Disability

AbilityNet is a UK charity bringing the benefits of assistive technology to people with disabilities.

Formed by the merging of two leading charities in the field of computer and communications technology for people with disabilities, The Foundation for Communication for the Disabled and The Computability Centre, AbilityNet has been operating since January 1999.

AbilityNet provides free information and advice, individual assessment of technology needs, the supply of assistive technology with free support, a programme of awareness education, and consultancy for employers on system and workstation adaptations.

AbilityNet
PO Box 94
Warwick
CV34 5WS
Phone: 0800 269 545
Fax: 01926 407 425
Minicom: 0800 269 545
enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk
www.abilitynet.org.uk

Organisation for disability access information on arts and entertainment venues in London, since 1981. Artsline also runs www.artsline.org.uk an online disabled access information for Londons theatres, cinemas, and entertainment venues.

54 Chalton Street, London, NW1 1HS
Phone: 020 7388 2227
Fax: 020 7383 2653
Minicom: 020 7388 2227
ceo@artsline.org.uk
www.artsline.org.uk

Moving Matters: Supporting Disabled Dance Students in Higher Education by Sarah Whatley

This resource pack will be a useful reference for anyone who is involved in teaching and supporting the teaching of dance students in higher education. The pack also provides useful information for individuals, agencies and organisations that are supporting disabled dance practitioners prior to entering higher education or after graduation so it will be a valuable resource for professional organisations and those in other education sectors. Whilst the material has a clear focus on dance and the particular challenges associated with practical dance activities, the pack may also be useful to other educators.

In Part One, Sarah Whatley summarises the work that has taken place so far at Coventry University. There are notes on teaching and learning strategies, information about working with a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) in the studio, suggestions for modifying and adapting curricula and ideas for assessment methods and student support. There are some personal reflections provided by students and those who support their learning.

Part Two focuses on two conferences held at Coventry University during 2007, beginning with an outline of the days and then transcriptions or reports of the various presentations. The 75-page booklet has an accompanying DVD, which includes footage from the two days, interviews with speakers and students as well as extracts from some of the performances that were presented as part of the conferences.

The aim is to provide a broad perspective on this area of work together with some ideas about how the work could be taken forward. It is hoped that the pack might encourage an expanding network of practitioners and more collaborative working across the sector.

Copies can be ordered via the Coventry University Online Store - go to www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/d/279/a/2280 and follow the direct link.

Centre for Media Arts and Performance
Institute for Creative Enterprise (ICE)
Coventry University Enterprises
Puma Way
Coventry CV1 2TT
Phone: 02476 158 350
Fax: 02476 158 292
cemap@coventry.ac.uk
www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/d/279/a/2280

Read articles on various aspects of disability arts, including interviews with artists, reviews of disability arts events and comment on disability arts in general. DAO (Disability Arts Online) comes from a Social Model perspective that views disability as something created by society that creates attitudinal and physical barriers for disabled people.

There's a lively forum feature and you can sign up to receive email notification of updates to DAO.

For email notification of updates, please submit your email address in the form on the main page. Please use the contact page to submit material for inclusion. Use the viewpoint forum to discuss features.

www.disabilityarts.com

The Deaf Arts e-group is for Deaf and Hard of Hearing interested and involved in the arts. Hearing people involved in arts activities for Deaf people are welcome to join the e-group. The e-group is to provide news and information on arts events, opportunities and training courses for the Deaf both at home and abroad. The e-group also wants to encourage discussion and lively debate on Deaf Arts and Deaf people in mainstream arts. Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deafarts to join.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deafarts

Deafinitely Theatre is a professional Deaf-led company. Our productions are made from a Deaf perspective and aim to empower Deaf culture, identity and pride locally, nationally and internationally.

We create productions in British Sign Language (BSL) and English, which can be understood by everyone and yet retain BSL as the leading language throughout, on and off stage.

Our Courses and workshops have involved working with deaf writers to make visual ideas into theatre. The workshops help build and structure ideas into short plays to be performed to audiences. It aims to build a bridge between Deaf and hearing worlds by showing plays to both groups as one audience.

Unit 20
Deane House Studios
27 Greenwood Place
London
NW5 1LB
Phone: 020 7424 7360
www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk

Diversity Works for London offers two Gold Standard Diversity tools - one aimed at small and medium sized businesses with up to 250 employees and the other for larger enterprises.

Both tools are free, quick and easy to use.

By using the DWfL Gold Standard tool and implementing its findings you will:
- discover different approaches to designing and delivering on your diversity goals
- measure your diversity performance against best practice standards
- determine what you already do well and what needs to be improved
- receive practical guidance on how to move forwards in diversity - position your business to better compete for contracts, staff and customers
- gain a Gold Standard accreditation of good practice.

To access the toolkit relevant to your business you need to complete our registration form and log-in to your account - we will then automatically route you to the appropriate tool for your business.

http://diversityworksforlondon.com/server/show/nav.006

Etcetera newsletter from NDAF. National Disability Arts Forum run the weekly newsletter Etcetera. It provides information on disability issues, opportunities for artists with disabilities and information about NDAF's activities. Email EtCetera-subscribe@topica.com or visit www.topica.com/lists/EtCetera to subscribe.

EtCetera-subscribe@topica.com
www.topica.com/lists/EtCetera

Half Moon Young People's Theatre is London's leading small–scale theatre company working exclusively with young people under 18. It offers two interlocking strands of activity: it produces and presents professional original theatre and it operates an extensive participatory programme, which includes youth theatres, schools and community projects. Half Moon Young People's Theatre's particular emphasis is on engaging people who are often excluded because of their cultural background or disability, and it offers advice and training to people who work in this field.
If you would like to receive email updates with news about the exciting things coming up at Half Moon please visit www.halfmoon.org.uk and enter your email address.

