynolds to support mid-career disabled artists, is open for submissions until 27 July. This year’s successful recipient will be awarded £5,000 and a three-month residency at The New Art Gallery Walsall in January 2016.

NDACA are pleased to announce the success of their Round 2 bid to Heritage Lottery Fund. With the total funding of nearly £1M, including support from Arts Council England and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Colin Hambrook interviews NDACA Project Director David Hevey about the hopes and ambitions for the NDACA Project, in its exciting next phase of building the dream in 2015-2018

Colston Hall will play a leading role on the first ever BBC Music Day on Friday 5th June 2015 in championing disability and diversity in music and the arts. BBC Music Day will see the Hall welcoming a unique disability youth concert. The day will be a nationwide celebration of music with the aim of connecting communities and generations.

Commissioned by Disability Arts Online, Lloyd Coleman, a young graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, has completed the first composition for the British Paraorchestra and the Southbank Sinfonia.

Led by New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, ‘Ramps on the Moon’ will bring together a collaborative network of seven National portfolio organisation theatres including New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich and strategic partner Graeae Theatre - Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Nottingham Playhouse, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Sheffield Theatres.

Brighton-based charity Creative Future has launched its second national competition, The Creative Future Literary Awards; championed by top poet and playwright Lemn Sissay and bestselling author Maggie Gee, to discover the best writers from disadvantaged groups.

Following over 150 million views of her signature underwater wheelchair performance and powerful TED talk, internationally acclaimed artist Sue Austin curates new work, inviting you to become ‘Immersed in 360’ at the innovative Salisbury Arts Centre this Spring.

Stay Up Late is a charity promoting full and active social lives for people with learning disabilities. They are delighted to announce that they’ve been successful in receiving funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to develop the work they started with the launch of the Stay Up Late campaign back in 2006.

Tom Wentworth attended the launch event for the second round of commissions for Unlimited, at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff on 26th March. 

UNLIMITED today announced nine new commissions spanning a wide range of disciplines by some of the most talented and ambitious disabled artists from all over the UK. 

In the week the country celebrates National British Sign Language Day, British Deaf-led theatre company Deafinitely Theatre will open their new children’s production based on the book written by Kathryn Cave and illustrated by Chris Riddell.

Acclaimed artist Tanya Raabe-Webber has been awarded a Grants for The Arts, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, to be an artist in residence with visual arts organisation Project Ability, Glasgow as part of their International Summit for learning disability artists and their supported studios, 23 Feb - 25 March 2015.

Spirit of 2012 (Spirit) has launched the Challenge Fund to empower and enable disabled people’s participation in arts and culture. The Open Grant round is looking for project applications across the UK, which create participatory opportunities for disabled people of all backgrounds, individually and with their families and friends.

"A programme that's bucked stereotypes and packed a powerful creative punch" Bella Todd, Time Out

UNLIMITED, the £3million programme delivered by Shape and Artsadmin, has concluded its first year supporting outstanding work by disabled artists, making an unprecedented impact on the cultural sector. Here's the round up...

In a joint-funded initiative, as part of the Visit Britain access project, The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) has launched a promotional video to highlight the wealth of access initiatives available across London theatre. Watch it here...

Stopgap Dance Company and The Point announce the final programme for the iF Platform (Integrated Fringe). A ground breaking showcase featuring the best integrated arts companies from the UK as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015.

Trish Wheatley reports on news from the Shape Open closing party on Thursday 29 January 2015

Highly successful creative writing blog celebrating LGBT History Month returns to offer free online digital publication opportunities this February. 

Deaf artist Christopher Sacre is to tackle a 300 mile London to Paris bike ride, raising money for the disability-led arts charity Shape Arts to support disabled people’s access to the Arts

A new initiative to support the next generation of disabled artists in Scotland is being launched by flip - disability equality in the arts  - and other National Arts organisations offering 9 opportunities for disabled artists across Scotland to develop their artistic practice or career through an individualised programme of mentoring and support.

FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) has been successful in an application for £29,870 of funding from the Wellcome Trust. The money will allow FACT to realise an exciting participatory installation called Madlove by artist James Leadbitter as part of next spring’s Group Therapy exhibition. 

Heart n Soul is delighted to announce that they are working with Emmy award-winning ‘Sherlock’ composer Michael Price to co-produce ‘Allsorts: The Listening Season’, our creative arts project for adults with learning disabilities.

This year’s UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) will examine the appalling treatment of veterans who became disabled after fighting in the First World War. UKDHM was set up to celebrate disabled people’s lives and explore the history of negative attitudes and their consequences, and runs from 22 November to 22 December every year.

Unlimited, the initiative which supports disabled artists to create and present exceptional work across the artforms, announces the opening of the second round of submissions for commission funds. Disabled artists and companies who are creating new disability-led work are invited to apply.

Parliament in the Making is a year-long programme of UK-wide events and activities which will commemorate significant historic anniversaries that underpinned the establishment of Parliamentary democracy and the legal system in the UK and around the world. 

In the wake of the scandal of Lord Freud's comments about wages for disabled workers Graeae Theatre Company have issued a statement on the realities of the impact of the changes in Access to Work and other disability-related employment policies on the work of the company.

Digital public art project to create unique maps of the UK as part of Parliament’s 2015 Historic Anniversaries programme.

Following a busy summer Together! are delighted to announce the programme for the Together! 2014 Disability History Month Festival. Highlights include the festival launch and private view of the Open Exhibition; Krip Hop Nation's workshop and performance; The Hands Project on International Day of Disabled People; the Together! Disability Film Festival and the launch of a poetry anthology and end-of-festival party.

The iF Platform (Integrated Fringe) is a unique opportunity for companies and artists producing work with disabled and non disabled artists. It will showcase the best integrated work from the UK at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 23rd – 30th August 2015 to coincide with the British Council Showcase year.

