Disability campaigners warn of UK’s progress unravelling in the arts – The Guardian

Progress made in the representation and inclusion of disabled artists and audiences is in danger of unravelling because of the pandemic, campaigners have warned.

A new alliance of disabled people and groups working in the UKs cultural industries, #WeShallNotBeRemoved, has been established to make sure disabled voices are heard as the nations devastated arts sector attempts to rebuild after the lockdown.

Jenny Sealey, the artistic director of Graeae theatre in east London, said the pandemic had exposed real inequalities in theatre by the million and one Zooms set up within our industry and the noticeable lack of deaf and disabled voices and black, Asian and ethnically diverse people in the mix.

She added: As our community will be the last to come out of lockdown, the fear is by then we will be forgotten as artists and audience.

Campaigners say the lockdown has magnified inequalities for disabled people in the creative industries, with many disabled artists facing long-term shielding, loss of income and invisibility in wider society.

The lockdown came when many were beginning to feel real change had finally arrived.

Andrew Miller, the governments first disability champion for arts and culture, pointed to the casting of Amy Trigg, who uses a wheelchair, in RSC productions and the then imminent opening at the National Theatre of Francesca Martinezs play All of Us, which explores being disabled during a time of austerity.

There was a real sense of hey, were going somewhere were finally being included. There was a real sense of progress. It wasnt perfect. There was a a lot still to do. But there was a sense disabled people were becoming part of the fabric of arts and culture.

Sealey said the progress had been frustrating and unnecessarily slow It has taken the best part of 40 years for deaf and disabled people to be seen as a force to be reckoned with.

Then lockdown happened and prompted genuine concern that progress might unravel.

Sealey said the drive to reopen theatres was extremely ableist and non-diverse in its approach.

She added: I am seriously concerned that we will be deemed too expensive, with companies no longer being able to cover the cost of access and that our work is too risqu and the theatre world wants post-pandemic nice, safe theatre.

Campaigners on Wednesday staged a social media action day, flooding Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with disabled voices. It included artists sharing their work online.

The musician and campaigner John Kelly said: We want to demonstrate solidarity and support for disabled people who are facing a very challenging future because of the pandemic by sharing the rich tapestry of our artworks to raise our voice, of our talent and our resilience.

Miller hopes arts leaders will seize on the opportunities offered by having to rebuild an entire industry. It is a real opportunity to reset the longstanding discriminatory access issues in arts and culture, he said.

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Disability campaigners warn of UK's progress unravelling in the arts - The Guardian