On Thursday 12 March, there will be a Public Accounts Committee Hearing with senior members of Access to Work and the DWP. The hearing will take place at 10am on Parliament TV. One stream will have British Sign Language interpretation, and one stream will not.
More info: graeae.org/resource/acc...
Disabled Artists of the Future!
We’re excited to announce that we’re taking part in the Big Give Arts for Impact campaign from the 17 - 24 March 2026, raising vital funds for our Young Company and we need your support. Save the date!
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Solidarity with Jenny and everyone affected by the cuts to Access to Work.
You shouldn't have to be a significant person in the history of disability arts in order to get ATW ... but it's pretty telling of what the DWP are up to when they slash such a notable person's ATW.
Telling the leader of a nationally renowned Deaf/disabled theatre company that she can only have 18 hours of BSL Interpretation per week is so.... evil. Knowingly evil. Cuts to A2W will slowly remove our strongest voices and advocates from public life.
The government is cutting Graea Directoe Jenny Sealey's Access to Work by 50% - not only a direct assault on her equal right to work, but what feels like a targeted attack on the capacity of a leading disabled organisation to speak truth to power and challenge and change culture. This is obscene.
Graeae has been informed that our artistic director, faces swingeing cuts to Access to Work support on the same day we close our survey asking for feedback on the scheme.
Read the full story on our website with a statement from Jenny Sealey: graeae.org/resource/acc...
Text reads on a cream background in red boxes, Thank you! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and responded to our Access to Work survey.
Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences & responded to our Access to Work survey. Your voices are so valuable to our campaign for positive change to the Access to Work system.
graeae.org/resource/acc...
Last day to complete our survey!
Have your say on your experience of Access to Work.
To inform our response to The Public Accounts Committee Inquiry, we’ve created a short survey for our community and for those who would prefer to submit their evidence through Graeae.
graeae.org/resource/acc...
Text in red boxes on a cream background read, Access to Work. The Public Accounts Committee Inquiry. Deadline Monday 23 February 2026 to submit your evidence
Did you know that The Public Accounts Committee & National Audit Office have launched an inquiry into the Access to Work Scheme?
There is a chance to submit your experience or fill in our survey, please check out our Access to Work page on our website for more info.
graeae.org/resource/acc...
Graeae's meeting room. Long white table with chairs in the middle with green fabric seats on the right across the wall.
Graeae's kitchen with green countertops with tea and coffee facilities
Graeae's rehearsal space with round tables and chairs. Sound and lighting equipment is to the right of the room next to a piano.
New year. New projects. New space?
Graeae’s accessible award-winning spaces are available to hire! Check out the brochure on our webiste.
graeae.org/who-we-are/o...
A photo of Julie in a pink western shirt with white fringe. Julie is smiling at the camera, she has short, dark, curly hair, and is wearing glasses.
We are saddened to hear of the passing of the wonderful Julie Cleves. Julie was one of our Rhinestone Rollers, complete with her pink tasseled shirt and stetson hat. Her artwork graces our space at Bradbury Studios. Her art and spirit will be ever present in our space and in our hearts.
Headshot of Jenny Sealey and Kevin Walsh on a green/blue background
Lovely way to start the year and proud to see our Artistic Director Jenny Sealey and Executive Director Kevin Walsh in @thestage.co.uk 100!
www.thestage.co.uk/features/the...
“We need more allies in our activism. 2026 needs to be all-embracing to ensure the theatrical landscape is rich with diversity of people and narratives.”
Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director, Graeae
shorturl.at/2oxBj
And the winner of Best North East Production: Bad Lads from @livetheatre.bsky.social and @graeaetheatre.bsky.social. Easily the best all-rounder at Live this year, with a revelation about a Youth Detention Centre and innovative use of captions and signing chrisontheatre.wordpress.com/2025/12/26/c...
Graeae’s Deaf, Disabled & neurodivergent writers have ended their coffee mornings this year with “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!
graeae.org/resource/12-...
A black and white photo of a group of school-aged children, they are part of a Graeae Theatre workshop. They are smiling.
Our work is only made possible by our community, our allies and ambassadors. Visit our ‘Support us’ page on our website to discover how your support can make an impact.
These individuals include: Daryl & Co, Natasha Curtis, Cherie Gordon, Nickie Miles-Wildin, Miss Jacqui, Josiah Green-Moth, Mette Tofte Philipsen, and Jodi-Alissa Bickerton.
We look to them as not only the future of the Disability Rights Movement, but as the future of our industry. We would like to give a shoutout of thanks to the young people, their families, and our directors that lead these groups.
A group of Graeae’s youth theatre are onstage performing, everyone is seated. Two actors are centre stage with the rest of the performers on the edge of the stage. The photo is black and white.
There are no fees associated with joining the companies, and Graeae strives to meet any access requirements that our artists may have.
These young artists are driven by their creativity, their political awareness, and their desire to make the world a more accessible place.
A woman with short curly hair is crouched down, she is smiling, next to her is a young girl, she is sitting on the ground. This is from a workshop that Graeae ran many years ago, the photo is black and white.
During their time with us, they are given an accessible space to learn, explore, and foster their creativity. The Children’s Company and the Young Company are led by Disabled directors and facilitators and a team of fantastic access support workers.
Seven diverse performers onstage, they are dressed in costume and are performing Historical Briefs.
Our Young Company is proudly carrying the torch for the next generation of Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent artists. Many of these artists begin working with us as early as 6 years of age and continue with us into adulthood.
This dedication has led us to where we are now with a Children’s Company, both online and in-person, a Young Company, and an ever-growing community of young Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent artists across the UK.
A photo of two young company members, one is wearing a marshmallow with a smiley face on their head, and they both are wearing orange space suits. They are performing outside.
Since the beginning of Graeae, theatre education and outreach to young Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent people have been at the heart of the organisation.
A photo of Godwin, a Young Company member performing onstage with Sharon, a BSL interpreter.
Young Company are onstage performing the anchors and the sails. Behind them is a screen with captions. Ariana is in the centre of the stage performing a monologue.
Young Company are onstage performing, there is a colourful set behind them. Marcus and Ariana are centre stage dancing.
Today, in celebration of Disability History Month, we are highlighting the future of Disability in the arts through the young artists we have the pleasure of working with. The photos included in this post date back to the 1980s and follow us all the way up through to our current young company.
This is just one of the ways that a programme that is intended to make things more accessible has become inaccessible. As an organisation, we will continue to fight for proper treatment from our government and the departments that are meant to serve our communities.
Access to Work is a vital tool that allows Deaf, Disabled, and neurodivergent individuals to stay in work and work in an accessible environment. The current wait times for employed individuals is 37.5 weeks and 67.5 weeks for those who are self-employed.
We'd like to highlight a podcast episode for Disability History Month from @disabilityarts.bsky.social featuring Cathy Waller and @touretteshero.bsky.social speaking about Access to Work. Content warning, this podcast contains strong language and references of a sexual nature. tinyurl.com/yj9tzup3
To learn more about Judith Heumann, you can watch the documentaries, Crip Camp and The Power of 504, or read her books, Being Heumann, Rolling Warrior, and Fighting for YES!.
