Europe Beyond Access

ongoing

Europe Beyond Access (EBA) is Europe’s largest and most influential initiative to focus on the active participation of artists with disabilities in mainstream dance and theatre. Ten leading European performing arts institutions are joining forces to advance the work and careers of disabled artists – including Deaf artists, artists with physical disabilities, sensory impairments and learning difficulties – through an ambitious programme of transnational creation and circulation, artistic capacity building and institutional learning. Their goal is to foster innovation in their art forms. They are working to embed best practices in their organisations and networks, champion the ground-breaking artistic practices of disabled artists and platform their work in mainstream institutions. Ultimately, their aim is to eliminate ableism in Europe’s cultural arena. The project builds on the first generation of Europe Beyond Access, which was initiated by a core group of seven institutions and ran from 2018 to 2023. It internationalised disabled artists’ careers and helped them break through the glass ceiling of a sector that has a long history of ‘othering’ or excluding people who do not fit a narrow, prescribed ideal. Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stresses the right of disabled artists to have “the opportunity to develop and utilize their creative, artistic and intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit, but also for the enrichment of society.” Despite the success of the first generation of Europe Beyond Access, only a very small minority of European artists are currently able to exercise this right. A landmark report commissioned by the first EBA consortium identified a lack of knowledge in the cultural sector that creates significant barriers for disabled artists and audiences. The new, expanded consortium will now draw on these insights to adapt its methodology, increase disabled leadership and maximise its impact.