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DISABILITY ARTS PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS: RESEARCHING THEIR SOCIAL IMPACT

Simon Darcy, Jenny Green, Jenny Onyx, Melissa Edwards, Simone Grabowski and Hazel Maxwell UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY

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Outline

BackgroundStudy overviewResults of phase 1Preliminary results of phase 2Social impact indicators

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Background Literature & PolicyArts as therapy leisure serious

leisure professionalSocial impact of the Arts and

Disability ArtsDisability arts partnership

projects

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Who Are We…Not Arts SpecialistsResearchersKnowledge of disability and civil

societyParticular interest in social

impact and its measurementActive Citizenship

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Study Aim

To research the impacts of creative participation in the NSW Arts and Disability Partnership projects, 2012 - 2014

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Social Impact and Funding

Beyond anecdotes Robust method Objective methods

Funders/Depts/Treasury

Project and individual characteristics that contribute to social impact

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Study Methods

Phase 1:◦Scoping phase:

document and media analysis, interviews, focus groups and in-depth case studies

Phase 2:◦Social impact measurement

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Project Attributes

Regional and metro regionsProfessional and grass rootsVisual, performance, multimediaFrom arts, disability services,

local government partnershipsPrimarily intellectual disabilitiesPrimarily day programs

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Considering Social Impact Host organisation

◦ Disability service◦ Disability arts◦ Arts◦ Partnerships (of above)

Direct Participants◦ Participants◦ Management◦ Professional staff◦ Artists

External◦ Family/friends◦ Audiences◦ Wider community

Other contributing organisations

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Phase 1 Results – Key Themes

Organisational networks and partnershipsChallenging perceptionsImportance of artistic processesDevelopment of professional skillsDevelopment of creativityIndividual advocacyGreater awareness of artists with disabilityBelongingIndividual networksWelcoming organisationFunding challenges

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A Model of Social Impact for Active Citizenship -Social Impact Model ExplainedIndividual Factors Organisation

Factors

Social values

Belonging Organisational action

Welcoming

Social values DiversitySocial values

Skills NetworksNetworks

Contributions Contributions

Rip

ple

Eff

ect

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Phase 2 – Social Impact Factors

Individual FactorsBelongingSocial valuesNetworksSkills/creativityWider social

impact

(17 indicators)

Program FactorsProgram activityWelcomingSocial valuesNetworksWider social

impact

(15 indicators)

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Social Impact Scoring

AbductiveScoring of 32 indicatorsTotal factor score = average of

indicator scoresNarrative of Social Impact

NOT ABOUT PROJECT ASSESSMENT – EXPLORING SOCIAL IMPACT

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Program Activity

Welcoming

Social Values

Networks

Wider Social Impact

Wider Social Impact

Networks

Social Values

Belonging

Skills/Creativity

0

1

2

3

4

Radar Diagrams

Project 1 Project 5

Individual Factors Program FactorsProgram Activity

Welcoming

Social Values

Networks

Wider Social Impact

Wider Social Impact

Networks

Social Values

Belonging

Skills/Creativity

0

1

2

3

4Individual Factors Program Factors

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Narrative

We want to be seen and heard and giving a voice to the arts so that way we

don't have to be isolated and be invisible and the reason why I come

back to [Project 6] because I work for [Organisation 6] and … I really enjoy the group and working for [Organisation 6] and working with my good colleague

and we work together as a team, side-by-side

(Project 6 Participant)

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Workshopping Ideas

How you, the audience, can help

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Thank you

Jenny.Green@uts.edu.au | Simon.Darcy@uts.edu.au | Simone.Faulkner@uts.edu.au