Disability Arts History Australia

Items

• Tutti Arts
• Tutti Ensemble
• “The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is launched”
  Following the spike in interest in the mid to late 2000s, significant steps were made towards the development of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It came about as the result of discussions about alternatives of disability support arrangements from 2007 to 2011. This included National Disability Strategy 2010–2020. A trial phrase of the NDIS was launched in 2013, and the scheme was rolled out across the country from July 2016. The 2022 change of government, which saw the Labor party voted in for the first time in nine years, reflected voter concern for climate change and social policies. The new prime minister Anthony Albanese ordered an independent review of the NDIS. The NDIS Review report was published in 2023 and had a number of recommendations, including affording funding based on functional impairment rather than diagnosis, increasing support for children, a requirement that all providers be registered, and state governments providing supports through other services for people who do not meet NDIS criteria.
• "Janice Rieger, Bree Hadley, Katherine Dionysius, Michael Whelan (2019) VIS-ABILITY: Audio Description of Brown, Green and Cattapan's 'War and peace #7: Empire' (2011)."
  "This is an audio description of Lyndell Brown, Charles Green and Jon Cattapan's artwork 'War and peace #7: Empire', narrated by Dr Bree Hadley and recorded by Michael Whelan. This recording was produced in partnership with QUT Creative Industries Faculty for the exhibition, 'Vis-ability' at QUT Art Museum, from 11 May to 4 August 2019."
• Katherine Dionysius
• Access2Arts
• "Accessible Arts - ACE Arts Creativity Expression - Promotional Notice - Public Television Conference and Commonwealth State Disability Agreement - 1992 - Iss7, Pg5"
  Accessible Arts - ACE Arts Creativity Expression - Promotional Notice - Public Television Conference and Commonwealth State Disability Agreement - 1992 - Iss7, Pg5
• "ARTAbility Conference"
  The national Disability and Arts Disadvantage and the Arts Australia (DADAA) committee was established in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1991, and – as described in the Access Arts Annual Report 1992 – at the inaugural meeting of this group in 1991, Access Arts offered to organise a conference for the group in 1992, with funding from the Queensland Performing Arts Trust, at the Queensland Cultural Centre - the Access Arts Annual Report 1992 says “Drawing on the experience of the Queensland ARTability conference of 1990 enabled Access Arts staff and members to be fully involved in the planning of the conference. It was a big success. Access Arts has also set up the Queensland DADAA network.”
• Arts Access SA
• “The first Focus on Ability film festival held in 2009”
  In 2009, the first Focus on Ability film festival was started by the CEO of NOVA Employment, Martin Wren. (NOVA is a Sydney-based disability employment service.) FOA holds events in Australia’s major cities and welcomes entries in open categories as well as a schools category and international section.
• Disability and Arts Disadvantage and the Arts Australia (DADAA)
• Arts In Action
• "Janice Rieger, Bree Hadley, Katherine Dionysius, Michael Whelan, Megan Strickfaden(2019) VIS-ABILITY: Audio Description of Karla Dicken's artworks, 'Bottom feeder I-IV' (2018)."
  "This is an audio description of Karla Dickens' artworks, 'Bottom feeder I-IV' (2018), narrated by Dr Bree Hadley and recorded by Michael Whelan. This recording was produced in partnership with QUT Creative Industries Faculty for the exhibition, 'Vis-ability' at QUT Art Museum, from 11 May to 4 August 2019."
• "Janice Rieger, Bree Hadley, Katherine Dionysius, Michael Whelan (2019) VIS-ABILITY: Audio Description of Karla Marchesis' artwork, 'Trashout' (2010)."
  "This is an audio description of Karla Marchesi's painting, 'Trashout' (2010), narrated by Dr Bree Hadley and recorded by Michael Whelan. This recording was produced in partnership with QUT Creative Industries Faculty for the exhibition, 'Vis-ability' at QUT Art Museum, from 11 May to 4 August 2019."
• "Janice Rieger, Jasmien Herssens, Megan Strickfaden, Marianella Chamorro-Koc, Bree Hadley (2019) Vis-ability Exhibition."
  "The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, 2016) foregrounds the importance of cultural participation to realise human rights for people with disabilities. The creative industries play a critical role in supporting and shaping these social attitudes towards inclusion. Through the theoretical foundation of Design for All (EIDD Stockholm Declaration, 2004) new engagement processes involving a transdisciplinary team from Australia and around the world converged at QUT to co-design more equitable and collaborative forms of knowledge and practice around inclusion. International universities, the EU Commission and the European Institute for Design & Disability collaborated and presented Design for All for the first time in Australia, positioning QUT leadership in this field and as the first non-European member of EIDD-DfA. Co-design methods were employed through, Vis-ability workshops, Making Visible workshops, tactile artefacts and audio description work in the VisAbility Exhibition. Innovative practice was through the Inclusive Film Screening and Wondrous Googles technologies. An innovative model of engagement was created through the DfA Week program and events across sectors. Knowledge was disseminated through academic articles."
