Feedback from Post-its, Symposium

When you leave the Symposium, what action will you now take?

“I will email the people I met from two universities I met to initiate contact and future collaboration. I will use the word ‘troupe’ more. Troupe… Troupe… Troupe…”

“I will make sure we make our dance studio accessible! (Change to a wider door with a ramp)”

“…- Collaborate with Scottish Conservatoire to look at assessment of excellence in conservatoire training and get Jenny Sealey to work with us on it.- Staff development and programme at NSCD to start in on

broadening access.- Get Jurg over to help inspire us.”

“Arrange a training placement for an emerging artist with disabilities, with our theatre company (large scale producing house)”

“Contact people who I’ve discussed work with and make it happen!”

“I am going to develop my ‘Decision Muscle’”

“Although we had thought about casting a disabled artist in our productions, we will now make sure it happens.”

“Work out what my next steps/role is now in this evolving ecology.”

“Rewrite the Creative Scotland access investment programme guidelines to encompass the thinking and ideas of this event: universal design, equality of access and equality of representation and enable inspirational things to happen.”

“Help collate a bank of information for young disabled people in my area of where they can access training and practitioners who can facilitate this.”

“I’m going to finish Marsaili’s CS application!! Thank you all.”

“I am going to... go straight back to my Director of Events and talk to him about actively seeking out and backing some great integrated performances for the upcoming arts festival!P.S Thank you so much guys ,the last two days were invaluable.”

“Contact Ann Henderson at NTS an bag a lead role in a mainstream production thanks to all for having me.”

“Keep in touch with the people I’ve met- contact those people I said I would!”

“Apply concept of Universal Design”

“Look into Universal Design and how it can further inform our practice and development of the work…”

“I am going to talk to choreographers and insist on doing this as a performer with learning difficulties.”

“Two way learning process! Just do it.”

“Encourage our young people not to be afraid! And lead by example. Let’s play!”

“Tell people about this event.”

“I’m going to create a presentation that’s clear, concise and inspiring and shows others *teachers, dance artists etc) what could be possible.(I’m also going to practice making decisions…!) I think I need to go to Uni of Washington too…”

“Consider difference and diversity in everything involved in my work and be open to possibilities and enhancement that this can offer to everyone.”

“I will seek to cast a disabled person in a forthcoming funded event- will start the process straight away…”

“Signpost the YouTube link for my colleagues.”

“Look at how our website content on diversity and career pathways and ask can it be developed further?”

“Pass the information/links from the Symposium to other Community Arts students and companies I work with. Practice and advocate the Universal Design Theory and implementation as articulated by Jurg.”

“Create a Project with Saleme that can grow.”

“Be positive and breed more positivity.”

“This year I am going to be honest. That is the theme that keeps coming up for me, especially in the last two days. Honest with myself about who I am, my body, my movements, honest on stage. Honest with the audience. Honest with YOU. Be honest. Ask questions. Do it.”

“Link researchers and build up Coventry University seminars that draw on this work and performances to disseminate examples of practice.”

“I’m going to… arrange a meeting with the disability officer at my uni (RCS) to discuss how I can get involved with recruiting disabled students: facilitating workshops or working on specific open days to see disabled students at the RCS!”

“Research Universal Principles and embodied(?) in our college curriculum and our outreach prevision to share with all our mainstream partners.”

“I am going to carry on…”

“I am going to work towards writing a dissertation that is progressive and informative rather than descriptive as I suspect it might have been had I not come here! Thanks for reminding me not to see the world through blinkers!”

“I will make my blog accessible”

“Integrate Universal Design explicitly into our courses.”

“Discuss a support strategy for a BA student. Keep going/ Keep having the conversation.”

“Ensure Gloucestershire Carnival has integrated performance element.”

“Ensure Olympic Torch event in Cheltenham has a high number of Disabled Artists.”

“Invite CandoCo and Graeae to FST Emporium to enable more discussions around touring in Scotland (and learn sign language).”

“Collaborate. Start a conversation with those individuals and companies that have inspired me at this conference.”

“Stop being so dependant on others. Do it myself. Stop being a lazy bastard! Independent.”

“Advocate for the artistic opportunity to be more imaginative in our practice.”

“I am going to initiate a process of helping teachers in the Conservatoire to develop their ability to deliver teaching (and assessment) to a diversity of students in an integrated setting and to feel equipped and supported to do so.”

“Whilst Art Council’s role cannot be involved in influencing curriculum, it can act as an advocate. I will discuss ambitions and findings of this seminar with colleagues of Arts Council to see if we can influence and bring people together to move things forward.”

“Participating in research network.”

“Book performances of some of the companies we saw last night in our theatres.”

“Contact Jenny Sealey and move strictly collaborative on to the next level!”

“Stand up- maybe make a dick of myself but who gives a shit.Thank you everyone!”

“Going to- run with the idea of ‘get them young’ and meet with our children’s/learning team about making our programme inclusive to find and nurture young disabled writers!”

“Text Angela.”

“Feed the ‘Universal Design’ principles in my practice (to challenge myself) and infuse it in my teaching plan.”

“Tell my lecturers about this Symposium and start dialogues about inclusion and possibilities at our uni.”

“Make work.”

“Research/map/ask who/where are these local people with disabilities. How can we engage with them more in and through education?”

“Write a new introducing note to append my plays- developed from ‘the cast should look more like the world outside’. A note which would take absence of cast info and turn it into a positive request for the director to think about their troupe and who it might include!” “Get on with it… Action action action! Rip up my annual action plan.”

“Look into LSA opportunities and training. Call a spade a spade.”

“Contact Jurg about video BSL access…”

“Should training Deaf Awareness and teaching British Sign Language.”

“Be more strident about asking for support/involvement from big organisations in my project to encourage dialogue about international collaboration (with disabled artists).”

“Dance Base will present Caroline Bowditch and Marc Brew in the Edinburgh Fringe this year- go to www.dancebase.co.uk after June!”

“I’m going to send out a breakdown for an NTS show to various people that I have met here. And I’m going to keep asking the question what if?”

“Build an accessible theatre in Plymouth University.”

“I will go on to make sure it is known in other places I work that I can teach/lead inclusive workshops and classes.Tell two colleagues all about the conference and discuss a networking idea with another project.”

“Share access to all the DVD/YouTube footage with local Youth/School/Arts groups. (And feedback into Company Manager for Pitlochry Festival Theatre!).”

“I work as a scientist on a farm- Art, never mind disability in the arts, is never a part of lunch time conversation- I am going to bring some of the conversations here at the conference to the lunch room.”

“Explore what and why in all areas of work and start to ensure programs are truly inclusive and what other things need to happen with whom!”

“I will write an article for Scottish Review on the conference and the ‘cultural shift’ sensed in disability arts.”

“I’m going to use Adam Benjamin’s map to invite young disabled people to the U. Dance 2012 event at Southbank Centre, where they will see inclusive youth dance groups perform.”

“Write a blog for the Scotsman website arguing power-holders in theatre to get on with it- no more excuses…”

“I am going to say ‘what if…’ to everyone I think that could make a different creative casting choice.”

“I am going to find funding to get expert drama practitioners from Scotland and Chickenshed to train our practitioners (staff and freelancers) at The Citizens to work more inclusively and open all classes up even wider…”