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 Learning to Change. Report launch

Date: December 3, 2025 - December 3, 2025
Location:

Angela Bettoni, an artist with learning disability, stands in the centre of a black box. Her arms are raised towards the ceiling. She is wearing black trousers and a black T-shirt.
Angela Bettoni during the EBA Laboratory in Lisbon, October 2025, ph. Giulia Lenzi

Accessibility info

  • Conversation in English
  • With interpretation in International Sign (IS) 
  • With interpretation in spoken Spanish
  • With AI transcription in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Catalan, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish

About the online event

On December 3, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Europe Beyond Access will launch the new report, Learning to Change – a research report authored by On The Move, and commissioned by Skånes Dansteater in the context of Europe Beyond Access with the support of the British Council – which examines the current state of accessibility in higher arts education across Creative Europe countries and the UK. The research draws on surveys, interviews, and focus groups with disabled artists, cultural organisations, and higher education institutions. 

The report sheds light on widespread barriers to access and participation, while also identifying examples of promising practice. It calls for a shift from reliance on individual goodwill to the development of structural and institutional change. 

The online event – moderated by Maria Vlachou, Executive Director of Portugal’s Acesso Cultura (PT), and Aristide Rontini, dance artist, choreographer, and co-founder of Italy’s Al.Di.Qua association of disabled artists (IT) – will include presentation of the report by On the Move, and responses to the report from artists.

A panel of those involved in performing arts education will explore the implications of the findings, including representatives of Warsaw’s Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art (PL) and Madrid’s Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático (ES).  

How to participate

Join us and be part of the conversation for a more inclusive and equitable arts education sector!  
You can participate in the event online by registering HERE!

Info

When? 3.12.2025 – h. 11 Cet
Where? Online – Zoom

Agenda
h 11 – 13 CET

  • Introduction
    Welcome and context
    Maria Vlachou (Portugal), Aristide Rontini (Italy)
  • Learning to Change
    Presentation of the report
    On the Move, featuring by indipendent researchers Jordi Baltà and Konrad Wolf. 
  • From findings to feelings: artists’ perspective
    Artists share their experiences and perspectives on the report’s findings
    Angela Bettoni (Malta), Tanja Erhart (Austria) 
  • Break 
  • Policy Response
    Insights from a representative of the European Commission on the report’s implications for cultural policy 
    Malgorzata Szlendak, representative of the European Commission, Creative Europe Unit
  • Leading the Way
    Reflections from leading on training routes for Deaf and disabled artists
    Agata Adamiecka-Sitek, Aleksander Zelwerowicz, National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw, Poland
    David Ojeda, Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático, Spain
    Laura Jones, Co Artistic Director, Stopgap Dance Company, UK (the company is partner of Northern School of Contemporary Dance)
  • Closing remarks
    Key takeaways  

The panelists

The photograph shows a young woman with blonde hair tied in a ponytail and dark eyes, wearing a green shirt, a bag over her shoulder, and sunglasses resting on her head, posing outdoors in a park

Maria Vlachou is a founding member and the executive director of Acesso Cultura

Aristide Rontini is an independent disabled performer, choreographer and community dance practitioner based in Italy

The photograph shows a young man with short dark hair and dark eyes, wearing a gray shirt over a white T-shirt and a pair of black eyeglasses, posing in front of a brick wall

Jordi Baltà Portolés is a consultant in culture, sustainability and cultural relations. He collaborates regularly with On the Move and other organisations.

Angela Bettoni is a performer and advocate with learning disability. She has a BA degree in Creative Arts, Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts and Diploma in Community Access for Disabled People

The photograph shows Angela with medium-length dark hair and wearing a black shirt captured mid-performance against a dark background. Her arms are bent and raised behind her, fingers spread, creating a dynamic and expressive posture. Her face is tilted slightly upward, with eyes looking toward the ceiling and mouth slightly open, conveying intensity and emotion
The photograph shows a young man with short reddish hair, a beard and mustache of the same color, and light-colored eyes. He is wearing a dark sweater with an orange lobster design, under which the collar of a red plaid shirt is visible, along with a pair of eyeglasses with a brown patterned frame

Ben Evans, Project Director of EBA. Chair of the European Arts & Disability Cluster and independent Accessible Culture policy consultant. Ben initiated EBA project as the British Council’s European Head of Arts and Disability (2015-23). As a producer Ben specialised in new writing and verbatim plays. Ben was the founding producer of the Lagos Theatre Festival.

Agata Adamiecka-Sitek, PhD, is a professor and theatre researcher at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Warsaw. Her work explores institutional change, accessibility, and cultural wellbeing in the performing arts. Formerly head of research and publishing at the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute, she combines scholarship with practice in dramaturgy and cultural leadership.

A black-and-white photograph of Agata Adamiecka-Sitek with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a dark button-up shirt. She faces slightly to the right, looking toward the camera with a calm and serious expression against a plain light background

David Ojeda is member of the Spanish Academy of Performing Arts. He is Head of the Promotion and Development Department at RESADand member of the Inclusion and Accessibility Committee at ARTEMAD. He has taught workshops on Creation, Inclusion and Accessibility in South America and Europe.