‘An “Afterthought”: Investigating Barriers to Arts Engagement for Disabled People in Wrexham, North Wales
Thomas, Grace and Shepley, Alec (2026) ‘An “Afterthought”: Investigating Barriers to Arts Engagement for Disabled People in Wrexham, North Wales. The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts. ISSN 2327-2104
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Abstract
In November 2021, a research report was published authored by On the Move and commissioned by the British Council called Time to Act, which focused on arts engagement by disabled people in Europe. The report evidenced the lack of accessibility in the arts for disabled individuals and low confidence among arts organizations in including disabled people in their activities and events. In total, 48% of respondents were not very/at all confident in the accessibility of artistic programs for disabled people. The report also demonstrated insufficient consideration of disabled people in the planning and facilitation of arts events or programs. This article, based on our 2025 Arts in Society conference presentation, details our research into how these findings relate to Wrexham specifically. Through creating community links within Wrexham, holding public forums, and creating an online survey, we have formed an overview of how the arts are perceived within the area, by disabled communities and individuals. This article articulates the development of a network of third-party collaborators who have an enriched knowledge and understanding of the arts community in Wrexham in relation to disability and community arts, such as The Wrexham Miner’s Project (Art4All) and Emerge Community Arts. Through this research, we examine the challenges and identify possible ways forward in enabling local arts venues, event organizers, creative practitioners, and policy makers to utilize sustainable approaches to the perspectives of disabled people in Wrexham, with the aim of enabling arts engagement.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Keywords: | Disability, Arts Accessibility, Community Engagement, Emancipatory Research, Qualitative Research |
| Divisions: | Creative Arts |
| Depositing User: | Hayley Dennis |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Jun 2026 09:37 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Jun 2026 09:37 |
| URI: | https://wrexham.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18463 |
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