Attention, disabled (including deaf and neurodivergent) individuals working in the creative arts sector in the UK! Do you think the arts industry should fund, support, and make inaccessible art, that hasn’t made provisions for disabled audiences?
We want you to come to our focus group. Here, you can share your thoughts, experiences, and opinions on the access live performances provide to audiences in the UK. This is part of a project called Concrete Commitments and Inadequate Access (link).
What are we doing?
We are organising a focus group of disabled people working in the performance industries (whether as performers, creatives, producers, or any other role). It will discuss what inaccessible art is, and what the minimum access standards for projects should be. This is part of a groundbreaking project to establish minimum standards of accessibility for performance work. Below these standards, we are asking whether as audiences, we should fund, support, or engage with this work.
We’re trying to build an industry consensus about what level of audience accessibility is affordable, feasible, and reasonable to set as a minimum acceptable level. This will fuel a campaign asking artists, organisations, venues, and funders only to work on public performances that meet these standards.
It’s impossible to make something ‘fully accessible’ but imperfect provision is better than inaccessible activity. An artistic industry which excludes disabled people is not the artistic industry we want to work in. This focus group is part of a movement towards change.
We will be conducting this focus group remotely, so you can participate from the comfort of your own home. It will last a maximum of 90 minutes (including a break). We will pay all attendees £50 for their time.
We will be conducting further focus groups with disabled audience members and with industry partners. CRIPtic is holding these to build a consensus on how we should define and implement these commitments. If you’re interested in participating in one of these, please let us know.
Share your opinions on inaccessible art
To participate in this focus group, you must be over 18 years old and disabled (including deaf and neurodivergent people). You must also live in the UK and work in industries connected with the performing arts (though not necessarily as a performer).
If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact Sam at sam@cripticarts.org by 26th May 2023. Include a bit about yourself and some of the access barriers you have faced. We are aiming to conduct the focus group on the 15th of June. We will send out a google form to all participants to find a time that suits everyone.
Auto-captions and breaks are provided as standard. We can provide a BSL interpreter and other access provisions as required. Please tell us if you have any other access needs.
If you aren’t a disabled person who works in the performance industries but are a disabled audience member, or are a non-disabled industry partner you can also be involved. Please email sam@cripticarts.org and we’ll make sure you hear about the appropriate focus groups when they’re scheduled.
To participate in another way you can take our survey!
We have two versions, a full-length survey, and a shorter survey if you’ve got that bit less time.
