A two-year initiative to increase employment for learning-disabled and autistic creatives concluded in March 2025 with a livestreamed event at The Lowry in Salford.
Led by Access All Areas and sector partners, the Transforming Leadership programme shared practical solutions and resources, paving the way for more inclusive leadership within the arts.
Discussions covered topics such as navigating benefits for freelancers, accessing Access to Work, the value of creative support, co-leadership models, and accessible board meetings.
Programme overview
From 2022-2025, Access All Areas partnered with seven disability arts organisations and venues across eight English regions, expanding on a pilot programme from 2020-2022 that trained new learning-disabled and autistic cultural leaders.
Impact: The Transforming Leadership programme equipped 14 trainee leaders with enhanced skills, a strong professional network, and the knowledge to navigate work as learning-disabled and autistic professionals. It forged new partnerships and ways to share leadership and employment knowledge across the sector.
Practical outcomes: The Salford event showcased tangible resources and advice for learning-disabled and autistic creatives, addressing key challenges around financial stability, employment support, and inclusive workplace practices.
Blue Apple Theatre's perspective:
Representing Blue Apple Theatre were James Benfield, co-directing trainee with his supporter Chris Pearce, and Anna Brisbane, focusing on inclusive governance with support from Sue Dashper.
James said: “The positive side of the programme has been giving us the confidence, also understanding benefits and how to access to Universal Credit and Employment Support Allowance and to create a positive life experience in the workplace. It’s most helpful when we can all access it rather than being restricted and told we can't access things especially with the creative support which is most important for us.”
Anna said: “I think the event was very interesting and I learned very useful information.”
Artistic Director Richard Conlon shared his reflections on the day:
“Today was a chance for all of the Transforming Leadership companies to meet in one place to celebrate what has been achieved over the last two and a half years, to mark what might be coming next and to keep the pressure up on the organisations that are going to need to be partnered with us if we’re going to make change. It’s been a wholly positive day with smiles and some confused looks when we talked about how to manage our way through Access to Work applications to the Department of Work and Pensions - but the experience was wholly positive.”
Photos from the day below show L-R
1/2 Anna, Chris, Sue, James; 3 Anna, James, Richard, Sue; 4 Presentation within forum; 5 Richard, James, Anna, Sue
