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Spotlight on International Day of Persons with Disabilities

3rd December, 2025

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we take a look at some of the fantastic arts organisations and venues which are supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to ensure that the arts are accessible to everyone.

Left to right - a man with short dark hair, wearing glasses and a t-shirt, standing behind a woman in a wheelchair with blonde hair and glasses, wearing a beautiful pink dress, sitting beside a woman with dark brown hair, wearing a black dress, smiling at the camera.
Enjoying International Day of Persons with Disabilities are Rogue Encounters who performed a special piece of work Don’t Fence Me In for charity Brain Injury Matters, supported by funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and by Lyric Belfast. Stars of the stage Stephen Gifford and Kathryn Clarke were among the cast who celebrated the fabulous production with Nora Douds, Chair of the Arts Council of NI.
  • Rogue Encounters (Kids in Control) will present a showcase performance called Don’t Fence Me In with the Brain Injury Matters Ensemble at the Lyric Theatre today.

The show is a combination of intimate storytelling and vibrant ensemble messaging about the challenges of life post-brain injury, with an emphasis on vital support needs.

https://lyrictheatre.co.uk/wha...

  • Open Arts is an award-winning arts and disability charity, which has championed creativity and inclusion, empowering disabled people to engage with and shape the arts since 1992. The Open Arts Community Choir was awarded the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Inspiration Award in 2025.

https://openartsni.org/

  • Stage Beyond is an award-winning Theatre Company empowering adults with learning disabilities. It offers professional arts training in a variety of disciplines and aims to encourage self-esteem, sociability and life skills.

https://www.stagebeyond.com/

  • Black Box Projects is a wide-reaching outreach and engagement programme for and by people who identify as disabled, and/or have additional support requirements including mobility and/or mental health support.

https://www.blackboxbelfast.co...

  • The Millennium Forum is committed to ensuring an accessible and inclusive experience for all visitors, with facilities and services designed to meet diverse needs. It was recently shortlisted for Best Disability Initiative at Letterkenny Chamber Awards.

https://millenniumforum.co.uk/...

  • Drake Music NI provides access to independent music making for children and adults with all natures of different abilities.

https://drakemusicni.com/

  • Live Music Now works alongside those with reduced access to live music, in care homes, schools, hospitals, hospices and community settings across the UK.

https://www.livemusicnow.org.u...

  • University of Atypical supports and promotes work by d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in Northern Ireland and beyond.

The organisation is led by disabled people and runs the annual Bounce festival and the Arts and Disability Access Awards, a support and accreditation scheme in accessibility best practice for arts organisations.

https://universityofatypical.o...

  • Arts Care is a pioneering arts, health, and wellbeing charity that transforms healthcare environments across Northern Ireland.

https://www.artscare.co.uk/abo...