Graeae’s Deaf, Disabled and neurodivergent writers have ended their coffee mornings this year with a list... 12 Days of Christmas: on your radar, not your risk register.

In our rebellious spirit, this does not fit to the tune of 12 days of Christmas, but the sentiment does!

  1. On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… a phoenix rising from the ashes, rebuilding the decimated New Writing world with commissioning, programming and funding, and with disability justice at its centre.
  2. On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… a new policy – that every producing venue in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland commissions at least 2 Disabled writers per year. In addition, every show will have a proportion of Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent artists and creative team AND at least 5 Christmas productions across the UK are written by Disabled writers.
  3. On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… venues and companies offering writing spaces, opportunities for R&D, and to platform work by Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent writers (cast with Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent actors and directors!)
  4. On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… buddy and mentoring opportunities, and to work alongside established writers to learn, have dialogue and make new friends.
  5. On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… a creative industry which proactively acknowledges the intersectionality of our Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent communities!
  6. On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me… the funds for Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent-led companies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to establish a writers collective, while this New Writing world is being rebuilt!
  7. On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… a free companion / carer ticket from all theatres and without question, fees, and multiple memberships!
  8. On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… captioning embedded into every production’s set design so Deaf artists and audiences can access the play, the set, and the actors.
  9. On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… a realisation that all theatres need to evaluate their physical access front and backstage as well as offices – as they will be employing Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent people across all areas of the organisation!
  10. On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… an industry-wide recognition that, as artistic community, we will never apologise for being creative people fighting for our equity and equality.
  11. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… a promise that the industry will embrace that we want to BE ON THE RADAR, NOT ON THE RISK REGISTER! (the current industry thinking – that we and our work are a “risk” – is really bloody offensive!)
  12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me… a written commitment that, this time next year, ALL this will have been sorted.