Accessibility across the arts has improved, but disabled artists in Bristol say removing physical barriers is only part of the challenge. Artists and campaigners argue that disabled creatives also need more chances to perform, exhibit their work, build careers and take leadership roles within the cultural sector. From visual arts and dance to live music, several Bristol artists are now pushing for a system that goes beyond simply making venues accessible.
Accessibility Is Only the Beginning
Bristol has developed a reputation for inclusion, with cultural institutions increasingly considering the needs of deaf and disabled audiences. Yet artists say there remains a major difference between welcoming disabled people into venues and giving disabled creatives meaningful professional opportunities.
Deaf artist Cathy Mager founded Spectroscope in 2022 to produce public installations created by deaf and disabled artists. Her work began during the pandemic when she projected images involving British Sign Language onto a neighbour’s house. That eventually led to commissions connected with institutions and events including Arnolfini and Bristol Light Festival.
Mager said many arts organisations have made genuine efforts to improve accessibility, but added that “there’s a difference between access and showing work by deaf and disabled people.”
Creating Space for Disabled Artists
Through Spectroscope, Mager has also connected with other disabled artists across south-west England. The organisation recently brought artists together at Ham Green House in Pill and is preparing to launch an artist residency at East Quay in Watchet.
Mager believes Bristol’s willingness to embrace difference has helped create opportunities, but she says more can still be done. In particular, she would like to see disabled people taking on greater leadership roles within arts organisations.
Another problem is how disabled artists’ work is perceived. Rather than being treated as part of mainstream cultural programming, their work can sometimes be placed into separate projects specifically focused on disability. Mager argues that disabled artists have already demonstrated that their work can attract wider mainstream audiences.
Rethinking How Cultural Spaces Work
Professional dancer Raquel Meseguer Zafe has approached accessibility from another direction. After developing chronic pain in her late 20s, she found that traditional expectations surrounding how people should work and participate in cultural spaces created significant barriers.
Her experience inspired her to explore resting in public through her artistic practice. One of her projects, A Crash Course in Cloudspotting, invited audiences to lie down while listening to audio accounts of disabled people’s experiences. Since 2018, she has also advocated for a network of resting spaces across arts and cultural venues.
Some Bristol organisations have already adopted similar ideas. Watershed and Arnolfini, for example, provide options such as beanbags and yoga mats that allow visitors to experience screenings and exhibitions while lying down. Meseguer Zafe is also working on Juliet and Romeo at Bristol Old Vic, where a resting space will be available alongside performances offering BSL interpretation and audio description.
Funding Pressures Put Progress at Risk
While cultural institutions can change their buildings and practices, funding remains another major concern.
Meseguer Zafe warned that changes affecting the government’s Access to Work grants could threaten the ability of disabled artists to continue their careers. The scheme can help remove employment barriers by covering costs such as transportation and support workers.
For disabled artists whose careers depend on this assistance, reductions in support could make professional creative work more difficult even as cultural venues themselves become increasingly accessible.
Building a Different Kind of Music Venue
Singer Jess Douek, lead vocalist of alternative metal band Mallavora, has faced similar challenges in live music. Douek has fibromyalgia and experiences chronic pain, making the traditional touring lifestyle particularly difficult.
Rather than abandoning music, Douek and her band developed a touring approach that accommodates her needs. This includes hiring additional assistance and choosing accessible venues that can also better serve disabled fans.
Douek has now secured Arts Council funding and partnered with the Exchange to establish what is planned to become Bristol’s first fully accessible grassroots music venue. The project is intended to give emerging disabled musicians the smaller-stage experience that often forms an important part of developing a career. She said emerging disabled artists can be “locked out of that rite of passage.”
The initiative is expected to launch in early 2027 with quarterly gigs, networking opportunities and a talent pathway connecting musicians with festivals and booking agencies.
Moving From Inclusion to Opportunity
The experiences of Mager, Meseguer Zafe and Douek point toward a broader challenge facing the arts. Accessible entrances, performances, screenings and facilities can help more people participate, but artists argue that genuine inclusion also requires opportunities to create, perform, lead and build sustainable careers.
Bristol has already developed institutions and projects that demonstrate what greater accessibility can look like. The next challenge is ensuring disabled artists are not simply able to enter cultural spaces, but are also given meaningful opportunities to shape what happens inside them.
