Arts and People with disabilities – cooperative digital working for inclusion during the pandemic Erasmus Project

Project Title

Arts and People with disabilities – cooperative digital working for inclusion during the pandemic

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Creativity and culture; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

With the project, we want to equip people with disabilities with the necessary instruments and skills to find creative and innovative solutions against the risk of exclusion and isolation, but also against the social challenge of ensuring the inclusion of people with disabilities even in the pandemic. In particular, opportunities are sought for how the cultural and creative industries can face these social challenges and make their own contribution to overcoming the pandemic. Special consideration should also be given to creatives and artists with disabilities.
Article 30 of the UN CRPD guarantees the right of people with disabilities to participate in cultural life and to develop and utilise their creative, artistic and intellectual potential, as both amateur and professional artists.
Objectives of the European Lifelong Learning programs, and the “EU disability strategy 2020 for Inclusion in Europe” as well as the UN CRPD are also the better and equal participation of people with special needs at adult training activities but also as adult trainers themselves.
As a result of the Covid-19 crisis, many people with disabilities in Europe were once again discriminated against and often referred to as a risk group. Many people with disabilities were considerably restricted in their freedom, they could neither meet friends nor relatives, and there was no social control in the facilities by visitors and relatives. As a result, many residents suffered from enormous psychological stress, loneliness, hospitalization and depression.
But also people with disabilities, who live independently in their own homes are still particularly affected by the pandemic. Due to the special contact restrictions or the reckless behavior of fellow citizens who do not adhere to distance and hygiene regulations or the obligation to wear a mask, many people with disabilities, who are also members of a health risk group, have become isolated for fear of infection driven.
On the other hand, the cultural and creative industries were also affected by significant restrictions and lockdowns by unemployment and no incomes. Artists and cultural workers with disabilities are particularly affected, too.
Therefore we saw a need for a transnational project, which organises on one hand an exchange of experiences of people with disabilities and the arts and cultural industry from different countries. On the other hand we find the manifold resources and creativity of the stakeholder groups, which shall be manifested through cooperative training in arts and culture, how to claim for equal rights and self determination, to overcome the restrictions of the pandemic and to cooperate in a fair manner to create new business, employment and incomes.
The project will produce five core outcomes:
1. The ART coWORKers methodology
2. The ART coWORKers Course for people with disabilities in the field of active citizenship and creative work
3. The ART coWORKers Performing arts – Shadow theater (6 shadow theatre plays)
4. The digital ART coWORKers Tool Box
5. The ART coWORKers Marketing Plan – Creating the message
Main project activities are working at the core outcomes, organising joint staff training and blended mobilities for adult learners with disabilities, transnational project meetings, stakeholder workshops and a final conference.
In the project are five partners from four European countries (HU, DE, NL and MKD) involved.
In the partnership are cooperating together inclusive adult learning experts for people with disabilities), self-representation organisation of people with disabilities , pedagogical and training experts , a artists and theatre union as well as a specialist in creative and inclusive coworking and virtual topics. This variety of geographic, structural and business diversity makes the consortium very competent and strong.
The project will have the following main impacts.
The involved people with disabilities are empowered and skilled to use arts and theatre play for self-representation and getting equal rights during a pandemic but also in other situations of discrimination.
People with disabilities will have a better and equal access to adult learning opportunities especially to digital learning.
The broader local, regional and national public and the political decision maker are better informed about the UN CRPD, the rights of people with disabilities in general and during pandemic and they have started to reduce the discrimination and segregation of people with disabilities in institutions and at home.
The cooperation between adult training organisation and arts and culture business shall lead to reinforcement of creativity in non-formal and formal education. New skills and competences are created in both sectors.
The involved arts, culture and creative industry will find new business and job opportunities together with people with disabilities. People with disabilities get a chance to work as artists and in the cultural sector.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 265090 Eur

Project Coordinator

Verein zur sozialen und beruflichen Integration e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• KOPF, HAND und FUSS gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Bildung mbH
• People First Egyesület – Pécs
• Vitalped
• Citizen’s Association for Multimedia Art Theater, Creativity and Culture SHADOWS AND CLOUDS Skopje