History

Set up as “Arts Integrated Merseyside” in 1984, later becoming “North West Disability Arts Forum” in 1990, we were one of the first disabled-led arts organisations in the UK and an integral part of the campaign for greater equality and access for disabled people.

Over three decades later we are still going strong, challenging social attitudes and pushing boundaries in the disability arts scene.

Based in the heart of Liverpool, we have built a national and international reputation for delivering high quality and accessible events and projects, including a critically acclaimed biennial festival.

We ran our first festival of disability arts in 2001. Our festival is one of the most impressive and innovative of its kind, featuring not only works from artists deeply rooted in our home in Liverpool, but also contributions from across the nation and the globe. The festival inspires and celebrates talent and excellence in disability and Deaf arts and is an important date in the arts calendar for anyone interested in new perspectives; for anyone keen to consider examining what it is that shapes our identity within an ever changing world; and for anyone just looking to be entertained!

However, we are more than just this biennial festival. Since 2003 we have been supporting and developing a coherent programme of annual events that aims to encourage and empower disabled and deaf young people through creativity. Since we started, over 2,000 young people have taken part in creative projects and training including visual arts, performance, creative writing and film-making. More importantly, it is the young people who make the key decisions.

At DaDa we believe that the arts can help us develop new ways of understanding, connecting and accepting. We welcome any opportunity to work with organisations or individuals who share our values, who support our key principles of equality and diversity and who would like to share in our celebrations of success, skill, creativity and talent.

If you would like to help or support us, or if you are just intrigued to find out more about what we do and why we do it, then check out the rest of this website.