Inclusive arts for all
Published: 19.03.08
Opportunities for truly inclusive learning in higher education have until now been rare. A new MA course beginning this October at the University of Brighton is set to change this by enabling students with and without disabilities to carry out practice-based arts research.
To date there are few professional artists who are skilled in the facilitation of inclusive and creative collaborations between disabled and non-disabled people due to the lack of training opportunities. 
The MA in Inclusive Arts Practice is one of the first postgraduate courses in the country to address this and is set to open up new opportunities. It will also enable deaf and disabled artists to develop their work in an academic context and give non-disabled students the opportunity to explore inclusive arts and architecture practice.
Students will work on real-life arts projects, supported by a range of specialist arts practitioners and professionals, and collaborating with diverse groups. They will also explore key issues and debates around disability and the arts and develop practical skills to independently initiate, seek funding for, and deliver collaborative and inclusive arts projects.
The new course is modelled on the university's project, Access to Art, which has received regional and national acclaim. Initiated in 2001, the project provides opportunities for students with and without learning disabilities to work alongside each other creating, exhibiting and presenting artwork.
"Disabled people, deaf people and people with learning difficulties are often excluded from arts projects, or have barriers put in front of them which prevent access to high quality education and employment," explains Alice Fox, senior lecturer at the university's School of Arts and Communications.
"In addition, artists with disabilities often work in isolation, away from other art students and outside mainstream arts education. As a result, disability is often misrepresented and commonly misunderstood by non-disabled people. Through the new MA in Inclusive Arts Practice we hope to change these misconceptions."
Project evaluations and feedback from the Arts Council South East and other organisations have shaped the new MA. Findings showed that there were social, educational and cultural demands for more projects of this kind. However, regional and national expansion was limited by the lack of professional development opportunities for artists and other professionals to develop the necessary skills to initiate and manage truly inclusive arts projects.
Alice Fox and graduates from the Access to Art project will be performing with the Corali Dance Company at the Tate Modern on Wednesday 14 May. This performance will showcase the type of inclusive activity envisaged as part of the new MA.
