Arts and Disability workshop participants brainstorm project ideas.
Disability Arts is a regional art initiative of the British Council through which the countries of South Asia have been running various projects engaging disabled artists and creative professionals with the primary objective of fostering the arts sector and society as an inclusive space. This is done through the help of UK disabled artists and inclusive art organisations who have been sharing their expertise with their South Asian counterparts.  The aim of the project is to facilitate disabled artists, disabled-led companies, and art organisations as well as to help art organisations realise an accessible working model for their projects, benefiting both producers and viewers all the while, through their work, counteracting misunderstandings, misconceptions, stereotypes and negative narratives surrounding the lives of disabled people. Disability arts is a key strategic priority for the British Council globally.  
In Nepal, the programme was introduced in 2019 after which several activities have taken place: 
Nepali Sign Language interpreter Sagar Subedi (Right) translates dialogues by Actor’s Studio performers during the opening day of Nitfest. 

Strategic Partnership - Nepal International Theatre Festival 2019

  • The British Council supported the Nepal International Theatre Festival as the Strategic Partner for its first edition which was held between 25 February and 4 March 2019. The primary objective of this partnership was to ensure that some level of accessibility for disabled audiences is secured. While access is very difficult for people with physical difficulties in all theatre halls in Nepal—no theatre is wheelchair accessible, for example--some interventions regarding content accessibility was made in the festival. Read more.
  • Sagar Prasai and the British Council worked with Nepal International Theatre Festival 2022 to support the festival with disabled accessibility incorporating accessibility features including sign language, audio description, signage, large print documents, and an access guide. Learn more here.

Theatre and Disability Workshop

Glasgow-based theatre company, Birds of Paradise (BOP) was invited to Kathmandu to facilitate a five-day workshop for young disabled leaders, professionals from disability organisations and theatre professionals. Twenty-six participants – 14 disabled people, eight art professionals and representatives from art organisations and four representatives from disability organisations - took part in the workshops. Read more.

Grants - Nothing About Us Without Us

To encourage theatre artists, disabled people and organisations working in disability and further pursuing work in the arts, an open call for proposal was announced. Out of nine entries, four were awarded with micro grants to initiate work in the theatre arts with the direct involvement of disabled people. Read more.

Masterclass and Video Turorial

Masterclass and video tutorial by Glasgow-based theatre practitioner Ramesh Meyyppan for Nepali audience.

Participation at International Festivals

Disability sector professional Sagar Prasai attended the Unlimited Festival as a British Council delegate where he observed how work by disabled artists can be promoted and how accessible events can be organised. Watch the summary video here.

Toolkit on Organising Accessible Events

Sagar Prasai, through a British Council grant, produced Beyond the Norm, a guide to organising accessible events.  Download the guide here. 

Download this report for more details on the Arts and Disability project workings in Nepal.

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