The winner of the 2014 Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary, which will be hosted by the Victoria and Albert Museum with support from The Helen Hamlyn Centre of Design at the Royal College of Arts, is multidisciplinary artist Carmen Papalia. 

The complete library of songs from one of the strongest voices for Disability Rights in both spoken word and music, has released all his works through iTunes and CD Baby

This Autumn, Taking Flight Theatre Company will tour a specially commissioned play, Real Human Being, to secondary schools across Wales, to educate young people about the impact of Disability Hate Crime (DHC) on the lives of disabled people. The project is funded by the Welsh Government under the Equality and Inclusion grant.

Shape is delighted to announce the four artists shortlisted for the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary.

What happens when a British comedian and an Australian Actress meet, fall in love, get married and combine their skills and sharp wit? Find out at this funny and bold stand-up show that smashes conventions in every way. Presented as part of a tour to develop disability arts.

Conceived by DaDaFest, curated by Aaron Williamson and delivered in partnership with the Bluecoat, Liverpool. The exhibition runs from 8 November 2014 to 11 January 2015 as part of DaDaFest International 2014.

International Hip-Hop collective Krip-Hop Nation return to the UK, uniquely blending lyricism, activism and break beats. Presented as part of a tour to develop disability arts. 

A wildly comic twist on the stereotype of a queer, disabled, intellectual trouble-maker, featuring an international cast of disabled actresses including Liz Carr (Silent Witness) and Julie McNamara (Let Me Stay). This no-holds barred musical about what it means to be the quintessential Ugly Girl adrift in a comically hostile universe is full of slapstick, music and dark humour. Presented as part of a tour to develop disability arts.

A new documentary has launched charting multimedia, performance and installation artist Sue Austin’s journey to create her upcoming artwork, Creating the Spectacle!: Flying Free.

Flight Paths, Extant's ground-breaking collaboration with Upswing and Yellow Earth Theatre exploring aerial movement, music, narrative and live description, will begin its next phase of development in November 2014.

With two million British servicemen disabled by World War One, society's attitude to disability had to change. Co-produced by Artsadmin and Xenoki and co-commissioned by Channel 4 and 14-18 NOW, WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, five disabled artists present unorthodox takes on the legacies of war and disability through a series of short films.

Course offered by Access All Areas Theatre and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is the first of its kind

‘Creating the Spectacle!’ is through to the finals of this year’s National Lottery Awards and needs your vote to win.

UK's groundbreaking showcase of Deaf and disabled artists returns to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as cultural centrepiece of National Paralympic Day

Exceptional performance, dance and visual art from disabled artists from Tuesday 2nd to Sunday 7th September 2014 across Southbank Centre’s indoor and outdoor site, London SE1.

Today Arts Council England announced details of its investment plans for the next three years including its new national portfolio of arts organisations and museums representing a major public investment in England’s arts and culture. 

Unlimited today opened submissions for its ‘Your Slogan Here’ competition, offering young disabled people under 26 living in England and Scotland the opportunity to design a slogan and/or image for a T-shirt that will be exhibited at the Southbank Centre during Southbank Centre’s Unlimited Festival in September 2014.

DaDaFest is proud to announce its Twelfth Festival, Art of the Lived Experiment, taking place 8 November 2014 – 11 January 2015. DaDaFest International 2014 presents a breathtaking array of high quality disability and Deaf arts from around the world, which will challenge thinking, ignite debate and celebrate disability culture - with comedy, music, dance, and visual arts - providing excellent entertainment for everyone.

Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili’s exuberant live shows and extraordinary story have caused a stir across the globe and DaDaFest are pleased to bring them to Liverpool.

International musician and composer Jez Colborne has been commissioned by PRS for Music Foundation’s New Music Biennial to create an original music piece – Gift, which is set to immerse audiences in a wave of new sounds.

Attitude is Everything is very pleased to announce that Latitude Festival(17th- 20th July) has been awarded the Silver level of the Charter of Best Practice. The Silver award is in recognition of the ongoing efforts of Festival Republic, the festival organisers, to build upon event access and inclusion at the site on a yearly basis, which has resulted in a loyal Deaf and disabled customer base.

Attitude is Everything improves Deaf and disabled people's access to live music by working in partnership with audiences, artists and the music industry. The organisation is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Patron.

Stopgap Dance is celebrating having secured £224,731 in the latest round of the Arts Council's Strategic touring programme.

Unlimited today announced an award of £500,000 from the Spirit of 2012 Trust (Spirit) – enabling the programme to build on the legacy at the heart of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, which celebrated the work of disabled artists on an unprecedented scale.

A new programme celebrating and supporting disabled artists and disability art was launched last Monday in Glasgow. Paul F Cockburn was there.

Liverpool based Arts Company Fittings Multimedia Arts have received very welcome news this week as their application for funding to support a two-year project working with young people across the North and Midlands has been approved by Arts Council England.

UNLIMITED today announced over £400,000 of funding to support 26 disabled artists across the UK to create ambitious work covering all genres. Funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England (ACE) and Creative Scotland (CS) & led by Shape and ArtsAdmin, the 2014 round of the programme aims to build on the successful legacy that was at the heart of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, which celebrated the work of disabled artists on an unprecedented scale.

Bad Elvis - a sign-dance-theatre musical premieres on Friday 21st March at Salford University, MediaCity, and is being filmed by students; the film will then be shown live at the BBC Festival of Characters on the big screen at MediaCity on Saturday 29th March.

Shape are incredibly excited to announce that they will be taking part in Bonhams' first contemporary art auction of the year in order to raise money to continue developing opportunities for disabled artists.

