Arts & Disability Access Awards
This is a training programme for people working in the culture, arts, and heritage sector. It will enhance your knowledge and understanding of equality, access and inclusion principles and practice. It discusses these in the context of culture, arts, and heritage organisations. You will learn about the social model of disability, in which disability is caused by inaccessible environments, discriminatory attitudes, and lack of opportunities. You will discover how to use the principles of this social approach to identify and respond to the various barriers that exist for D/deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse people within the arts, culture, and heritage sector. The course looks at how access applies to families, considers how the built environment can be disabling, and addresses the harmful effects of prejudicial attitudes. It identifies things that arts and culture workers can do to combat these harms and to make their sector more welcoming and accessible to D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse people.
The course schedule is available to download below
Module 1.
Induction Session – Damien Coyle
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 – 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (GMT)
This module introduces the format and content of the course. It gives a brief overview of the course modules, and discusses the driving principles for everything on the course: quality, inclusion, and access. It also outlines what you need to do to become an Arts and Disability Champion (the reflective journal and a practical project).
Module 2.
Disability and Equality – Peter Kearns
Tuesday 13th February 2024 – 10.30 am –4.30 pm (GMT) – Ledger Studio
The module uses ice-breaker exercises and group discussions to explore various aspects of disability. Participants will discuss what disability is; the difference between impairment and disability; the difference between medical and social models of disability; the nuances of how ‘disabled person’ differs from ‘person with disability’; and how disability is understood in equality legislation and the United Nations Convention for Disabled People.
Module 3.
Family Friendly Events – Laura Cusick
Wednesday 7th February 2024 – 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (GMT)
This module considers various aspects of accessibility as this applies not just to individuals, but to families. It addresses what makes up a family, and what makes places and events family-friendly. It identifies what kinds of things are access barriers for families, and asks us to think about accessibility holistically: access is not just about design, but about everything that we do. A more comprehensive accessibility priorities the facilities and information that families need before, during, and after their visit to an event.
Module 4.
Disability and Attitudinal Issues – Dugald McCullough
Thursday 15th February 2024 –10.30 am – 12.30 pm (GMT)
Module 5.
Disability and the Built Environment – Declan Hill
Tuesday 20th February 2024 – 11:00 am – 1:00 pm (GMT)
Declan examines access to the city, access to the arts, and activism. He looks at various examples, from large scale infrastructure projects including Belfast’s new Grand Central Station, to the Black Box on Hill Street. He will discuss two short films: ‘Model for a City’ by Northern Visions TV, and his own ‘Belfast: The Battle of the Boyne Bridge’.
Module 6.
Disability, Equality, Inclusion, and Access – Jonathan Mitchell
Thursday 22nd February 2024 – 11.30 am – 12.30 am (GMT)
This module explores key principles of equality, inclusion, and access in greater detail. It looks at the modern expression of these ideas in documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Disability Discrimination Act. It also looks at the origins of the modern disability rights movement, and the medical and social models of disability.
Module 7.
Planning Inclusive Events – Damien Coyle
Thursday 27th February 2024 – 11.30 am – 12.30 am (GMT)
This module explores key principles of equality, inclusion, and access in greater detail. It looks at the modern expression of these ideas in documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Disability Discrimination Act. It also looks at the origins of the modern disability rights movement, and the medical and social models of disability.
Using trans-inclusive language – ash Anraí-Jones
ash Anraí-Jones presents an overview on how to use trans inclusive language in your organisation, to help trans people feel more accepted and included.