• "Janice Rieger, Bree Hadley, Katherine Dionysius, Michael Whelan (2019) VIS-ABILITY: Audio Description of Denise Green's 'Saar elegy: Opposites' 2014."
  "This is an audio description of Denise Green’s artwork, ‘Saar elegy: opposites’ (2014) narrated by Dr Bree Hadley. This recording was produced in partnership with QUT Creative Industries Faculty for the exhibition, 'Vis-ability' at QUT Art Museum, from 11 May to 4 August 2019."
• Megan Strickfaden
• “National Arts and Disability Strategy is launched in 2009”
  In 2009, the National Arts and Disability Strategy was agreed on by Australian Cultural Minister’s Council. The strategy sought to improve access and participation in the arts and identified four priority areas: barriers to access and participation, supporting the creative practice of artists with disability, developing audiences for disability arts practice, and strengthening policy and planning within governments.
• "Radha O'Meara, Laura Dunstan, Anna Debinski, Catherine Ryan (2023). Disability and Screen Work in Australia: Report for Industry 2023. In Disability and Screen Work in Australia: Report for Industry. Melbourne Disability Institute, University of Melbourne."
  Disability is a key vector of inequality in Australian society. The screen industry has the potential to create meaningful change, in our workplaces and working practices, for our colleagues and our audiences. We need to pay more attention to disability and take more action to include disabled people in our industry. Disability equity, inclusion and accessibility training tailored to the screen industry can make a significant impact. Consultation, innovation and funding can transform industrial structures to create a more inclusive and sustainable industry for all screen workers. We must normalise talking about and providing access requirements to support disabled workers. The findings of this research reflect the need to build greater understanding, transparency and accountability in order to fully include disabled workers in the Australian screen industry.
• "Interview with Janice Florence"
  Janice Florence is a performing artist and disability advocate. She originally trained as a Teacher and Librarian. Janice has worked in Education and Libraries for many years and in disability advocacy for 20 years She has worked in Training and Consultation at Arts Access Vic for 12 years. Janice has been involved in theatre, dance and human movement for over 35 years. For 25 years she has been the Artistic Director of Weave Movement Theatre, comprising disabled and non-disabled performers. Weave has produced many devised original works often with respected performing artists as collaborators. She was the inaugural recipient of the Australia Council Awards for Disability Arts-Established Artist in 2019. Interview Summary Janice Florence is a veteran performer and Artistic Director of Weave Movement Theatre, which includes disabled performers. During the interview, Janice reflected on her extensive history with dance, both prior to and after acquiring her disability, highlighting the significance of political and personal themes, as well as the use of humour in her work. She discussed the ongoing challenges in securing accessible rehearsal and performance spaces, along with the complexities of funding and recognition within the Disability Arts scene in Australia. Janice also acknowledged the importance of Disability Arts historically and its potential for challenging societal expectations regarding disability.
• DADAA National Network
• Tannia Vassallo
• "Accessible Arts - Creativity Art Energy Ability - Wagga Wagga Community Arts Project 1991 Report"
  Accessible Arts - Creativity Art Energy Ability - Wagga Wagga Community Arts Project 1991 Report - reads, in part "In May 1991, Accessible Arts, approached the Wagga community with the idea of generating a network of people interested in developing arts opportunities for people with disabilities. After the initial community meeting it was decided that a community arts project would assist in establishing the network and promote better access to the arts for people with disabilities."
• ”Bree Hadley, Donna McDonnald (Eds.) (2019) The Routledge Handbook of Disability Arts, Culture, and Media. Routledge International Handbooks. Routledge, London; New York.”
  “In the last 30 years, a distinctive intersection between disability studies – including disability rights advocacy, disability rights activism, and disability law – and disability arts, culture, and media studies has developed. The two fields have worked in tandem to offer critique of representations of disability in dominant cultural systems, institutions, discourses, and architecture, and develop provocative new representations of what it means to be disabled. Divided into 5 sections:- Disability, Identity, and Representation; Inclusion, Wellbeing, and Whole-of-life Experience; Access, Artistry, and Audiences; Practices, Politics and the Public Sphere; Activism, Adaptation, and Alternative Futures - this handbook brings disability arts, disability culture, and disability media studies – traditionally treated separately in publications in the field to date – together for the first time.”
• "Focus on Ability, Short Film Festival winners list 2018"
  Focus on Ability Short Film Festival, captured 2025 - webpage listing 2018 award winners - Includes Open Entrant Winners (Sebastian Chan - Bus Trip; Kasimir Burgess – Paul; Nicole Molloy & Matt Watt - He Will Walk; George Holahan-Cantwell - Inclusion Makes the World More Vibrant; Lifeforce Centre For Learning - Whycroft Legacy; Carl Emmerson & Dan Sanguineti – Airlock; Sally Newman - Walk With Kindness; REDinc - Everyone Is Different, School Entrant Winners (Airds High School - Am I Special or "Special?"; Al-Taqwa College - Hear in My Shoes; Kooringal High School - We Can Do It!)