Disability Arts Online

dao showcases disability and deaf arts, profiles artists and offers informative critical evaluation, serving the development of disability arts in the UK and worldwide.

dao is fuelled by disabled and deaf artists, performers, writers and musicians working across art forms with a passion for saying something relevant about disability and impairment.

Sometimes beautiful, sometimes reflective, sometimes angry, often questioning and insightful, disability arts in general is a relatively new art form which has a unique perspective on the arts afforded by disabled people.

dao originated in 2002 as a section on Arts Council England's website, given over to profiling disability arts events, organisations and artists.

Since then, with funding from Arts Council England, dao has built up a vast body of discussion, reviews, interviews, profiles, blogs and resources including a chronology of the history of disability arts in the UK.

dao also performs a role as a tool for students, with many links to bodies within higher and further education. On an informal basis, dao frequently provides information and advice to students who are either on disability studies courses or researching disability arts.

In 2007 dao was granted a major award by Arts Council England's Grants for the Arts fund to rebuild the site. The new site launched in March 2009 and it is now growing audience and reach every month.

"We are very keen to welcome more bloggers and reviewers within our ranks," said Colin Hambrook, editor of dao. If you would like to take up Colin's offer, get in touch via email: editor@disabilityartsonline.org.uk.