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Radical Access

Radical Access launched in full in 2022, beginning a ten-year social change project in partnership with Arts Access Victoria that imagines a radical version of best practice accessibility for the independent arts sector and moves the conversation beyond the provision of access services into cultural equity.

Radical Access is a provocation for change and a call for accelerated action. We’re talking commissioning bold new work by d/Deaf and Disabled artists, providing R&D opportunities for artists who identify as d/Deaf or Disabled, running a series of workshops, masterclasses, mentorships and of course, employment opportunities for d/Deaf and Disabled artworkers. All of this with the aim to significantly increase access and inclusion for d/Deaf and Disabled artists across the independent arts sector.

d/Deaf and Disabled artists are vital contributors to Australia’s arts and culture, with unique perspectives on lived experiences that challenge and redefine aesthetics. But even still, artists with disability earn less than half the income of their non-disabled colleagues. Radical Access seeks to close that gap and have real impact on the lives and careers of all independent artists, artworkers and audiences.

Radical Access 2024

    Conduit Bodies

    An autobiographical memoir blending live performance with revolutionary technology.

    A photo of Melinda on stage, sitting in her wheelchair. She has short, sandy blonde hair, pale skin and is looking up towards the ceiling. She is wearing an orange jumpsuit and a long-sleeved top underneath with an abstract pattern in blue, pink, purple and orange. She sits in front of a dark, projected background image of a forest with tall trees. There is a typewriter on a stand to the left and a partially visible drumkit to the right.
    Past Event
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    Disabled and Sexy - Alter State Closing Party

    Alter State’s Deaf and Disability led closing party set to heat up the basement of Arts House.

    The image shows a person posing for a photo in a dynamic and powerful way. They are wearing a leopard print outfit and holding a whip. The background is a vibrant pink and blue, adding to the dramatic and colourful feel of the image.
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    Notes From a Black Hole

    A semi-autobiographical-time-travelling-sci-fi adventure.

    A person in a beige boilersuit wearing a jellyfish costume on their head and holding a telephone to their ear in front of a backdrop of stars.
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FAQs

The first phase (2022-2025) of Radical Access includes:

  • Creating structures and resources to support artists who are d/Deaf or Disabled to be the drivers of change
  • Increasing the visibility of d/Deaf or Disabled artists into mainstream cultural life
  • Developing empowered, skilled and knowledgeable artists, arts workers and participants
  • Offering year-round opportunities for d/Deaf and Disabled artists to develop and present their work

Radical Access Conversations:

Catch up on our Radical Access: The Future of Access in the Arts discussion that we held live at State Library Victoria in July 2023.

Hosted by Melbourne Fringe’s Access Advisor Carly Findlay, and informed by conversations with future strategist Ana Tiquia, the event began with a screening of a segment of The Last Disabled Oracle, a work created by American writer and disability activist Alice Wong for the Assembly for the Future.

Artist and writer Fayen D’Evie then hosted a discussion with four guest speakers: writer and artist Asphyxia, writer and comedian Alistair Baldwin, poet Andy Jackson, and dancer and performer Melinda Smith.

Radical Access Partners

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Program Partner

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