Services & Resources:

One–to–one advice
Training
Services for young people.

43 Whitehorse Road,
London E1 0ND
Phone: 020 7265 8138
Fax: 020 7709 8914
jackie@halfmoon.org.uk
www.halfmoon.org.uk

Heart n Soul is a leading arts organisation that started in 1986. We use our original work to touch and change people's lives. We do this by giving a voice to learning disability culture and putting it at our heart.

We want our artists and all the people that work for Heart n Soul to have the chance to learn new skills and move forward in their careers. We offer training in different ways to help people achieve this such as:

- Creative skills training for young people, like Do Your Own Thing
- Training courses like I Did That (starting January 2009) that people get valued (accredited for)
- One to one sessions like songwriting or compere coaching
- Learning a trade (apprenticeships) like in technical skills
- On the job training, where one member of the team trains another.

We make music, theatre, dance, visual art, digital art, films and clubs. By working with a range of exciting artists and trying new ways of doing things.

Douglas Way
London
SE8 4AG
Phone: 020 8694 1632
info@heartnsoul.co.uk
www.heartnsoul.co.uk

This resource pack will be a useful reference for anyone who is involved in teaching and supporting the teaching of dance students in higher education. The pack also provides useful information for individuals, agencies and organisations that are supporting disabled dance practitioners prior to entering higher education or after graduation so it will be a valuable resource for professional organisations and those in other education sectors. Whilst the material has a clear focus on dance and the particular challenges associated with practical dance activities, the pack may also be useful to other educators.

In Part One, Sarah Whatley summarises the work that has taken place so far at Coventry University. There are notes on teaching and learning strategies, information about working with a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) in the studio, suggestions for modifying and adapting curricula and ideas for assessment methods and student support. There are some personal reflections provided by students and those who support their learning.

Part Two focuses on two conferences held at Coventry University during 2007, beginning with an outline of the days and then transcriptions or reports of the various presentations. The 75-page booklet has an accompanying DVD, which includes footage from the two days, interviews with speakers and students as well as extracts from some of the performances that were presented as part of the conferences.

The aim is to provide a broad perspective on this area of work together with some ideas about how the work could be taken forward. It is hoped that the pack might encourage an expanding network of practitioners and more collaborative working across the sector.

Copies can be ordered via the Coventry University Online Store - go to www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/d/279/a/2280 and follow the direct link.

Centre for Media Arts and Performance
Institute for Creative Enterprise (ICE)
Coventry University Enterprises
Puma Way
Coventry CV1 2TT
Phone: 02476 158 350
Fax: 02476 158 292
cemap@coventry.ac.uk
www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/d/279/a/2280

Based within Oval House Theatre the Artists' Advisor is an advice service for artists working in theatre and performance. Principally it supports new and emerging artists and has an emphasis on cultural diversity, including disability.

We particularly encourage practitioners who have made some work but haven't been in receipt of public funding and who may feel unsure about how to get their work seen in professional venues.

Services & Resources:

One-to-one advice and information sessions focusing on professional development
Process based discussions of artists' practice
A regularly updated website, messageboard and e-group bulletin

Oval House
52-54 Kennington Oval
London
SE11 5SW
Phone: 020 7582 0080
Fax: 020 7820 0990
michael.atavar@ovalhouse.com
http://www.ovalhouse.com/artists/index.htm

Potential is a programme work focused on dance and disabled people run by the Foundation for Community Dance, the national development agency for community dance in the UK. It works for the development of community dance, and for greater access to high quality community dance for all.

One of the aims within this programme is to provide information and support to artists, arts organisations and venues nationally which is done regularly via email updates. These email updates are intended to keep people up to date and connected to opportunities, events, activities and strategic developments relating to dance and disabled people and acts as a regular mechanism for information exchange.

This is a free service. If you would like to receive these updates then register your interest by emailing mailto:potential@communitydance.org.uk.

In order to keep this information flow as useful as possible, the Foundation for Community Dance want to know of activity that is taking place around the country. If you have information to be included in future updates send it to mailto:potential@communitydance.org.uk. Please note that it may need to be edited for reasons of style, content or space.

Foundation for Community Dance
LCB Depot, 31 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1RE
Phone: 0116 253 3453
Fax: 0116 261 6801
info@communitydance.org.uk
http://www.communitydance.org.uk/

Shape is a London-based organisation aimed at increasing access to the arts for disabled people through programmes such as the Ticket Scheme and Volunteer Escort Service, education and training and its work on deaf arts. The education and training programme develops the work they do to support disabled artists, managers and administrators in creating accessible training opportunities, work and self-employment in the creative and cultural industries.

LVS Resource Centre
356 Holloway Road
London N7 6PA
Phone: 020 7619 6160
Fax: 020 7619 6162
Minicom: 020 7619 6161
info@shapearts.org.uk
www.shapearts.org.uk

Provides poetry workshops, performances, readings, publishing, networking and training for survivors of mental distress in London and the UK. Its outreach project has established a network of 30 writers' groups throughout England and Wales.

Survivors Poetry
Studio 11, Bickerton House
25-27 Bickerton Road Archway
London N19 5JT
Phone: 020 7281 4654
Fax: 020 7281 7894
www.survivorspoetry.com