Ever heard of the ‘social model’ of disability? It’s the idea that disability is actually caused by the way society is organised, rather than a person’s impairment or condition – and so it’s this which has to change.
This inspiring theory sits right at the heart of an arts movement that first bloomed toward the end of the 1970s, and led to major advancements in Britain, such as increased accessibility on public transport and the passing of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.
Yet strangely, the UK’s Disability Arts Movement isn’t something that’s widely spoken about – except among the disabled creative community. Even as the parent of a four-year-old autistic son I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t really heard of it until I started working with the team behind the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive, or NDACA as it’s known.
Although a highly successful protest group, the Disability Arts Movement is also inspiring because it brought together a wealth of people from Britain’s creative communities – from comedians and film directors to sculptors and artists. Set up to raise awareness, provoke social discussion and dispel the myth that disabled people want or need to be pitied, it was quite simply ahead of its time.
And with the launch of the million-pound archive later this year – and its digital arm this month – this radical protest movement is now taking its place in the spotlight. The initial plan was to include a thousand pieces in the archive, but cheeringly it has mushroomed to over 3,500, with more to come; the archive, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, will continue to be added to.
“The Disability Arts Movement broke the struggle for social equality down to peoples’ stories and that’s what I’ve always been interested in – how individuals can change society,” says David Hevey, film producer and director and Project Director of NDACA. “This project is all about harnessing the power of art to achieve social change.”
“The stereotype of disabled people used to be that they were a group who needed our pity, when actually in my opinion it’s always outsiders in society who are the agents of change,” he adds. “You can’t necessarily play football with a disability but anyone can be creative. Art allows people in.”