In 2004 Neil Harbisson and Adam Montandon developed The Eyeborg - an electronic ‘eye’ that allows colours to be perceived as sounds. The Eyeborg is a small sensor placed at eye level, held in place with a cable that transports colour information to a computer or chip. The electromagnetic light waves are turned into sound frequencies that are heard as musical notes. In partnership with Vodafone, Harbisson has now recorded the colours of Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica using mobile technology to compose a unique score.

In 2004 Neil Harbisson and Adam Montandon developed The Eyeborg - an electronic ‘eye’ that allows colours to be perceived as sounds. The Eyeborg is a small sensor placed at eye level, held in place with a cable that transports colour information to a computer or chip. The electromagnetic light waves are turned into sound frequencies that are heard as musical notes. In partnership with Vodafone, Harbisson has now recorded the colours of Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica using mobile technology to compose a unique score.

DaDaFest are pleased to announce appointment of Ross Dalziel as the Disability Arts Touring Network Co-ordinator.

‘Unlimited’, the three year UK commissioning programme supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England which supports disabled artists in developing and showcasing ambitious and high quality work across the UK and internationally, has announced the recruitment of a selection panel with over 75% of quality candidates elected being disabled people.

Inspired by the Monty Python's 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch Writer/ director Charlie Swinbourne's sign language version for a deaf cast, became a Youtube hit in 2007. The cast of 'grumpy deafies' are now preparing for a day out in Blackpool for their third get together.

Rita Ferris-Taylor and Tam Reid remember Alexander Cooper Black (Sandy or Sulieman) Easton who sadly died on 25th January 2014. Dao remembers him as a valued member of the disability arts community and would like to offer condolences to his family and wife Kirin.

Shape and ArtsAdmin are spearheading 'Unlimited' - a three year commissioning programme, supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England to support disabled artists in developing ambitious and high quality work - with a celebration launch today at the Tate Modern.

Internationally renowned artist Yinka Shonibare MBE (RA) and patron for Shape the disability-led arts organisation, is helping to raise vital funds to open doors for disabled artists this Christmas.

Lynn Weddle has recently been awarded an Arts Council Grants for the Arts to work collaboratively with Sound Artist Anya Ustaszewski to create a series of living portraits depicting the environment and lives of young people across the South East. The artists are working with a range of young carers support groups to find participants for their artistic programme.

When Zinc Arts arrived in Southend-on-Sea to perform a Kindness Flashmob, unsuspecting shoppers were in for a rather pleasant surprise on a cold, soggy Saturday morning. 

A major national museum and an innovative audio description charity are both winners of a prestigious Jodi Award, presented this year in a high profile ceremony at the Museums Association Conference, which took place in Liverpool on 11 November.

Paul Maynard MP and Chair of the Young Disabled People’s All Party Parliamentary Group has agreed to support Attitude is Everything in representing the needs of young disabled and Deaf people.

Ms Arti Prashar, Artistic Director at Spare Tyre, has been awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship 2013 in the Arts and Older People / Creative Ageing Category.

The winner of the 2013 Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary is artist, photographer, sculptor and film maker Aaron McPeake.

Arts Council England have awarded Shape and Artsadmin £1.5m to act as national delivery partners for the Unlimited II commissioned grant programme.

Arts in mental health charity CoolTan Arts has won an ‘Innovation Award’ for its Mental Health Wellbeing Advisers Project.

The Touch Art Fair is the first ever tactile art fair in the UK. On exhibition at 35 Marylebone High Street, London W1 from 17 - 20 October the fair is organised by pioneering french artist Scratch Adelia. Jake and Dinos Chapman have created a gigantic new piece of  work especially for the event amongst fifteen other international artists working in the haptic arts.

In a pioneering move for accredited theatrical training, Access all Areas and the Central School of Speech and Drama are launching a new one-year Performance Making Diploma for adults with learning disabilities. 

Yinka Shonibare, Patron to Shape, a disability-led arts organisation, announced the winner and runner up to their annual Shape Open exhibition 2013 as Eric Fong, and Katherine Araniello respectively, for their impactful moving image submissions.

Oska Bright Film Festival 2013 comes to Brighton Dome in November. Oska Bright is the world’s first and only festival of short films made by people with learning disabilities that is produced, managed and presented by a learning disabled team.

The E-C-H-O awards are a result of the personal experiences of the awards’ founder, Charlotte Wingfield, the mother of Enrico-Charles, a child born with Werdnig Hoffman disease.

The Guardian released its 2013 shortlist for this years Charity Awards and from 1300 original entrants, CoolTan Arts have made the final stage alongside thirty other charities.

Exeter Cathedral will be the setting for a multimedia response to the building’s 900 year history and the contributions that craftspeople have made during that time. 900 Years of Light is the culmination of Cathedra 900, an Arts Council England funded project by visual and multimedia artist Mark Ware. For the last 18 months, Mark has been exploring the Cathedral and interpreting its art and architecture through photography, abstract photomontages, 3D artwork and sound.

Greenwich and Docklands International Festival is producing National Paralympic Day featuring the Mayor of London’s Liberty Festival at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday 7 September 2013.

Signdance Collective International [SDCI] are engaged in an exciting new collaboration with BBC Radio 4 that will break new ground by enabling deaf people to engage with Bad Elvis, a brand new radio play that is due to be broadcast on 27 August.

Jos Boys invites DAO readers to suggest buildings they like for a book aimed at architects, exploring how they can be more engaged and creative around disability in their design work; so that accessibility and inclusive design become integral to their design thinking and doing, rather than as just an afterthought at the end of the architectural process.

Shape are delighted to announce the appointment of Yinka Shonibare, one of the UK’s leading contemporary visual artists, as patron to the Shape Open.

After a successful application to ODI in the Spring of 2012, DAO invited applications for two disabled people to train and work with us for seven month, working 2 days per month.

