AboutThe ConditionsGlossary
Home
01
Acquisition Practices
02
Agreements & Contracts
03
Archival Practices
04
Audience
05
Disability & Access
06
Diversity, Equity & Cultural Guidelines
07
Documentation
08
Establishing Relationships
09
Fees, Wages & Budgets
10
Grants & Funding
11
Media & Communication
12
Security, Risk & Insurance
13
Transmission, Activation & Touring
14
Working With Performers
15
Working on Site

This Index is displayed in Alphabetic order

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05

Disability & Access

As noted in Diversity, Equity and Cultural Guidelines, museums have historically been non-inclusive environments. Contemporary Museums are complex, living spaces catering for artists, audiences and stakeholders from a broad cross-section of the community. All should be supported to have meaningful experience with, and participation in, art no matter where they live, what language they speak, their life stage or circumstances, or access needs.

Overview

As choreographic works typically deal with artists’ and audiences’ bodies, it is important to acknowledge that not all individuals have the same needs regarding their participation.

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Disabled artists may engage with ‘cripp’ or d/Deaf and Disabled politics and principles in their creative content or approaches to production. Their artistic team may include members who identify as living with a disability e.g. physical, cognitive, emotional, mental, learning, speech/communication etc. In these cases, the artist team may require additional and specific support from the museum to create a safe environment that supports them to have ownership and agency over their work.

 

Museums are encouraged to support decisions that go beyond compliance to appropriately support the diversity of cultural forms and engagement. To achieve this, museums can meaningfully engage with diverse communities to reduce obstacles to access and participation, and continually seek opportunities for meaningful inclusion and consultation. Consideration of a framework and/or set of protocols or principles for ethical engagement with diverse communities is critical in supporting choreographic works, including people associated with their production, across their full lifecycle e.g. from the commissioning phase, through to presentation, documentation and archiving. 

Things To Consider

Why?

  • Does the museum comply with all applicable discrimination legislation, and make adjustments when interacting with d/Deaf and Disabled people to ensure they are not subject to unlawful discrimination?
  • Does the museum consider and work towards eliminating ableism and celebrate the diversity of d/Deaf and Disabled people?
  • Is there an accessibility framework or cripp politics that underpins this work and is relevant to the presentation? How can this be supported and realised within the artist’s ethos and vision?
  • Is the context in which the work will be presented appropriate for the work of disabled artists regarding content and physical facilities? If not, what changes can be made to facilitate this?
  • Can the museum support practices that make choreographic work accessible to disabled audiences?

What?

  • What are the principles and ethics of community practice relevant to the work and context?
  • Has there been a discussion about the access needs of the artists and performers early and ongoing? E.g. venue entries with no steps, provision of dim lighting, not too air conditioned, breastfeeding friendly, mental health check-ins.
  • Is there a shared understanding between all relevant parties (artist and museum teams) about what constitutes safe and unsafe contact between audiences and performers? E.g. are there specific proximity limitations for any performers due to physical or psychological needs? How will audience members be asked to move away if coming too close to performers? How can performers signal security if they feel unsafe?
  • How can the museum facilitate access to relevant individuals or cultural consultants, either internally or externally to the museum, throughout the lifecycle of a work to enable a respectful engagement with local cultural contexts e.g. an access facilitator, interpreter for deaf or hard of hearing artists or other support workers? 
  • Has the safety of performers been considered for performances over long periods of time, especially in relation to energy required by the specific performers and the physical impact of the presentation situation?
  • Has the physical and mental health of the performers been taken into account when artists are working in proximity to other artworks in the museum?

Who?

  • Is the work lead by artists living with Disability if it is engaging with artists or themes that touch on relevant issues?
  • Has there been a discussion about how all artists are represented in media and communications related to the presentations?

How?

  • Is there an appropriate access rider in place? How was this collectively agreed upon?
  • Are there funds to meet the access needs of the work and its performers?
  • Has an adequate timeline been allocated to the work to accommodate and support the work and the performers?
  • Is there an accessibility officer in the museum with specialised training in this area? If not, can someone be engaged or assigned to support the work and the performers?
  • Are workplace health and safety risk assessment staff sensitive to the specific conditions under which artists living with Disability are working?
  • Is there a suitable and accessible green room? Has there been a conversation between the artist and museum to understand the purpose of a green room, i.e. private, secure, space to warm up.
  • Is the presentation space appropriate for the performers’ specific needs? Including pathways, lighting, sound/noise?
  • Has adequate preparation time been factored into production schedules for the performers various needs?
  • Can performers access appropriate bathroom facilities during performance and rehearsal?
  • Can the museum map a disabled audience member’s journey and access to the performance and provide access information to the public?
  • Can the museum support interpretation for deaf or hard of hearing audience members by providing an interpreter? If not, can the museum raise the funds to enable this?
  • For video works or documentation, are audio descriptions and/or closed captions used to further support access by differently abled audiences?
  • Are low sensory presentations of the work possible for specific scheduled performances?
  • Are the room notes or signage in plain English and in accessible fonts?

The Future?

  • Are there specific d/Deaf and Disability contexts or communities that need to be represented in the archiving or collection of a work?
  • Does the museum have many works in its collection by artists who actively identify with disability? If not, can the museum archive and/or collect this work, to make sure this history is not lost, and this community is represented into the future?
  • How can artists and museums collaborate to determine the appropriate modes of documentation to ensure the work is accessible to all audiences?
Acknowledgement of Country
This research project is grounded on the Country of the Eora, Kulin, Ngunnawal and Noongar nations. We would like to acknowledge the Ancestors and Custodians of these places who have cared for the land and engaged in cultural practice on Country since time immemorial. We recognise our privileged position as individuals living and working on stolen, unceded Indigenous land. We thank all of the First Peoples and Indigenous collaborators who have enriched our work and research by generously gifting their knowledges and practices to this project.
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