Lyric Hammersmith Hosts First Cultural Inclusion Conference

On Thursday 18 October, The Lyric Hammersmith is hosting the first Cultural Inclusion Conference in response to the Cultural Inclusion Manifesto launched in May 2018.

This new initiative aims to ensure that disabled children and young people are given equal opportunity to fully engage with arts and culture. In the short time since the Cultural Inclusion Manifesto was established it has gained momentum, drawing support from over seventy arts organisations, politicians including the Shadow Minister for Public Health MP Sharon Hodgson, industry leaders, teachers, artists and parents.

This inaugural conference responds to a commitment in the Manifesto for schools, arts and heritage organisations, disabled people and experts in access to work together to ensure cultural inclusion is seen as an entitlement for all disabled young people with. The aim of the day is to seek out practical solutions and policy initiatives to make change happen, and the results will inform a report that will be presented at Parliament on 22 January 2019.

The conference is supported by NASEN, Lyric Hammersmith, GEM Heritage and Every Child Should.

Anita Kerwin-Nye, Every Child Should said: "I am so pleased that the Manifesto has drawn such an enthusiastic response. Today marks an important step on our journey, as we celebrate the great things that are already happening around disabled young people's access to arts and culture and explore the challenges and set resolutions for the way ahead."

The Conference will comprise of practical workshops and keynotes from Stephen Unwin (Former Artistic Director of the Rose Kingston, Chair of KIDS), Adam Boddison (CEO, NASEN) and Paul Morrow (Manifesto Author and lead practitioner of Westminster Special schools). They will be joined by representatives from Arts Council England and the Deputy London Mayor's office for Culture. The focus of the day will be: problem solving, working better together, sharing knowledge, promoting good practice, and overcoming barriers.

Sian Alexander, Executive Director of the Lyric Hammersmith, said: "We are delighted to host today's conference bringing together key players from the arts, education and policy-making to ensure cultural inclusion for young disabled people. The new Cultural Inclusion Manifesto is vitally important and we are proud to play a central role in its development and to champion its core message and values which chime so completely with our own. We pride ourselves on promoting inclusivity throughout our programmes and work hard alongside our Young Lyric partners, to remove barriers and create fully accessible opportunities for all young people, disabled and non-disabled, to explore and express their creativity."

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