Welcome to the Getting Noticed website!

You may be one of thousands of young disabled people currently checking out this website and wondering what Getting Noticed is all about…

Whether the arts is a completely new experience for you, or if you're already planning your future career as an artist or a performer, we hope that you are going to find something of interest or of use to you on this website. Even if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, we should at least be able to point you in the right direction. If we don't, then let us know. This is a pilot project and we want you to tell us what works and what doesn't, so that it can develop accordingly.

So, what's Getting Noticed all about and where has it come from? At the National Disability Arts Forum we have been aware for some time that very few young disabled people seem to be getting involved in the arts. There may be lots of reasons for this. Perhaps you can't get to exhibitions because transport isn't accessible for you, or maybe no other young disabled people are involved in your local youth theatre company and you don't want to be the only disabled person there. Perhaps your parents and friends have never encouraged you to have a go at drama, music or painting, or any other arts activity. Maybe you're still looking for an arts college or a drama school which actually welcomes disabled students

Whatever the reasons you're not involved, we're here to try and change that and show you that actually there are loads of us who are out there, doing it - now! Welcome to the world of Disability Arts!

You're about to see actors, musicians, painters, photographers, singers, dancers, comediens, poets, writers, TV presenters, cartoonists and many more, both amateur and professional. And we've all got one thing in common. We're all disabled, including those of us who've created and organised this project.

Check out the website and see what we've all been doing during the last ten years. Visit the Getting Noticed exhibition; even if it's not coming to your school or college, you can find it on-line here and browse through it at your own pace. What's happening in your area? Search the Getting Noticed database for organisations near you and find out what's going on. Have a look at the work of professional disabled artists and performers who are known throughout the country, some of them internationally as well.

What makes Getting Noticed even better is that it can be used by your teachers and tutors in the classroom. We've designed an Educational Resource Pack to show them ways of discussing and exploring different aspects of this project with you, as well as getting you thinking about issues concerning the arts. Believe it or not, this project is not only relevant to your art classes and drama sessions. It can easily be used in your English and Music lessons, even in geography, maths and technology. So, out with your usual text-books (only some of them!), and in with Getting Noticed!

Good luck! Check it out, see what's here, and please let us know what you think!

Our Email address is <ndaf@ndaf.org>.