A new blueprint aiming to overcome the barriers facing Clare’s Disabled Community in the Arts and Culture sectors has just been published.
The ‘Levelling Access’ report, conducted in conjunction with Galway City and Mayo Council found that almost half of respondents here felt restricted by a lack of networking opportunities.
The survey involved an extensive consultation process with a total of 45 stakeholders from the three local authority areas.
The interviewees included artists from the disabled community, care workers, family members, community representatives and policy makers.
All contributions were confidential and not attributed to any participant.
Clare was singled out for strong praise in the report, with the county’s ‘Embrace’ programme recognised as a leading initiative.
The Embrace Programme allows artists of all levels with a disability to collaborate with industry professionals to perform residencies or small concerts to hone their skills.
The HSE Dulick Centre on the Gort Road in Ennis was also recognised for its role in providing a range of quality in its Arts programme, which involving four in house instructors who facilitated drama, dance, ceramics, painting,sculpture & crafts.
However there were notable barriers to access identified in this county, with 45% of respondents citing a lack of networking opportunities, 36% cited a lack of studio or workspace access, while more than 60% reported difficulty in accessing funding.