DAO has been publishing a profile of work by Grace Eyre members since summer 2012. Sheila McWattie reports on Grace Eyre members' participation in a vibrant community gardens scheme across Brighton & Hove in partnership with The Sussex Beacon, due to open to the public from 29-30 June 2013

Pallant House Gallery is delighted to announce that Outside In, its pioneering project aimed at those facing barriers to the art world, has won the Charity Awards 2013, the highest profile event in the charity calendar.

Heads Up, a series of films which have been produced as part of the Creative Case has been published today by Arts Council England through the Creative Case website which is managed by DAO. The 8 films feature a number of arts professionals and arts organisations who discuss their involvement with the Creative Case and what it means to them and are being released in two batches with the first four live now.  


Exeter-based Community Equality Disability Action (CEDA) have just been awarded £100 as runners up in the recent Sound Beam 25 competition.

Ground-breaking Graeae returns to Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) this coming June, for the fifth year with its world premiere of The Limbless Knight - A Tale of Rights Reignited, which reunites the creative team behind The Garden and Against The Tide.

Lisa Simpson is seeking funding to  support disabled choreographers using new technology developed by Adam Benjamin. Lisa and her colleague, Ray Rooney, have set up a social enterprise company to help disabled dancers and their teachers unlock similar potential. Sheila McWattie reports on the initiative

Now in its 18th year, the 2013 International Family Film Festival was held (May 1st - 5th) at Raleigh Studios in the heart of Hollywood. Creative Bucks project Driving Inspiration entered an animation created last year and came first in the Youth Animation Class.

Arts Council England has announced the 62 successful applicants to the ‘Catalyst Arts: Building Fundraising Capacity’ scheme. Disability Arts Online and StopGap Dance Company are part of a consortium celebrating success.

Jane Jessop, founding director of Blue Apple Theatre, tells Sheila McWattie about raising awareness of disability hate crime and taking Blue Apple Theatre to the Houses of Parliament

Brighton-based charity Creative Future has launched a national competition to discover the best writers from disadvantaged groups who find it hard to get their work recognised.

A multimedia installation by Caglar Kimyoncu exploring the politics of compulsory military service. Produced by disabled-led digital art agency filmpro, the work will show at the Old Truman Brewery, London from 2 May.

A new festival starts in Brighton this weekend. John O’Donoghue looks into the background of Sick! and highlights some of the must-see events happening from 1 - 16 March.

Oska Bright – the international learning disability led film festival – is to be recognised this month at Calgary’s 'Picture This' Film festival for their innovation and work to date in the international film arena.

The Deaf Cultural Centre, based in Birmingham, West Midlands, are inviting arts organisations, promoters and venues to collaborate with Deaf practitioners

Plans for inclusive arts organisation The Art House to develop Drury Lane Library as a vibrant artist-hub in the centre of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is one step closer to being realised with investment from Arts Council England.

It was announced this week that as lead partner of the Arts and Disability Consortium, Shape has received initial support for a £962,000 bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive.

This February sees the launch of a new festival that aims to celebrate Brighton's vibrant Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transexual (LGBT) culture and history, spearheaded by Norfolk poet, artist and campaigner Vince Laws.

Liverpool based disability arts organization, DaDaFest, has become the latest group to join a national campaign to help disabled people overcome the challenges of using the internet.

The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, has appointed Ali Briggs as Agent for Change with a remit to create better opportunities for disabled artists and disabled people in the eastern region.

The London based social charity Rich Mix is hosting the first ever mid-career retrospective of a living British-Bangladeshi female artist – Sanchita Islam. The exhibition, entitled ‘The Rebel Within’, runs from 6 March - 28 April 2013

Graeae Artistic Director Jenny Sealey was awarded the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award at the annual ceremony, held at the Southbank Centre on 21 November

Graeae received the Promotion of Diversity Award at the annual TMA (Theatrical Management Association) Theatre Awards UK ceremony on Sunday 28 October 2012.

ITV today announced the launch of the world’s first animated storytelling app with British and American sign language. The Signed Stories app is designed to make reading fun for all children.

Birds of Paradise are planning the appointment of a triumvirate of outstanding talents - Garry Robson and Robert Softley Gale as Artistic Directors and Shona Rattray, currently Company Manager, promoted to Creative Producer.

Trish Wheatley talks to Liz Crow about her new work 'Bedding In' which is one of the eight Diverse Perspectives commissions funded by Arts Council Grants for the Arts programme.

Created by Jonathan Hering and Jack Whiteley 'Rhapsody for Clarinet and Wheelchair Basketball Team' is a groundbreaking audio-visual work, that combines music, sound design, film and sport. Commissioned by the Bluecoat, and premiered as part of DaDaFest 2012 the film has now been launched online.

DaDaFest 2012 has drawn to a close and has been hailed a great success, with audiences from near and far coming together to enjoy this internationally renowned festival of disability and deaf arts, the largest festival of its kind in the world.

The UK Disabled People's Council (UKDPC) organisers of the Together! 2012 festival in Newham announce their successes, after the disappointment of venue closure at the last minute.

Oska Bright is the award-winning, international festival of short films made by artists with learning disabilities. Over the last decade, it has screened hundreds of films from around the world, enabling learning disabled film-makers to blaze a trail for their artform. You can now watch Oska Bright films via the on-demand channel at www.thespace.org

The Dean Rodney Singers is Heart n Soul’s most ambitious arts project to date. Autistic artist Dean Rodney is working with seventy-two band members made up of musicians, singers and dancers from seven countries across the world.

A festival celebrating the 24-hour Paralympic Torch Relay brings the South East’s best artistic talent to the streets of Aylesbury as part of a four-day UK wide event, giving local people a chance to experience the Paralympic Games in a moment of a lifetime.

