Seeking contributions from artists in the disability art movement

A new initiative has been launched to preserve personal memories from the disability arts movement. The effort is supported by Vici Wreford-Sinnott of Saltburn, who is gathering previously undocumented accounts from participants.

Wreford-Sinnott, who has worked in disability arts for more than three decades and leads the Little Cog theatre and production company in Stockton-on-Tees, is collaborating on the project titled Cripping Culture: A Journey into Disability Arts Heritage. The programme is coordinated by the arts charity Disability Arts Online.

Organisers are inviting artists, activists and audiences throughout north-east England to share written narratives and multimedia reflections. According to Wreford-Sinnott, the movement offers a sense of safety and a place where she does not need to fight daily for equality and access, unlike her experiences in mainstream arts. She described the movement as the foundation that allowed her career to develop and as a place that feels like home.

The project aims to highlight the achievements of disabled artists and advocates who advanced disability rights from the 1970s onward. Collected stories will be preserved in an accessible digital archive and featured in an interactive online timeline. Spoken contributions will also be turned into a podcast series.

Wreford-Sinnott noted that protecting and presenting a history that has long remained hidden is essential for understanding society. She added that disabled people have played a significant role in national cultural life and that their impact should be recognised and used as a learning resource.

Cripping Culture is set to become the first national archive created by Disability Arts Online, developed in partnership with the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive. The project has been awarded funding of 249,607 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Wreford-Sinnott stated that she hopes the history she has shared with many talented colleagues will become accessible to a wider audience. She added that many disabled people are unaware of this history because it has been difficult to locate, and that this initiative will change that.

Author: Grace Ellison