Today the Lyric Hammersmith hosts the first Cultural Inclusion Conference
Today we are 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.
Today’s 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.”
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.”
The Lyric will be live tweeting throughout the conference, to stay up to date follow @lyrichammer #culturalinclusion
The conference takes place following the third year of the West London Inclusive Arts Festival: a collaboration between four London Special Schools, the Lyric Hammersmith and the Wallace Collection. The Cultural Inclusion Manifesto was launched at the 2018 Festival.