Radio for Deaf People

A new initiative by National Public Radio, technology firm Harris Corporation and Towson University in the US is developing radio for the deaf, a counter- intuitive sounding system that translates speech radio into text in real time.

The first commercial radios are expected to be available towards the end of this year.

Read more at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/ 7173582.stm.

Equata: Executive Director - Project Development Officer

Equata Disability and Deaf Arts Development South West

* Executive Director: GBP 30,000
[based in Exeter ]

Due to the retirement of the present post holder, Equata requires a new Executive Director to lead the strategic regional development agency to establish disability and Deaf arts practice across a large geographical region that has many social, economic and cultural imbalances. The Executive Director will develop/ consolidate robust and sustainable partnerships and attract inward investment in order to allow disabled and Deaf artists to have career choices and bring on another generation of high quality disability and Deaf arts.

* Project Development Officer [Maternity Cover]
3 days per week: GBP 24,430 [pro rata]
[based in Exeter ]

Equata is committed to ensuring that emerging disabled and Deaf artists have equality in their professional development. This post will continue the development of an ongoing strategic project to establish this objective and build partnerships for such projects in other parts of the south west. This temporary post to start on 28 April 2008.

Equata positively welcomes applications for both posts from disabled and/or Deaf people.

Closing date for applications for both posts: 8 February 2008
Interviews for Executive Director will be held on 20 February 2008
Interviews for Project Development Officer will be held on 27 February 2008

For further details and application form please contact Stephanie Cheesman at
stephanie.cheesman@equata.co.uk or 01392 219440.

© Ajaykumar

iPak - 10,000 Songs, 10,000 Images, 10,000 Abuses

iPak - 10,000 songs, 10,000 images, 10,000 abuses is a trilogy of three interconnecting internet art works, commissioned by American Media gallery Turbulence, to be publicly launched on 14th March, 2008.

This trilogy of works - chaos, jukebox, and platform - is an auto-ethnographic and polyphonic narrative responding to scientific research which indicates that racism engenders mental illness.

This science-art project - conceived and curated by Ajaykumar, and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts (USA), Artsadmin (UK), Arts Council England, Goldsmiths University of London - is an evolving, generative, interactive and relational work, that fully comes into 'being' through your participation.

Each work - chaos, jukebox, and platform - involves varying synergies of still images, videos, animation, poetry and other texts, sounds and music. These are a combination of those initially created by Ajaykumar, as well as those eventually submitted by you.
This project is open to anyone interested in the themes of iPak - 10,000 songs, 10,000 images, 10,000 abuses. Whether or not you have experienced racism and/or mental illness, you may upload works on these themes, on the notion of racism engendering mental illness, and on art as re- generative force.

For further information please contact Ajaykumar at:
ajaykumar@ipak.org.uk.
More about ajaykumar at:
www.ajaykumar.com.

Resistance: Call for Actors

A short film drama about the Nazi mass murder of disabled people in the late 1930s, 'Resistance' is the latest production by award winning writer/director Liz Crow (The Real Helen Keller, Frida Khalo's Corset, Nectar).

They are looking to cast a number of key roles to be played by female and male DISABLED ACTORS (with visible or invisible impairments), shooting in June 2008.
You need to be slim/thin, and between 18 and 90 (please note this includes black disabled people).

Please send a full length photo, details of any acting experience, and tell them why you're interested in the project: Casting, Roaring Girl Productions, 1c Birchall Road, Bristol, BS6 7TW.
Deadline: Wednesday 23rd January

Sensory Trail

Expressions of interest from artists working with the senses.

The Access to Heritage project, a Mencap Liverpool project is working in partnership with The National Trust at Speke Hall in Liverpool to create a multi sensory trail.

Speke Hall is a Tudor Manor house with rich Victorian interior, set in formal gardens and woodland estate on the outskirts of Liverpool. It is a challenging context within which to offer opportunities for sensory interpretation and tactile engagement, but a newly developed and bespoke design sensory trail would offer this opportunity to all visitors.

They are looking for expressions of interest from Artists who work with the senses to work in consultation with the 'Access to heritage forum' - which is a group of adults with learning disabilities who are dedicated to making interpretation at heritage venues more accessible.

Selected Artists would be expected to undertake a consultation process with the forum members, including visits to Speke Hall and workshops before submitting ideas for the sensory trail.

Artist fees GBP 4200 per artist. Materials budget GBP 1500 per artist.
Project timescale: March to November 2008

To apply e mail a CV, images and an expression of interest to
ticky_lowe@hotmail.com.
Deadline for applications 31st January 2008

Emotion Pictures: 2nd International Disability Documentary Festival in Greece The 2008 call for entries has been uploaded to
www.ameamedia.gr/en/fest-08/participation.

The organisers are looking for disability documentaries. This year there are seven prizes of Euros 10,000 each to be won.
The deadline for submissions is 30 March 2008.

Extra Ordinary - Casting That Dares To Be Different

Extra Ordinary Casting is an exciting new venture with the unique role of teaming disabled people with the TV and Film industry. It was set up by Roz Sinclair, who was the Casting Producer for the BBC series Beyond Boundaries 3 (to be broadcast in Spring this year). They aim to develop a positive image for disabled people within the media and help create challenging new role models.

