December 10, 2025
As we close 2025, we also look back at our first two years of EBA. It is hard to believe we are half-way through this generation of the project – a project which remains the largest transnational arts and disability programme in the world.
Our aim remains to smash the glass ceilings of contemporary performing arts. We do this as a consortium of mainstream venues, festivals and companies – at the heart of European cultural production and circulation. Our work is led by our curiosity and respect for the complexity, quality and innovation of work made by Deaf and disabled artists from right across Europe – and led by a commitment to social justice and disability equality.
Our most visible public outcomes are the new dance and theatre productions we commission directly or which we support through financial investment. So far, we have commissioned 7 new works which have received their premiere performances and are now touring around Europe.
In addition, through our ground-breaking European open call process (involving materials in 12 languages and 14 sign languages, and resulting in more than 150 applications led by Deaf and disabled artists from across Europe) we are supporting 4 major productions through financial investment and coproduction support. Two have already premiered, and we eagerly await the other two.
These new works have been presented in the 10 countries of our consortium partners – plus in France where we developed a new collaboration with Theatre Nationale de Bretagne. And these new productions have been presented alongside dozens of performances of existing touring works by Deaf and disabled artists.
And in the 10 countries of our partnership we have implemented strategies to develop larger audiences of Deaf and disabled people. These strategies provide better accessibility including the embrace of digital innovation, but also build trust with communities long-excluded from mainstream cultural experiences. Of course we also aim to reach wider audiences of non-disabled people – but we place special emphasis in breaking down barriers for audiences who have been historically marginalised.
Supporting us as organisations to learn and change have been a series of trainings and study visits – with contributions from some of Europe’s key specialists. We are mainstream organisations whose practices often need to be challenged or developed, and EBA continues to prove a partnership where we can learn and change together.
And, as we change, we continue to take seriously our responsibility to be in dialogue with the cultural sector. We share our learnings where we feel they might be valuable, and we amplify the voices of disabled artists, cultural workers, and of cultural accessibility specialists, to encourage the sector to rethink their preconceptions about disabled artists’ work, and to put accessibility at the heart of their thinking.
Some of our valued partnership in the cultural sector include with IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts, ENCC – European Network of Cultural Centres, ELIA Arts Schools, On the Move, Melbourne Fringe Festival, ONDA – the French national office for contemporary performing arts dissemination, and UNESCO/Modiacult Barcelona 2025. Following our multi-language and accessible European Open Call, we even delivered training to colleagues at the European Commission!
We also have a responsibility towards the disability arts sector, and here our work as coordinator of ADICLUS (the European disability arts and disability cluster) continues. This network of artists, cultural workers, disability arts organisations, cultural accessibility providers, and mainstream organisations continues to champion those in Europe developing professional opportunities for disabled artists. Our network has grown to include members in 25 countries, and the cluster is lobbying hard to improve opportunities and the accessibility of funding for disabled artists in Europe.
And to support all of our work lobbying for greater accessibility in the cultural sector, we have recently launched a major report: Learning to Change. Authored by On the Move and supported by the British Council, the report explores the barriers faced by disabled artists when trying to develop their skills and receive a performing arts education. The reports key findings can be found in a number of languages, and in sign languages, audio files and easy read versions.
So, we have been busy!
Internally we talk about our project as a big octopus – with different arms of our project working in different ways to impact opportunities for disabled artists. And all of our work is delivered in partnership – our tentacles reach far and wide.
We remain grateful for the funding received from Creative Europe, and for the continued support of the British Council.
Two years in numbers
- 1 new partner joining the programme
- 2 co-productions premiered
- 7 dance and theatre commissions now on tour
- 5 artists selected for artistic residencies
- 1 major open call in multiple languages and sign languages with accessible application process
- 1 report about access in the performing art educational sector with key findings published in a number of languages, sign languages and accessible versions
- 6 international laboratories for disabled artists which involved 15 participants, 6 curators, 6 facilitators
- 25 countries involved the European Arts & Disability Cluster, 12 new members in particular from France and Spain
- More than 100 activities developing disabled audiences