Arts & Disability Forum 2017

(From left) Keynote speakers Ramesh Meyyappan and Myra Tam sharing takeaways from the discussions with Minister Grace Fu (far right). Accompanying Minister Grace Fu are, (third from left) Jean Tan, Executive Director, SIF, Ku Geok Boon, CEO, Enabling Village, and Chua Ai Liang, Director, Arts & Communities, NAC.

Myra Tam (right) sharing with Minister Grace Fu (left) about her work at the Arts with the Disabled Association in Hong Kong that promotes the artistic talents of people with disabilities and also advocates an inclusive society through the arts.

Minister Grace Fu (left) encourages participants to work together and push boundaries in the arts and disability sector to shape an inclusive society. A sign language interpreter next to her, helps communicate this for the hearing impaired participants in the audience.

Over 180 participants from diverse sectors engage in The Arts & Disability Forum 2017, which aims to raise awareness of the potential of the arts as a platform to build a more inclusive society in Singapore.

A good turnout at the Forum which was co-organised by the NAC, BC and the SIF. (From left) Paul Tan, Deputy CEO, NAC, Guest-of-Honour Minister Grace Fu, Roland Davies, Country Director, BC, Jean Tan, Executive Director, SIF, Chua Ai Liang, Director, Arts & Communities, NAC.

“We are not doing it [inclusive arts] because we are kind, we are doing it because we need it” says Dr Alice Fox in her keynote address ‘Making the Case for Inclusive Arts’.

Myra Tam demonstrating a smart phone application that helps the visually impaired navigate their surroundings, as part of her keynote address titled ‘Regional Trends in Inclusive Arts Programming: Hong Kong’.

Ramesh Meyyappan shares in his keynote address that he, “did not want to wait for a deaf role to be created for him so he created one for himself” in reference to his role in the theatre scene where he has developed performances using an eclectic mix of visual and physical theatre styles.

Minister Grace Fu (in a red dress) enroute a tour of The Art Faculty at Enabling Village that features the artwork and merchandise of students and alumni of Pathlight School who are in the school’s Artist Development Programme. The venue is designed for interchangeability – an art gallery, a training ground, a studio, a shopping venue, a DIY workshop and art café.

Minister Grace Fu (in a red dress) enroute a tour of The Art Faculty at Enabling Village that features the artwork and merchandise of students and alumni of Pathlight School who are in the school’s Artist Development Programme. The venue is designed for interchangeability – an art gallery, a training ground, a studio, a shopping venue, a DIY workshop and art café.

Panellists from diverse parts of the arts and disability ecosystem (from left) Dr Alice Fox, Maureen Goh, Fatima Mustafa, Ramesh Meyyappan, Myra Tam and Moderator Chua Ai Liang discussing the topic: ‘Overcoming Challenges in Bridging Theory and Practice in Arts & Disability’.

A multi-sectorial panel comprising (from left) Annie Yeo, Caroline Lee, Azalea Ong, Luanne Poh, Myra Tam and Moderator Low Kok Wai in conversation for Panel Discussion Track A on ‘Moving forward in Overcoming Gaps in Arts and Disability’.

Panellists from Track B (from left) Joshua Yang, Liang Huishan, Damien Lim, Dr Alice Fox, Jean Loo, R. Chandran and Moderator Jean Ng look at ways to approach ‘Inclusive Programming’ for the arts and disability sector.

The SIF partners eight representatives from the Public, Private and People sector for the Focus Group Discussions. Facilitator Pedro Aguirre (standing) from Make the Change, talks about design thinking for arts and disability programmes.

Facilitator, Soh Lai Yee, Head of Cultural Exchange, SIF (far left) with participant Lim Li Li (far right) and her assistant (centre) at a focus group that urged the need for transformation from a charity to a social model with involvement of multiple sectors.

Participants at the Focus Group Discussions facilitated by the Kimberly Cham (in red) from the National Council for Social Services explore the potential for the arts to support and empower persons with disabilities to live within and participate actively in the community.

Facilitator (standing) Justin Lee from Institute of Policy Studies explaining how to measure the impact of arts and disability programmes at the Focus Group Discussions.

Soh Lai Yee, Head, Cultural Exchange, SIF, in her Closing Remarks, highlighted that if we want a big shift in mind sets and develop a holistic approach to foster an inclusive society, we need a mix of art practitioners, government bodies and corporate representatives.