Have your say about access to the arts

In October 2020 I took part in a Zoom comedy festival based in California. I never expected to be taking part in an international festival this year. If was any other year I would have rather been in Palm Springs but to be honest if it wasn't for global travel restrictions I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do it. Doing Zoom shows is... Keep Reading

I did stand up comedy part time for five years. I'm in a wheelchair and cannot talk. I used text to speech to speech software to tell jokes. I was originally planning to do it on a more casual basis, something like a set every three months. However that didn't happen as I was asked to enter a regional competition on my first night. I later... Keep Reading

Peep peep (that’s me blowing my whistle), it’s time to kick off my lock-down launch for my latest and hottest book! Get ready to get in position for kick off on Saturday 11 April at 8 pm on Instagram! Keep Reading

For this final blog of the year, I’ve looked back over photos I still had on my phone and elsewhere to share with you. These photos speak to the people, events and work that have been significant to Arts Access Aotearoa Putanga Toi Ki Aotearoa in 2019. What drives our work is the belief that all people in Aotearoa will have access and inclu... Keep Reading

I usually try and avoid dance performances due to their inaccessibility for people who are blind, like me. But in November, I had no excuse! The Royal New Zealand Ballet came to Dunedin to present an audio described performance of Hansel & Gretel and I felt curious enough to go along. Keep Reading

Being a visitor at a disability arts conference in another country has both advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: everything is new and interesting; new projects, people, approaches and networking opportunities. One disadvantage: you don't necessarily know enough to make the most useful choices of parallel sessions. But I felt at home in ... Keep Reading

My new show, Manifesto of a Good Cripple, uses dance, film and theatre to tell the story of my career as a dancer with a disability. It discusses themes of identity and provides an antidote to inspiration porn. Keep Reading

It’s time to say “haere ra” and “haere mai” at Arts Access Aotearoa. It’s always sad to farewell a member of our team: in this instance, Claire Noble, Access and Participation Advisor for the past six years. In her time with us, Claire has driven the national Arts For All Network, been events co-ordinator extraordinaire (especially... Keep Reading

Here we are, read us: Women, disability and writing is the latest Crip the Lit project. We began it last year, Suffrage year, and for that reason we chose to shine the light on disabled women writers. Keep Reading

This may be a small book but it packs a lot of punch. In Here we are, read us: women, disability and writing (Crip the Lit, Wellington, NZ, March 2019) we meet eight remarkable women writers who also happen to be disabled. Keep Reading

My name is Kezia Bennett. I’m a wheelchair user and a volunteer writer for Arts Access Aotearoa. I am also a founding member of Wellington Integrated Dance (WIDance). Keep Reading

I was one of three visually impaired performers who recently celebrated the songs of the Beatles and Paul McCartney with some of Dunedin’s finest artists covering their favourites from the Beatles and McCartney song catalogue. Keep Reading

Not to brag but recently I went backstage at Fatboy Slim and met him. Well, okay, I'm bragging. However I also have a point. Keep Reading

In 2018, we invited you to join disabled people and their allies in exploring disability pride and celebrating human diversity as part of Disability Pride Week. Thanks to you, we achieved our goal to keep the momentum going. Keep Reading

I have started to realise that performing in the arts can be therapeutic for some people. What triggered this was hearing a comedian say that "some comedians are sad people. Keep Reading