"We want to hear from people who are not going to defined by their disability, who are interested in being considered for a wide range of TV programmes, Extra work in films and modelling."

If you are interested please email
info@extraordinarycasting.co.uk.

Inclusive Practice in Museums, Galleries, and Archives

A series of four workshops for practitioners and volunteers.

This series of four workshops covering inclusive practice in museums, galleries, and archives is delivered in a partnership between University of Westminster's Centre for Arts Research, Technology, and Education (CARTE) and Museums, Libraries, Archives London.

Over the four workshops many aspects of inclusive practice will be covered. Several inclusion themes are woven into each day's programme. There will be case studies and guest speakers from a range of organisations and there will be opportunities for delegates to explore their own issues and ask questions through each of the workshops.

The workshops are aimed at staff and volunteers in museums, galleries, and archives throughout the UK, but are open to everyone throughout the museum, library, and archive sectors.

For further information either click on the workshop title or go to the Training section of MLA London's website at
www.mlalondon.org.uk.

Drake Music: Professional Development

Drake Music is staging a free, one-day professional development seminar in London on 25 March for disabled and non-disabled musicians interested in working with them. The event is supported by Shape and will provide information about their work, what they look for in associate musicians and how they support them, as well as the chance to hear from disabled musicians working in the cultural and creative industries, and to see assistive music technology in action.

For further info please contact
seminar@drakemusicproject.org.

A Wider Embrace: ICT & The Arts - National Conference and FREE Training Events

Voluntary Arts England are holding a conference on ICT (information and communication technology) and the Arts on Wednesday 13 February 2008 at The Birmingham and Midland Institute.

Complimenting this event is a series of FREE regional training sessions:

* 12 February 2008 - London

* 25 February 2008 - Cambridge

* 26 February 2008 - Newcastle

* 29 February 2008 - Wakefield

* 3 March 2008 - Sunderland

* 4 March 2008 - Sunderland

* 6 March 2008 - Exeter

(further events to be announced in Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham).

Further info can be found at
http://www.vaengland.org.uk/.

Abnormally Funny People Too

Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street , London W1, 23 - 26 January; 30 January - 2 February, 8pm

Abnormally Funny People are back with more stand-up, sketches and random silliness. All talented stars, the new team has four differently disabled acts and a 'token' non- disabled!

With Liam O'Carroll, Caroline Parker, Paul Betney, Gareth Berliner and Juliet Cowan.

Tickets: GBP 12 (£10)
BSL interpreted performances on 25 January and 1 February. Blind and partially sighted people will be invited to come along at 7.30pm (30 mins before curtain rises).

To book tickets, go to
sohotheatre.com (go to 'comedy').
Abnormally Funny People:
www.abnormallyfunnypeople.com

Oska Bright @ BFI London

A rare chance to see a selection of films made by and for people with learning disabilities, fresh from the 2007 Oska Bright Film Festival, as part of the X'08 London International Disability Film Festival.

Saturday 16 February at 11.30am
Tickets GBP 2 - call 020 7928 3232, minicom 020 7620 20025,
www.bfi.org.uk (go to the BFI Southbank page and click on the date. Tickets GBP 3 if booked on-line).
Screening in NFT2, accessible to wheelchair users, all films surtitled/audio described.

Oska Bright is produced and presented by Carousel and Junk TV.

Preface Morn at Camden People's Theatre

Thursday 24th January 7.30pm, Camden Peoples Theatre, 58-60 Hampstead road, NW1 2PY

Preface Morn, the integrated, collaborative performance company, will perform Beauty in Stone as part of the Scene Pool, a platform for new work organised by Brunel University. They mix contemporary dance with theatre and performance art.

Tickets GBP 6.
Phone the Box Office on 08700 600 100 to book tickets.
For more info visit:
http://www.perform.tv/thescenepool/ beautyinstone.html.

Preface Morn would like to thank Questors, Candoco, IsoActive and the Oval House for space and support.

FROGTASTIC' Club Night News - Next Liverpool Event

Wednesday 6th February 2008, 7.30pm to 11.00pm - The Picket, 61 Jordan Street , Liverpool , L1 0BW (The entrance to this venue is located on New Bird Street)

'Frogtastic' is Liverpool 's premier 'inclusive' club night for people with learning disabilities, their friends and guests.

Tickets can be reserved from 'The Heroes Project' on 07946 424075 or by email at
info@heroesproject.org.uk Advance Tickets for all 'Frogtastic' events are GPP 4.00 each. - 'Dare to be Different - Enjoy Yourself'

Disclaimer:
NDAF cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information from outside sources.
Re-use of images require the agreement of the copyright holder.
Send submissions to silvie@ndaf.org. Images welcome.
We cannot gurantee publication of any work submitted.
Any content offered will be rejected if, in the editor's opinion, it is discriminatory or causes offence in any way.

The National Disability Arts Forum is funded by Arts Council England.