Stories

Art, activism and access

  • Series
Photographic portrait of a young person seated outside in a electric wheelchair looking to camera. Behind them are long grasses and shrubs lit from behind by a low sun.
Jamie Hale, Camilla Greenwell. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

The disability arts scene seems to be blossoming right now, and Jamie Hale is excited. As a disabled artist and activist, they want to investigate the interactions between disability and technology, access and art, and discover ways to make their own work more inclusive. In conversation with fellow artists, Jamie explores the places where accessibility and creativity collide, and asks whether technology should be used to cure and mitigate, or to truly break barriers.

Black and white photograph with a warm tone. The image shows a young woman seated in a wheelchair against a black curtain and lit by a spotlight. She is performing to an audience. She has been captured 'in action'.
  • Article
Disabled musicians and the fight to perform

Music might be the universal language, but unfortunately it doesn’t come with universal access. London-based artist Miss Jacqui discusses the barriers to her career with Jamie Hale.

Photograph showing a performer on a stage in a small theatre. The performer is dressed in a shiny gold suit. Their right hand is holding a microphone to their mouth. In their left hand they are holding a white cane. Their mouth and eye brows are covered in blue glitter make-up
  • Article
The politics and power of audio-description

Traditional theatre audio-description often lets down artists and audiences. But, done well, it has the potential to be a force for creativity as well as accessibility.

About the author

Photograph of Jamie Hale

Jamie Hale

@jamierhale

Jamie Hale is a poet, writer and researcher based in London. Their work explores the embodiment of queer, trans and disabled experience, the meaning of disability, and the reality of life with severe impairments and gender dysphoria. Jamie has written for a number of publications, including the Guardian and the New Statesman, and has performed as a poet at the Barbican Theatre, London, and Tate Modern, among other venues.