Foreword
About one in seven people in the world is disabled – that’s over one billion individuals
worldwide. Yet, too often disabled people face barriers to inclusion in society. These barriers
might be physical, to do with other people’s attitudes, or because of systemic discrimination.
As the UK's international organisation for cultural relations, we build enduring cross-cultural
relationships through the arts, education, and English teaching. Our commitment to equality,
diversity, and inclusion brings people together, enriching experiences and fostering more
inclusive societies. That is why we have such a strong commitment to arts and disability.
The intersection of art and disability has long been a site of both opportunity and challenge.
By working with international sector experts, disabled artists and disability inclusion
professionals, we have seized opportunities to raise profiles, support collaborations, change
perceptions and build legacies for decades as captured in our 2021 report Reflecting on
Change. The challenges which obstruct the participation of disabled artists and audiences are
captured in two reports commissioned in the framework of Europe Beyond Access, a
large-scale cooperation project funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European
Union. The first report, Time to Act, revealed, amongst other factors, how a continued lack of
knowledge creates barriers for disabled artists and audiences.
When the occasion arose to support the first pavilion entirely dedicated to the UK’s Disability
Arts Movement at the Biennale Arte in Venice, curated by Shape Arts, it signalled an
opportunity to engage with the visual arts sector. Consequently, in June 2024 we invited two
international panels to consider what disability aesthetics can offer and how we can embed
institutional change. Through the guide’s four essays, further insight was gathered on the
different approaches taken when reflecting on the state of disability in the visual arts. The
supporting directory of artists, curators and organisations working in the UK at the time of
publication, provides a snapshot of how D/deaf and disabled artists offer unique perspectives
which can lead to new ways of looking at the world.
We hope this guide will lead to greater awareness and appreciation of the different
approaches and practices that exist, encourage others to become more inclusive in their own
practice and will inspire organisations to take action by addressing challenges and eliminating
barriers for artists and audiences».
Emma Dexter
Director Visual Arts and British Council Collection, British Council
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