Accessible Arts / arts + disability NSW

What kind of creative life do you want for Sydney? The City of Sydney is asking everyone in our community this question as they develop the City of Sydney’s first Cultural Policy.

Minister for the Arts, George Souris, and Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, Andrew Constance, have announced The 2013 Arts and Disability Project Funding grant recipients, where funding totaling more than $520,000 was awarded to support projects that promote inclusion and access to the arts for people with disability.

Minister for Disability Services Andrew Constance announced the first round of Living Life My Way (LLMW) Ambassadors and Champions last week. Under the Stronger Together 2 program, the six Ambassadors and twelve Champions representing various regions around the state, will help raise community awareness about disability reform in NSW.

A national response has developed in the arts and disability sector this week following the release of the Government’s Creative Australia Policy on 13 March. The policy outlines a progressive vision to increase access to arts and culture for all Australians, yet trivializes the contribution of artists with a disability to the arts and cultural landscape of Australia. In a movement led by Arts Access Australia, artists, individuals, groups and organisations are being urged to send addressed letters to members of parliament.

The Russell Way Mid North Coast Residence, is an inclusive art project to be presented by Life Without Barriers in Nambucca Heads throughout 2013. The project won $19,000 funding from the Regional Arts Fund, and is the only project targeted towards people with disability in regional NSW to receive the federal funding.