“According to Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): “Everyone has the right to participate freely in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to participate in scientific progress and its benefits“. In Europe, 12.8% of the population aged 15-64 have one or more disabilities. Including in the calculation the whole of the European population, it is composed of 1/5 people with disabilities; it is 19% of the population. In light of these data, we believe that the Italian cultural sector, as well as the European one, must necessarily question these issues and work concretely for the inclusivity and accessibility of its public as well as its workforce“1.
Although the data are extracted from a 2012 Eurostat study, the issue of participation in the arts of people with disabilities remains urgent and extremely relevant. As a cultural institution we decided to trigger a change through a-year-long path of Capacity Building together with other entities, which ended last November 29th with an event in which we presented a Manifesto for a Plural Cultural Institution.
“Ended” may not be the right term, as our research, awareness and activism activity has greatly intensified: today we are happy to be part of Europe Beyond Access Italia 2024-2027, a network of allies led by the cultural association Oriente Occidente that questions and discusses issues of accessibility and inclusion in performing arts in order to generate awareness, spread knowledge and experience of good practices, encourage greater participation and leadership of artists and cultural operators with disabilities by ensuring ongoing consultation of people with disabilities and their representative organisations.
PARTNER: Accademia Nazionale di Danza, AMA Accademia Mediterranea dell’Attore, Associazione Culturale Fuori Contesto, Associazione Culturale Teatro Menzatì co-gestore del Tex_Teatro dell’ExFadda, Ater Fondazione, BIG Bari International Gender Festival, Balletto Civile, C-FARA, Centro Nazionale di Produzione | Virgilio Sieni, Compagnia Menhir, Compagnia teatrale L’Albero, Compagnia Xe, Comune di San Vito dei Normanni, Danae Festival, Dancehaus più – Centro di produzione nazionale, ERT Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione, Factory Compagnia Transatlantica, Fattoria Vittadini, FDE Fondazione Danza Estate, Festival Le Danzatrici en plein air, Festival Tanz Bozen / Bolzano Danza, Fondazione Armunia, Fondazione Campania dei Festival, Fondazione Haydn di Trento e Bolzano, Fondazione I Teatri, Fondazione Matera-Basilicata 2019, Fondazione Nazionale Della Danza / Aterballetto, Fondazione Piemonte dal Vivo, Fondazione del Teatro Stabile di Torino, Fondazione Teatro Grande di Brescia, Fuorinorma, IAC Centro Arti Integrate, Ipercorpo Festival, La Luna nel Pozzo, Lenz Fondazione, MILANoLTRE Festival, MUVet, Orbita | Centro nazionale di produzione della Danza di As. Spellbound, Orlando Festival, Pergine Festival, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Short Theatre, Spazio Kor Associazione Craft, Teatri di Vetro, Teatro Carcano, Teatro delle Moire Banae Festival, Teatro La Ribalta, Teatro Pubblico Pugliese – Consorzio Regionale per le Arti e la Cultura, Teatro Stabile di Bolzano, Teatro Telaio, Triennale Milano Teatro, Teatro Stabile di Torino – Teatro Nazionale, Versiliadanza.
1 2012. Data extracted from Disability statistics – prevalence and demographics, research conducted by Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/34409.pdf 2