The first such event on Thursday 18th October, 2018, will celebrate the improvements made so far in disabled young people’s access to arts and culture.
The conference, at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, London, is part of a commitment made in the Cultural Inclusion Manifesto for schools, arts and heritage organisations, disabled people and experts.
The manifesto was signed by more than 60 organisations, politicians, teachers, artists, disabled people and parents in May. It called for the different groups to work together to bring about cultural inclusion for all young people with disabilities.
Since it was established, the Cultural Inclusion Manifesto has gained support from a range of organisations, cultural venues and schools.
The conference
The event will feature a choice of practical workshops, key notes and a panel discussion on cultural inclusion from funders, head teachers, artists, cultural providers and experts on heritage.
The workshops and discussions are intended to produce outcomes that can be used by the Department for Education, The Durham Commission and the Arts Council to form the basis of a report due to be launched in January 2019 at the House of Commons.
The day will provide opportunities for attendees to work together on solutions and to lead the way on developing a National Cultural Inclusion Strategy.
The conference is supported by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN), Lyric Hammersmith, GEM Heritage and EveryChildShould. Key note speakers include Steve Unwin (theatre director and chairman of KIDs charity), Dr Adam Boddison (CEO of NASEN and chairman of whole school SEND) and Paul Morrow (teacher, artist and author of Cultural Inclusion Manifesto).
Selected workshops
• English National Ballet and Corali Dance Company
• Inclusive drumming
• Use of text in support access to heritage and cultural venues
• Six workshops from schools on how they practice cultural inclusion
About the venue
The Lyric Hammersmith is one of the UK’s producing theatres, working with primary schools through to higher education. It offers discounted shows, workshops designed to enhance students understanding of productions, backstage tours and education packs for schools.
To find out more about the conference and to book tickets visit http://culturalinclusion.uk/events/.
