Voluntary Arts and Para Dance UK would like to invite members of the Disability Arts community from across the UK and Ireland to meet and discuss the impact Covid-19 has had on the community – and what you would like to see happen next.
The meeting take place on Thursday 30 July on Zoom, and will last an hour from 11am -12pm. BSL interpreters will be in attendance.
We know there has been a lot of anxiety during the pandemic, and that the easing of lockdown will potentially bring about a whole new set of anxieties regarding how people access creative activities.
We’re also aware of the need to ensure the many advances made by the Disability Arts community are not lost as we move forward, and that the voice of this vibrant community is heard.
We have therefore set up an online meeting to bring together anyone involved in the Disability Arts community, to discuss the following:
- What are the hopes of the Disability Arts community with regards to how any additional funding invested in the arts, culture and heritage sectors will be spent and distributed?
- As lockdown eases, what are the many and varied implications for disabled artists and participants accessing creative activities?
The focus of both Voluntary Arts and Para Dance UK is people who take part in creative activities for the love of it and want to have an impact in engaging the wider community to be creative, active or social. However, we are well aware that many professional companies and organisations have community outreach strands and we would welcome them to attend as well.
Representatives from arts councils and government have been invited to attend, in the hope that you can hear from them, and they can hear from you.
We realise we are not going to change the world overnight, but by working together and starting a discussion we hope to enable more opportunities for people to connect and work together.
On 30 July, please visit https://www.voluntaryarts.org/creativenetwork and click on the relevant link (please note, this web page is updated weekly, so the Disability Arts meet-up link will appear w/c 27 July).
As mentioned above, BSL interpreters will be in attendance and if you have any other requirements in order to take part, please don’t hesitate to ask.
If you could let us know you’re keen to attend, that would be very helpful please contact info@voluntaryarts.org – and please do spread the word to anyone else you think would like to attend.