Deaf artists puts the world to rights

A panel for CEDIA curated by Deaf Explorer CIC

Over 150 years ago deaf people were not disabled because they had sign language. Deaf people were well educated, had jobs and fully participated in society. The 1880 Milan conference banned sign language in education, medicalising deaf people, and causing language deprivation.

Deaf people identify as a linguistic minority and rarely identify with the word disability. Deaf Explorer’s ethos is to promote and make sign language visible. Deaf artists are not just one homogeneous Deaf culture they always intersect with other kinds of cultural identity. This intersectionality widens audiences and improves engagement with education, the arts, museums, film and the creative industries.

Deaf Explorer is a leading arts development organisation supporting equality for deaf artists. This panel has been curated in partnership with CEDIA, which represents different art forms, and intersectional identities making new contemporary work in theatre, dance and visual arts.

Deaf artists will describe their work and ambitions and discuss changing attitudes and the perception of deaf intersectional artists.

We can work together to remove barriers to full participation in the arts and openly discuss the barriers contemporary deaf artists encounter in the arts.

Panel members:

Chair: Maral Maghanizadeh

Artist Maral Maghanizadeh has a contemporary interest in identity because she is deaf, female and a refugee.

Rinkoo Barpaga

Theatre-maker, BSL Consultant, stand-up comic and photographer.

Billy Read

Street Dancer.

Philip Freeman

Producer, actor and theatre-maker.