The 5th UK-China Disability Arts Forum, hosted by the British Council and the Beijing Body On and On Cultural Exchange Center, took place at the Yun Theater in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Dec 2 and 3.
This was the first time the annual event was held outside Beijing. It continued its goal of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in the arts, as well as facilitating exchange and collaboration between China and the United Kingdom in the disability arts field.
Themed on historical encounters, this year's forum offered a chance for reflection and evaluation of past endeavors by both countries, while calling on attendees to envision creating a more accessible future.
This year's event included eight keynote speeches, 10 promotional pitches on the latest arts projects and two roundtable dialogues — The Creation Space for the Disabled Artist and The Inclusive Development of Disabled Arts in China.
Barrier-free support was available at the event, which was held at a guide dog friendly venue and livestreamed, including sign language interpretation, simultaneous interpretation in Chinese and English, as well as real-time Chinese subtitles.