Fine ceramic artist Paul Cummins has made more than 12000 individual flower heads for a series of 6 unique art installations at some of the UK’s most beautiful historic houses and socially significant public sites. The project is an Unlimited commission and is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Opening today at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, West Sussex, is a studio exhibition showcasing the results of ‘Look About’, a two year mapping and collecting project by Portsmouth‐based artist Jon Adams in response to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

The UK Disabled People's Council (UKDPC) is sad to announce that the Together! 2012 free Disability Arts and Human Rights festival at London Pleasure Gardens has been cancelled due to the closure of the venue.

Survivor film maker Lou Birks has been commissioned to write and direct a Paralympic Ceremony opening film. The film will play to a packed 80,000 seater stadium and be broadcast around the world. Estimated worldwide viewing figures are 1.5 billion.

The groundbreaking performing arts company Signdance Collective are to perform its Olympic inspired outdoor performance piece: 'New Gold' and 'Half A Penny' featuring the London-based Punk/ Jazz Duo, 'Dead Days Beyond Help' as part of their European Tour for 2012

London's Southbank Centre will present an unprecedented programme of commissions by Deaf and disabled artists in an 11-day celebration between 30 August – 9 September. All 29 Cultural Olympiad Unlimited commissions will feature at Southbank Centre as part of the London 2012 Festival

Paddy Masefield, award winning playwright, innovative theatre director and stalwart campaigner for disability rights, died of cancer, aged 70, last Friday. DAO Editor Colin Hambrook, remembers a few of the achievements of this remarkable man.

RADA is introducing a programme of workshops aimed at young people with impairments who might not previously have considered a career on the stage

HORSHAM will be treated to a Rio style carnival at Sparks in the Park on Sunday 15 July when the Blue Touch Paper Carnival comes to town with Embaixadores de Alegria from Rio

Diverse City welcome Brazilian dancers to Dorset for two weeks of performances across Dorset culminating in the performance of a lifetime in the Battle for the Winds: The Ceremony of the Winds and Final Battle on 28th July.

Portsmouth University’s Artist in Residence, Jon Adams, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts (RSA).

DaDaFest 2012 is proud to announce the full programme of events for this year’s festival with an eclectic mix of music, art, comedy, theatre, poetry, performance, workshops and seminars.

Accentuate is delighted to announce that uScreen, led by Screen South, has reached the Semi Finals of the National Lottery Awards. uScreen offers young deaf & disabled people the opportunity to make films online using a range of free accessible film-making tools with live showcases and workshops.

Niet Normaal: Difference on Display, a major international contemporary art exhibition, comes to the Bluecoat, Liverpool this summer as part of DaDaFest 2012 and is set to include two new commissions from influential North West artists

Simon Raven is the 2012 winner of this prestigious disability-art prize which includes a three month residency at Camden Arts Centre and £5000

One of Scotland’s leading theatre production companies has today announced the launch of a new project to increase involvement in theatre for Deaf people both as audiences and professionals

Artist Rachel Gadsden (UK) and the Bambanani artist-activist Group (South Africa) explore the psychology and politics of HIV/AIDS and of life-giving medical regimes in an Unlimited commission, showing in Cambridge, Liverpool and London as part of the London 2012 Festival.

Many of you will have followed the development of the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive (NDACA) and now DAO is asking for your help in supporting and assuring the future of this unique resource

The Unity Festival, created by Hijinx Theatre, is taking place between 21 – 30 June and will showcase and celebrate the best in inclusive, disability and learning-disability arts from Wales, the UK and around the world, promoting positive images of disability and social inclusion to audiences

Vital Xposure packs a punch in Bethnal Green as the former boxing ground of the Kray Twins becomes the home of the new disability-led theatre company Vital Xposure which launched at the weekend.

Turning Points is a ten minute film being screened as part of the London 2012 Festival, the spectacular 12-week nationwide celebration running from 21 June until 9 September 2012 bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK.

Innovative Liverpool-based disability and deaf arts organisation Disability and Deaf Arts will now be known as DaDaFest – taking on the name of its best known event, the critically acclaimed international festival. In line with this name change, the entire DaDaFest brand has received an overhaul including a vibrant new image and website design.

A unique piece of music has been commissioned by Drake Music Scotland to highlight the musical talents of young people with disabilities and feature centre stage at the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Part of the Unlimited Cultural Olympiad programme and the London 2012 Festival, Tin Bath Theatre's 'Bee Detective' is 
an outdoor theatre show for deaf and hearing children. Created by Sophie Woolley, it will be touring parks and squares across the UK this summer.

To celebrate broadcasting London 2012 Paralympic Games Channel 4 have commissioned 'Monument to the Unintended Performer' created by Tony Heaton

Shape Arts yesterday (29 May) announced the shortlist for the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary 2012

Marian Cleary, DAO's new sub-editor, introduces the Unlimited commissions

DAO is delighted to announce a significant Grants for the Arts award by Arts Council England to commission eight disabled artists to work with organisations nationally to produce new works over the period of a year for online presentation.

Multimedia artist Mark Ware has been awarded Arts Council Grants for the Arts funding to develop and produce an exciting, innovative high quality multimedia digital art project in collaboration with Exeter Cathedral, to interpret 900 years of history, using digital and HD technology.

There is a week to go for artists to submit applications for Shape Arts' Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary. Submissions close on 8 May 2012.

From Fri 13 July – Sun 2 September, the Bluecoat will be given over to this landmark exhibition, which will feature the work of over 30 internationally renowned artists including new commissions, each addressing a definitive question of our time: ‘what is normal and who decides?’ specifically focussing on language as freedom and language as imprisonment.

Arts Council England has announced that Embrace Arts (Richard Attenborough Centre at Leicester University) has been successful in the first stage of its new large-scale capital funding programme with a proposed award of £600,000.

Participatory arts organisation Action Space Mobile have given records their work over the past 44 years to Sheffield University’s Special collections Archives Department, for use by graduates.

