Cripping Culture: Disability Arts Heritage Project

Cripping Culture: A Journey into Disability Arts Heritage is a groundbreaking project launched by Disability Arts Online to chronicle and preserve the memories, achievements, and stories from the disability arts movement. Led by Vici Wreford-Sinnott, a Saltburn-based artist and founder of Little Cog theatre and production company, this initiative seeks to document the contributions of disabled artists and activists who have advanced disability rights since the 1970s.

The project is actively calling out to artists, activists, and audiences across the north-east of England to contribute their written and multi-media testimonies. These stories will be transformed into multiple formats to ensure accessibility and reach: an interactive digital archive, an accessible digital timeline, and a podcast series.

Vici Wreford-Sinnott, who has been involved in disability arts for over 30 years, emphasizes the importance of this work: "Protecting and showcasing a largely hidden history is vital if we are to understand ourselves as a society. Disabled people have contributed enormously to national life and this deserves to be acknowledged, honoured and available as education." She notes that many disabled people are unaware of their own movement's history because information is difficult to access.

This is Disability Arts Online's first national archive, developed in collaboration with the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive. The project has received £249,607 in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, enabling comprehensive documentation and digitization of disability arts heritage.

Contributors can share their experiences in various formats, including written testimonies and multimedia submissions. The collected materials will create an educational resource for future generations, celebrating the achievements and resilience of the disability arts community.