Overview 

More than 5.5 million Australians live with disability, which is over 20% of the population. Yet artists with disability have long battled discrimination and access barriers in the fight for representation and recognition. 

Launched in 2025, this groundbreaking digital archive documents the transformative impact of artists, arts organisations and allies working in the sector from the 1970s to the present. 

It’s an important resource for creatives with disability and anyone else working in the sector, engaging in co-design or looking for case studies and leading practice. Users can learn about leaders and innovations, search more than 10,800 people, organisations and works, and create tailored reports, training resources and events to support inclusion across the sector.

Key features

Created in collaboration with more than 100 artists, arts workers and allies, the site features:

• 49 artist video interviews exploring the work, representation, identity and lived experiences of creatives with disability – all with Auslan interpretation
• 70-year timeline recording milestones in the story of Australian disability arts
• 1661 archival records tracing the story of creatives with disability, political settings and organisational history
• 10,684 people, organisations and artworks providing a detailed look at the disability arts sector.

The archive is a record of the breakthroughs, innovations, setbacks and struggles of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creatives. It’s also a practical tool for implementing change. Primary resources have been included without modernising language, as a candid record of the lived history of people with disability. 

The archive was created through a major research collaboration funded by the Australian Research Council, with support from Creative Australia, Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Justice, and Curtin University’s Centre for Technology and Culture, alongside Arts Access Victoria and the University of Melbourne.

Artwork: 'care-shed, 2025’ by Janice Rieger