Blue Eyed Soul Dance have announced that they are to close at the end of March 2012. The company grew from a residency with CandoCo Dance Company in 1994. From its base in rural Shropshire and with the support of Arts Council England it explored, developed and delivered a highly successful and extensive programme of inclusive dance, locally, nationally and internationally.

Folk in Motion, a unique new folk dance project for wheelchair users, has been granted the Inspire mark by the London 2012 Inspire programme. The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A street in High Wycombe will be creatively transformed in March as part of a cultural programme celebrating London 2012. Conceptual disabled artist, Zoe Partington, has worked on developing a creative response to how disabled people navigate through urban spaces and the impact this has on them emotionally and physically.

Ten years ago this month, 'Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania' was published by Random House. Author Andy Behrman, talks about the journey, as the book moves towards being made into a film.

Arts Council England and the BBC today announced the 53 successful applicants who will be creating hundreds of hours of original commissions for 'The Space' – an experimental digital arts media service and commissioning programme.

Critically-acclaimed dance theatre company Signdance Collective is to perform its show New Gold at Warehouse Theatre in London for two weeks in April, as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, a cultural celebration inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics.

The search is on to find the UK’s favourite National Lottery-funded arts projects

DaDaFest 2012, the UK’s largest Disability and Deaf Arts Festival, has scooped this year’s prestigious £10,000 Lever Prize award.

Shape, in association with Westway Development Trust and our sponsors HSBC, would like to invite applications for the Shape Open Exhibition 2012 from artists who have work that comments or makes reference to issues surrounding disability.

Disabled Londoners are set to benefit from Shape Diamonds in 2012, a year which includes the Cultural Olympiad and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Diversity should be about opening up and expanding our thinking, with everyone benefiting from different perspectives and alternative points of view. That’s why this week Sync - a leadership development programme funded by Arts Council England – is expanding its membership to everyone interested in leadership and diversity through a strand called InSync.

Hope Whitmore has recently received support from Graeae Theatre Company for the background research of a play she is writing called Off Key. She is hoping to hear from people with autism about difficult situations they have been in, and especially about the experience of ‘coming-out’ as autistic to those close to them.

The nationally respected development agency for disabled and Deaf artists, Dada-South, starts the new year proud to announce their change of name. From 1st February the organisation will be known as Ardent Hare.

Mind the Gap win NatWest CommunityForce Award to develop a filmmaking project in the North East

The next stage of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay Torchbearer nomination process started this week. BT, one of the three Presenting Partners for the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay, launched their public nomination campaign on 13 December 2012.

UK’s first comprehensive study of venue access is to be published by Attitude is Everything, providing key information about the main barriers to access at music venues and festivals

To celebrate the International Day of Disabled People on 3rd December 2011, the 23 BBC Big Screens across the UK will be showing a series of DaDa short films from 12.30-1pm.

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah tells his rags to riches story, as he prepares to take up the post of chair of Creative Writing at Brunel University

Showstopping Lizzie Emeh wows crowd at the London Studios as she wins the Champion Award at the Ability Media International (AMI) awards 2011.

Creative excellence amongst disabled artists was honoured at the Ability Media International (AMI) awards on Sunday 20 November 2011, as stars of screen, stage, broadcast and new media joined to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the media and arts

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and partners, Shape, have won a top award with their ‘challenging’ exhibition of RCP portraits Re-framing disability: portraits from the Royal College of Physicians.

Heart n Soul celebrate 25 years with a The Beautiful Octopus Club at the Royal Festival Hall on Friday 2nd December, 7pm.

DaDaFest, the International Festival of Disability and Deaf Arts, has announced that the festival is to return in summer 2012, with the theme of TransActions - Fluid Bodies: Shifting Identities

Extant's paper 'Haptic Reassurance in the Pitch Black for an Immersive Theatre Experience' was awarded best paper at the international technology conference UbiComp 2011 in Beijing, China.

Five Needles is a short film by Deaf Director Julian Peedle-Calloo, which follows the story of four Deaf women in the concentration camps during WW2 who are hiding their Deafness to stay alive.

Leading arts organisation Heart n Soul launched its Paralympic Games website Games Through Our Eyes, created by its Media Team, on 23 September 2011 at its Squidz Club for young people with learning difficulties.

Cooltan's BIG Largactyl Shuffle was organised to celebrate World Mental Health Day and explored the history of the NHS 'from cradle to grave'.

Broadcasters, producers, directors and screenwriters have been invited to nominate companies for awards celebrating creativity and diversity in broadcasting industry

Disabled Avant Garde have published a four minute film on youtube of their protest at the Liberty Festival on London's South Bank on 19 August 2011.

Theatre Company Spare Tyre, toured residential homes nationally in Autumn 2011, working creatively with older people with dementia to medically benefit participants.

Bournemouth People First, a charity run for and by people with learning disabilities, were delighted to be awarded a grant of £49,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to support a new 18 month project called ‘Struggle for Equality’.

DaDa – Disability and Deaf Arts is delighted that North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) has named DaDaFest International 2012 winners of the Lever Prize.

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Arts Council England, the UK Arts Councils and the British Council have awarded £700,000 of funding in the final round of Unlimited Commissions.

Four organisations were named as finalists in the arts category of The National Lottery Awards 2011, the annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.

The End of an Era: Cochrane Theatre’s parting performances on 21st and 22nd September will premiere Vital Xposure’s The Knitting Circle’, exposing the hidden stories of Britain’s madhouses.

Liberty is a platform for amazing new work from deaf and disabled artists. Come and enjoy an afternoon of music and cabaret, outdoor arts and dance, and fun for children at the Southbank Centre and National Theatre.

The Arts Council of England will launch the Creative Case - a new approach to diversity, during a day-long public symposium in Manchester on Monday 12 September.

The Orpheus Centre are performing a production of ‘The Tempest' at The Rose Theatre, Kingston and the Linbury Studio Theatre at The Royal Opera House.

