Following a nomination at the 2009 Australian Dance Awards and acclaim at the South Australian Screen Awards, Restless Dance Theatre welcomes its new Artistic Director Philip Channells. Arts Access Australia chats with Philip about the future creative directions of the company. More

Arts SA have released a sector-wide consultation to of the arts and disability sector. Download the findings here. More

VSA arts is seeking performing artists/groups with disabilities who are interested in performing at the International VSA arts Festival in Washington, D.C. in June, 2010. Submissions are due August 3, 2009. More

Ever since his father placed his first camera in his hands at the age of three, Rod Westbrook has had a keen interest in producing photographic art. 
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In partnership with Regional Arts Australia, SBS has launched a series of unique vignettes that showcase the depth of arts talent across regional Australia. The artists' stories were unveiled on Thursday 8 May at the Sydney Opera House by SBS Managing Director Shaun Brown and Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Hon Peter Garrett MP. Among the artists profiled was Rod Westbrook from Devonport in Tasmania, whose distinctive wilderness photography is featuring at the Access For Me exhibition in Hobart.   More

Multicultural Arts Professional Development (MAPD) is a national professional development programme initiated by the Australia Council for the Arts, and presented by the Australian Multicultural Foundation, RMIT University and Kape Communications. MAPD is a professional development program for arts and cultural managers, arts marketers, community arts specialists, producers, curators and artists, who wish to refine their skills in utilising cultural diversity for audience development, community partnerships, marketing and targeted communications; creative collaboration and project development and international collaborations. MAPD begins with a seven day intensive period in Melbourne, 10 to 14 August 2009, at RMIT University followed by on-line delivery, consultations and one-to-one advice for a period of up to nine months.
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The Artist Citizen is an exhibition that explores the place of artists with a mental illness towards gainfully participating in Queensland's thriving contemporary arts culture, writes curator and researcher Karleen Gwinner. More

The 9th Annual Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference and training takes place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., August 13 - 16, 2009. More

The Other Film Festival, known for screening groundbreaking films about the experience of disability from around the globe, has launched an outreach program of accessible screenings. These presentations have already been delivered at major cultural institutions, local and regional councils, schools and community organisations. Find out more here.

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Deaf Children Australia has just released an inspiring new book aimed at families of newly diagnosed deaf and hard of hearing children. Entitled Breaking the Sound Barriers: 9 deaf success stories, this collection of real life stories captures the struggles and successes of nine remarkable deaf adults and parents of deaf children. Each explores what helped and what hindered them and offers advice to other parents of deaf children. More

ABC Northern Tasmania's Tim Cox interviewed James Newton and Kim Schneider, coordinators of the Access for Me exhibition, which features the work of over 100 Tasmanian artists with disabilities.  More

Comedian, change consultant and social entrepreneur. Philip Patston is took the stage at the 2009 New Zealand International Comedy Festival. More

During a panel discussion broadcast on the ABC program Q&A, MP Peter Garrett addressed the recent incorporation of arts into the national school curriculum and the ongoing development of government access policies. (36 mins 19sec)

 

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The Society for the Arts in Dementia Care Australia together with Aged Care & Community Services SA & NT Inc is holding the 4th International Conference on Creative Expression, Communication and Dementia at the Adelaide Convention Centre from the 21 - 23 October 2009. More

The Super Human Revolution of the Species Symposium investigates collaborative art and science practices and their relationship with the human body. Taking place in Melbourne from November 22-25, 2009. Arts Access Australia and the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) have sponsored UK disabled artist Ju Gosling as a keynote speaker for the Symposium, addressing the theme of of ‘Augmentation'. More

Arts & Health provides a pioneering international forum for the publication of research, policy and best practice within the interdisciplinary field of arts and health.  More

The consultant is in! Arts Access SA has established a weekly consultant service to help artists with disabilities to get the most out of their arts and to become self-sufficient. Read details here.  More

A new City of Melbourne map that outlines access facilities at some of the city's most popular attractions. This document offers detail on accessing Melbourne's entertainment and sporting precincts.

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The Australian Government has made people with disability a priority for Australia's international development program through its Ausaid program. More

Channel 31's No Limits program received two awards 2009 Antenna Awards, which recognise excellence in community television. With a record breaking seven nominations, the show picked up Outstanding Interview Program. Steve Hurd, who is blind, received the award for most Outstanding Male Presenter. More

An additional 12 independent cinemas nationally will offer captions and audio description services on a regular basis, doubling the current levels of cinema's with access services in Australia. A project of Media Access Australia (MAA) and the Independent Cinemas Association, the ‘accessible cinema' initiative is funded by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing. More

Vision Australia and National Disability Services are among the community groups selected to consult in the digital TV switchover from analogue. The formation of a Consumer Export Group is part of the government strategy to inform the public on the transition. 

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Arts Access Australia is collaborating with Arts and Health Australia to convene an international arts and health conference, The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing at Port Macquarie in NSW. The call for abstracts is now open until 31 May 2009.

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The Boldness, a radio program which examine disability issues on Melbourne's 3CR, invites aspiring broadcasters to send in sound-bites, snippets, music or radio plays for its program.

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Part concert, part theatre show, Food Court features the vision of Back to Back Theatre and the evocative music of The Necks. A hit of the 2008 Melbourne International Arts Festival, Food Court is an intense roller-coaster ride of image, sound and emotion.

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Arts Access Darwin is embarking on its most ambitious project to date. Afloat is set to be a highlight at the Darwin Festival in late August 2009. Funded by Perpetual, other supporting organisations include Community Arts, Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre, Darwin Community Arts, Ausdance NT, and the Australia Council and Total Recreation Jointly.
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The Ripple Effect is an exhibition of seven large digital images highlighting the issues of mental healthcare delivery and recovery. Formed by collaboration of artists following 10 weeks of workshops, the exhibition is showing at the Bleeding Heart Gallery at 166 Anne Street, Brisbane between June 24 -30.

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Bedroom Dancing is a new performance by South Australia's Restless Dance Theatre investigating privacy, intimacy and connection.

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Artlink is a respite program providing access to engaging arts based activities for school-aged children and their siblings. It provides access to experimental arts, cultural development, exploration, socialization and arts learning in an inclusive environment.

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A New York City-based nonprofit organization, Art Beyond Sight produces materials for accessible arts programs for use  in museums, schools, libraries, senior/community centers. As one-stop resource, Art Beyond Sight gives the vision impaired access to arts and culture.
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The Australia Council for the Arts has developed a new arts and disability action plan 2008 - 2010 to guide the organisation in its operations, programs and strategies in relation to access and equity for people with disabilities.

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A revolutionary three year art-science project, run by the Australia Council's Synapse program, is helping unlock the potential of mixed reality environments towards rehabilitation of patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Based at Melbourne's RMIT, ELEMENTS is breaking new ground by using multi-modal interactive workspaces to assist TBI patients in regaining upper limb movement.

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