Performing arts

Learning to Change - The Role of Educational Institutions in Fostering Accessibility for Disabled Artists & Culture Professionals in Europe

How accessible – or inaccessible – is performing arts education in Europe for disabled artists and cultural workers?

Learning to Change, a report authored by On the Move and commissioned by Skånes Dansteater as part of Europe Beyond Access, with the support of the British Council, wants to open up the discussion on The Role of Educational Institutions in Fostering Accessibility for Disabled Artists and Culture. The launch of the report was in 2025.

The complete report and the complete recording of the online launch event are available at:

Learning to Change - directs to Europe Beyond Access

Time to Act: Two Years On

Two years on from the groundbreaking Time to Act report, British Council has commissioned On the Move, the international cultural mobility network, to conduct a follow-up report looking further into the knowledge gaps in the cultural sector that contribute towards inequalities for disabled artists and audiences. This new report published in 2023 reveals data-led insights into the accessibility, inclusion, international mobility and professional development of disabled artists in the European performing arts sector, as well as the progress made over the past few years.

The Executive Summary of the report is available in English, French, International Sign, Italian, Polish and Spanish. The English summary is also available as an audio version.

Time to Act: Two Years On, Data-led insights on Performing Arts and Disability in Europe (this will take you to disabilityartsinternational.org)

Time to Act: How lack of knowledge in the cultural sector creates barriers for disabled artists and audiences

How many programmers are actively seeking work by disabled artists? Do cultural venues have adequate engagement strategies to reach disabled people in their communities? These are some of the questions that the Time to Act report has posed in order to assess the knowledge (and lack of knowledge) amongst performing arts managers across Europe. This study from 2021 by On the Move into the barriers that disabled people experience when accessing the arts spans 40 countries. It was commissioned by the British Council through Europe Beyond Access.

Time to Act: How lack of knowledge in the cultural sector creates barriers for disabled artists and audiences [PDF]

"They're smiling from ear to ear" - Wellbeing Effects from Social Circus

The research proves that social circus has a lot of effects to the wellbeing for the people participating in social circus activities.Publication of the Centre for Practise as Research in Theatre University of Tampere. The publication is one of the final publications of the Effective Circus project (2011-2014).

"They're smiling from ear to ear" - Wellbeing Effects from Social Circus [PDF]

Subtitles in Theatre? - report on a seminar on captioning in Finnish theatres