Gary Thomas' new project The Dog and the Palace Film and Workshops was granted the Inspire Mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire Programme

Commissioned by Drake Music, Distant Interiors was created during March/April 2011 by three artists investigating translation and interpretation via remote, three-way collaboration

Garry Robson Artistic Director DaDaFest International 2010 reflects on the impact of the work of award-winning visual artist/disabled artist Tanya Raabe as she launches a major touring show at Solihull Gallery.

Written and directed by artist and film-maker Simon Mckeown, and starring Liz Carr, 'The Beaten' questions society’s attitude to care and domination.

A short piece of video art by Chris Tally Evans, depicting one year of life on a reach of the River Wye, is among the artwork to be exhibited at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC, USA this June for a prestigious VSA exhibition titled Shift.

Legendary punk rock combo Heavy Load released a new version of The Ting Ting’s No.1 hit ‘That’s Not My Name’ that coincided with Learning Disability week in June 2011.This release focused on the issue of Disability Hate Crime

Why did the chicken cross the road? Which came first the chicken or the egg? Mind the Gap’s talented cast of learning disabled professional performers hatched a plan to answer these and other less poultry questions in their new street theatre piece, ‘Chicken Coup!’ which toured festivals during the summer of 2011

Charlie Swinbourne gives an account of writing My Song - a seminal film directed by William Mager that premiered at Deaffest in May.

Attitude is Everything is delighted to announce their third Club Attitude showcase at Glastonbury 2011 featuring beauteous acoustic bards, street folk poetics and punk rock legends inter-spiced with beats, bleeps and signed rap!

Shoot Your Mouth Off's (SYMO) spanking new website has gone live, hosting a huge range of films featuring the enormous talent of disabled people in the North East of England

Performance artist Aaron Williamson presents a feature on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 15 March at 11.30am, exploring whether performing arts practice can do what political agitation never has?

Having a first outing at the Soho Theatre, London, from 21-23 February, The Knitting Circle is an exciting new work in progress, reuniting director Paulette Randall and writer / producer Julie McNamara. Based on the testimonies of people who survived the asylums closed in the 1980s and 90s.

Chris Tally-Evans invites you to take part in Turning Points - an inspirational national story-telling project, which is part of the Unlimited Cultural Olympiad program.

An exhibition by Blind with Camera is showing at the DaDa-Fest International, Liverpool until 3 December 2010. DAO talked to Partho Bhowmick who set up the project in Mumbai, India in 2006 after being inspired by Evgen Bavcar, an accomplished blind photographer based in Paris.

A unique solo performance by Pete Edwards - telling the story of a gay, disabled man in search of his heart’s desire. Produced in association with Graeae Theatre Company.

Wendy McGowan-Griffin interviews Matthew Miller, Co-Director of Fabrica Gallery about the curatorial decisions made during the installation of Martin Parr’s 'House of Vernacular,' which ran from 2 October to 28 November 2010 as part of the Brighton Photography Biennial.

Autumn 2010 see StopGAP Dance Company embarking on a tour of their latest double bill - 'Within' choreographed by Thomas Noone and 'Splinter' choreographed by Rob Tannion. Lucy Bennett provides a dancers' insight into this exciting development in StopGAPs work

Deafinitely Creative, the nation's only playwriting programme exclusively for deaf writers, has chosen its four finalists for 2010-11.

Over the coming months DAO intends to report on a range of events taking place under the Accentuate banner. Accentuate is funded by Legacy Trust UK which is creating a cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, SEEDA and the regional cultural agencies. Screen South is the home of Accentuate.

Led by artist Jon Adams, this initiative intends to start a dialogue and a series of conversations reflecting the real issues around disability, our fragility and the nature of Public Art.

Disabled people from across the UK came together in Westminster on 3 June 2010 for the launch of a new campaign to ensure legislation prohibiting assisted suicide and euthanasia remains in place

Shape Animate Podcast: Julie McNamara tells an audience about her years of struggle as an artist, culminating in a painful moment of realisation and conflict.

Groundbreaking comedy performer, Maysoon Zayid, takes a break from her hectic schedule to talk to Joe McConnell about her craft.

Once a painter, always a painter! Kit Wells talk about life and painting in relation to his recent acrylics of urban wasteland and desolate places.

Jasna Nikolic is the first of six Outside In residency artists at Pallant House Gallery. Here, she talks about her work and influences.

South London arts organisation Heart n Soul celebrated recent MBE awards to director Mark Williams and founder artist Pino Frumiento in the Queen's New Years Honours on Wednesday 31 March. Heart n Soul Now toasted the royal recognition at the Albany arts venue in Deptford, where the organisation has been based for 24 years.

Deaf actor David Bower stars in an innovative radio play accompanied by an online sign-theatre film of the drama. Catch it on BBC Radio 4 on 9 April 2010 at 2.15pm

Colin Hambrook profiles an upcoming play inspired by the life and times of legendary disabled performer, Ian Dury. Written by award-winning playwright Garry Robson of Fittings Multimedia Arts, the play is due to tour the UK from the beginning of April 2010.

London 2012 and Arts Council England have announced that over £400,000 of funding has been awarded to 10 commissions for Unlimited, the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project - the UK’s largest programme celebrating arts, culture and sport by disabled and deaf people.

Artist and Writer Allan Sutherland talks about the work of artist Tony Heaton, part of the Shape Animate series of workshops.

Samuel Dore AKA Bursteardrum has been working as a film-maker, cameraman and editor since 2000. Colin Hambrook asked him a few questions in preparation for his talk and workshop as part of Shape's 'Animate' programme

Colin Hambrook talks with theatre practitioner Julie McNamara about her Animate talk at Shape on 4 March 2010. Animate explores the rich history of Disability Arts through talks and workshops.

