Arts policy and practice for disabled children and young people: towards a ‘practice spectrum’ approach

Jack Newsinger,William Green

doi:10.1080/09687599.2016.1174102

Abstract

This article argues for an approach to the evaluation of arts policy and practice for disabled children and young people that goes beyond the dialogic antagonism between Disability Arts and community arts, and towards a ‘practice spectrum’. Little is known about the extent to which a Disability Arts perspective has extended into arts policy and practice for disabled children and young people. The article aims to redress this knowledge gap. It is based upon two sets of data collected in relation to the East Midlands region of England during 2014. First, a critical evaluation was conducted of official and institutional attitudes to arts practice with disabled children and young people. Second, interviews exploring contemporary practice were conducted with 24 arts organisations. Their practice represents a diverse range of art forms and programmes undertaken in the region, and a range of attitudes and positions taken towards disabled children and young people. We argue that the best way to conceive of current practice is as a spectrum, as opposed to an antagonism between community arts and Disability Arts perspectives. There is, however, little evidence of the penetration of a Disability Arts perspective into policy and practice for children and young people.

Highlights

Academic research on disability and the arts can be grouped into two categories: on the one ly hand it is a specialised area for those working in applied studies such as health care and social work and there is a body of work that explores arts practice and engagement as a therapeutic tool (Cameron 2007, Boeltzig, Sulewski et al 2009, Taylor 2005)
We focus on current policy and practice in the East Midlands region with regard to disabled children and young people
There are a number of points which can be made about the institutional perspective on the arts and culture for disabled children and young people

Summary

Introduction

Academic research on disability and the arts can be grouped into two categories: on the one ly hand it is a specialised area for those working in applied studies such as health care and social work and there is a body of work that explores arts practice and engagement as a therapeutic tool (Cameron 2007, Boeltzig, Sulewski et al 2009, Taylor 2005). As to how far this has extended into policy and practice for children and young people. This is important for a number of reasons: arguably, Fo disabling attitudes of paternalism and a lack of autonomy are magnified within attitudes towards children and young people, making the penetration of more autonomous and affirmative understandings of disabled arts practice more difficult. The opportunities for ee inclusive and empowering arts practice for disabled children and young people must, surely, be a central part of strategies to address the systemic exclusion of disabled people from careers in the cultural and creative industries. The austerity agenda embarked upon by the Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition Government, and since 2015 ev Conservative Government has disproportionately impacted upon more progressive arts and cultural policy (Newsinger 2015)

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Conclusion