CoolTan Arts, the London-based arts project working with mental health service users, launched three films at the British Film Institute on February 8, 2010. One film follows their pioneering Largactyl Shuffle late-night art and heritage walks round London.

Parliamentary Outreach have launched an innovative new initiative designed with mental health group, Rethink. Colin Hambrook reports on how the project is engaging with communities of disabled people, within the mental health arena, who have traditionally been disengaged from the democratic process.

Animate explores the rich history of Disability Arts through talks and workshops. Colin Hambrook asked visual artist Noemi Lakmaier about her plans for the second of these talks at Shape on 8 February 2010

DAO editor, Colin Hambrook spoke to Dada-South’s director Stevie Rice about the organisation’s role in Accentuate over the next couple of years.

Two Cultural Olympiad events, taking place during 2010, are aimed at opening up arts and culture to new audiences. Organisers want non-commercial organisations to get involved in developing and planning how these projects shape up.

Disabled artist and activist Liz Crow reached The Guardian's 'Top 10 from Trafalgar' list, selected from the 2400 people who have each spent one hour alone on the empty plinth.

The annual DaDaFest Awards are for many people the highlight of DaDaFest. This year’s awards were presented on 3 December 2009 at a black tie event at the Hilton, Liverpool.

Disability Arts Online has won its first national accolade. The site was highly commended at the Jodi Awards, announced December 2, 2009 at the Sackler Centre, V&A, in London. The national and international Jodi Awards celebrate the best use of digital technology in the service of access to culture for disabled people.

Oska Bright 2009 runs from Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 November 2009 with different screenings each day. As well as daily screenings Oska Bright includes Master Classes, mentoring sessions, a fabulous awards ceremony and a closing party with live music. The festival kick off with an inspiring workshops for people with learning disabilities wanting to learn how to make films.

Jon Pratty reports on Rethink Parliament, a new collaboration between Rethink, dao and Parliamentary Outreach launched this month by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons.

Katherine Araniello and Aaron Williamson of the Disabled Avant Garde have published two new films satirising the current state of disability arts. Take a look and weep.

Liz Crow of Roaring Girl Productions tells us about the making of Resistance - a dual-screen moving image installation that will tour galleries and museums and is due to be launched on 17 November 2009 as major part of DaDaFest, Novas CUC Gallery, Liverpool.

Deaf and Disabled arts, culture and sports are right at the core of Unlimited, a new London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme worth £3m launched at South Bank Centre

This autumn Pallant House Gallery plays host to Jon Adams' retrospective 'The Goose on the Hill' from 13 October – 22 November 2009. The exhibition coincides with ‘Outside In’ - a major exhibition of Outsider Art.

Magpie Dance have been challenging their dancers through a series of workshops with the Siobhan Davies Dance Company. Eileen Strong reports.

The fourth decibel Performing Arts Showcase, takes place in Manchester from 15-18 September 2009. The showcase, run by Arts Council England offers promoters and national and international arts professionals a unique snapshot of England’s diverse performing arts talent.

'Outside In' is on show at Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, West Sussex, 4 August – 8 November 2009. The exhibition provides a platform for artists who are marginalised due to health, disability or other social circumstances. Marc Steene, Head of Learning, explains some of the reasoning behind the competition, due to become a national event by 2011.

Paula Silva gives an overview of Flickering Darkness - a film installation premiered at the Chamber of Commerce in Bogota, by Juan delGado of Cremer Projects.

Liz Porter gives an overview of a pilot Parliamentary Outreach project developed in partnership with Essex County Council, The Women's Library, Rethink, Epping Forest Museum, and Southend Discovery Museum.

A Yorkshire project, coordinated by ADA inc, focusing on the creative responses of disabled artists to the complex overlaps between art, sport and disability.

Caroline Cardus reports on Buckinghamshire's Cultural Olympiad project.

Sally Booth, a well-known visually impaired visual artist, beat competition from artists across the UK to be announced as the recipient of the Adam Reynolds Memorial Bursary 2008.

STAGETEXT is a charity which provides captioning services to theatres so that deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people can enjoy the latest plays and musicals.

Late at Tate - an artist intervention in Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries - was recently curated by Vauxhall’s art laboratory, Beaconsfield. The concept behind the evening was the idea of creating a terminal space, with an array of arrival and departure points, in which only the surreal applied.

Caroline Cardus' Go Make! residency at Fort Brockhurst in Gosport, is the fourth in an ongoing series of bursaries for disabled and deaf artists, awarded by Dada-South. Colin Hambrook reports.

Emerging visual artist Noëmi Lakmaier talks to Colin Hambrook about the development of her work and plans for her recent award from Shape with a residency at Camden Arts Centre.

Joe Bidder interviews Chris Hammond as part of a series of profiles looking at the lives of leading figures within the Disability Arts movement

DAO asked Oska Bright about the world's first national festival of short films made by and for people with learning disabilities

Sophie Woolley runs the course of modern tragi-comedy with her latest one-woman show 'When to Run?' Or so says Melissa Mostyn

James Aldridge explores his relationship to disability and impairment

Joe McConnell talks to Pádraig Naughton about his journey as a visual artist with a sight impairment.

Melissa Mostyn talks to Cathy Woolley about her work and inspiration as artist and friend.

A tribute to a great disability arts activist

Laurence Clark tours his latest stand-up show - on the condition that Jim Davidson isn't let in the theatre - until December 2005.

Joe McConnell, editor of DAIL Magazine, provides a look at the work of some of the disabled artists who received bursaries in 2004 from Artsadmin for work in digital media.

Celebrating Disability Arts is the title of a publication by Allan Sutherland reviewing 20 years of Disability Arts practice.

Visually impaired artist Lynn Cox explains why this London-based project is so ground-breaking

Colin Hambrook talks to Jayni Anderton of Disability Arts Shropshire, about her recent training initiative.